Congratulations on completing that run. You’ve just taken a bold step to enhance your physical and mental health. 

Running requires significant energy, but it also provides many benefits to a person’s overall health. 

According to experts at Healthline, “Running positively influences your blood pressure and circulation and significantly reduces your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.”

Nevertheless, as the ‘high’ you reach from running wanes, you may realize that your body has undergone some shifts. Besides being injured, it’s normal to feel muscle ache and perhaps fatigue after a tough run. The reason for this is that while you were in motion, your muscle fibers underwent some microtears. You also expended some energy, which you need to get back.

How you handle your recovery after finishing a marathon can determine whether you will truly maximize the benefits that accompany the exercise. Any attempt to force yourself into any activity without proper recovery can be detrimental. Your mood can even change, causing you to question why you ran in the first place.

But do you just lay helpless on the floor as you recover? Certainly not. Here are some creative ways to spend your recovery time after your run.

5 Creative Ways to Spend Your Recovery Time After a Run

• Low-Key Physical Activities

If you’ve just completed a marathon or tough race, your stress level will be high. This stress is usually caused by inadequate blood flow and the release of the stress hormone called cortisol. If the running is for an event, the fact that it is now over can even breed hopelessness. To counteract this, you can take a gentle walk around your house or field for 20 minutes to aid proper blood flow. 

Another physical activity that can help to hasten your recovery is swimming. It’s a low-impact activity that aids muscle movement in a way that isn’t painful. Get into a pool and swim gently for 20 to 30 minutes to reduce soreness and muscle adhesions.

• Play a Game

Getting your energy back can be fun if you indulge yourself in activities that help you relax. One of such is playing casino games. Many people attest to how gaming helps them focus less on their pains and simply enjoy the moment. The fact is: the body will take care of itself better in a relaxed mode such as the one you’ll get from playing games.

Interestingly, developers are always on point with new and exciting games. One of the exciting crash games making the rounds in Canada lately is Drop The Boss by Mirror Image Gaming (MIG). It’s available for free through the drop the boss demo released recently. If you love it just like millions of players do, you can even cash out with it on your preferred online casino website.

• Treat Yourself to a Recovery Meal

Most people don’t feel like eating anything after a high-intensity run or exercise. But eventually, you would need to take something to cool or refresh. You’ve done well and a good meal isn’t just a need but also a reward. That said, the specific food you should eat after running should depend on the goal behind the exercise.

For instance, if you’re trying to lose weight, it would be counter-productive to feast on snacks and high-calory foods. Refreshing fruits like watermelons, cucumbers, banana, and veggie omelets are better. However, for muscle-building, you can take grilled chicken, chocolate milk, and protein shakes. 

• Sleep

Treat yourself to a cold shower and then lie on a couch or bed for a few minutes. You will be surprised at how refreshed you’d feel when you wake up. Experts recommend between 7 and 9 hours of quality sleep for regular runners. According to them, it enables the release of growth hormones, hastens muscle repairs, and builds up your immunity.

It may not be realistic to fall asleep for a long time immediately after a run, but a short nap of 40 minutes is great. Ensure that it’s in a noiseless environment and you feel comfortable.

• Read a Novel

One of the things running does to you is to increase your brain power. 

According to Cigna, “A tough run increases levels of a brain-derived protein in the body, believed to help with decision-making, higher thinking, and learning.”

Get yourself an interesting novel and devour its pages as you wait for full recovery. You aren’t just going to be exercising your body but also your brain. If you ever feel tired in the process, it’s ok to take a nap or walk around a little.

Conclusion

The few minutes or hours after you finish a marathon can be exhausting and demanding. However, if you engage in any of these creative recovery activities, you won’t even know when everything will be over. They take your attention away from whatever discomfort you may be going through while the body self-heals.