The Importance of Reducing Stress Levels for Recovery

If your schedule looks like the average American, you don’t have much downtime on your hands. You’re going through the daily 9-5 grind or focusing on your schooling. If you have a family, you’re taking care of your household, running kids all around, and by the end of the night, you’re exhausted and ready to pass out. But did you know this lifestyle isn’t conducive to workout recovery? You really need to be reducing stress levels for recovery if you want to see the best results possible.

I know… easier said than done.

The typical day in the life of an American is a combination of playing dizzy-bat and running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Some days you may find it amazing that you made it out alive. We all live insanely busy and crazy lives, which adds to the amount of stress we feel daily. But if you’re not reducing stress levels, your recovery from intense workouts will suffer, and you may find yourself spinning your wheels, seeing very little progress.

In this article, we are going to take a deeper dive into reducing stress levels for recovery, how stress can hinder your progress, and some ways you can maximize your results. 

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting an exercise program.

What is Stress? 

You feel it. You know it’s there. But what the heck is it so that you can focus on reducing stress levels? 

Stress is a biological and psychological response to a perceived threat or challenge. In most cases, our stress comes from challenges we’re faced with throughout the day (not a threat). In this case, it is a natural reaction that occurs in the body when we face a situation that we perceive as demanding or challenging. This could include situations like a job interview, preparing for a test, having a difficult conversation, a looming deadline, juggling an insane schedule with a full household, and even your workouts can create stress.

While most stress we are faced with is acute in nature and comes and goes fairly quickly, chronic stress can be damaging to your health and recovery, and therefore you need to focus on reducing stress levels.

When we experience stress, our bodies release a cascade of hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, which help prepare us to respond to the perceived threat or challenge. This response is often referred to as the “fight or flight” response and is designed to help us either confront the threat or challenge it head-on or flee from it and run away.

While stress can be helpful in certain situations, chronic stress can have adverse effects on our health and well-being. Prolonged stress can lead to a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, and depression. 

Therefore, it’s important to learn ways of reducing stress levels and develop coping strategies to help reduce its harmful effects. This can include techniques such as meditation, exercise, mindfulness, and seeking social support. We’ll touch more on this shortly.

Chronic High Stress Can Destroy Your Recovery

Chronic high stress can have a significant impact on your body’s ability to recover from workouts. In fact, stress can delay recovery from exercise-induced muscle pain. When you’re faced with psychological stress, it can drastically impair muscle recovery. Therefore, if you’re someone who exercises regularly and whose main goal is to build muscle, reducing stress levels is absolutely necessary to see the best results from your time in the gym.

When you experience stress, your body releases hormones like cortisol, which can negatively affect various systems in your body. In the context of post-workout recovery, cortisol can interfere with repairing and rebuilding muscles and tissues, which are essential for making progress in your fitness goals.

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Stress can also affect your sleep patterns, further hindering muscle recovery. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body doesn’t have enough time to repair and regenerate, which can lead to muscle soreness and fatigue. You should strive for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to provide your body with the best means of recovering from training sessions.

In addition, stress can cause inflammation in the body, exacerbating post-workout soreness and delaying recovery time. When stressed, your body releases pro-inflammatory cytokines, making it harder for your muscles and tissues to recover.

Furthermore, chronic high stress can also affect your appetite and nutrition intake. When you are stressed, you may not feel as hungry, or you may crave unhealthy foods, which can interfere with your body’s ability to recover properly. Eating a balanced diet with adequate protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats is crucial for post-workout recovery, and chronic high stress can make it harder to maintain a healthy diet, which is why reducing stress levels is crucial to achieving success and reaching your goals.

Reducing Stress Levels for Recovery

Reducing stress levels is important for your overall health and well-being, as well as for optimizing post-workout recovery. Here are some ways of reducing stress levels:

1. Practice relaxation techniques: Meditation, deep breathing, and yoga are all effective techniques for reducing stress levels and promoting relaxation. These practices can help lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and promote feelings of calmness.

2. Exercise regularly: Exercise can help with reducing stress levels by releasing endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting chemicals in the brain. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least five days a week. Overall, strive for 150 minutes of exercise weekly for health benefits. 

3. Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can increase stress levels and make it harder for your body to recover from workouts. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to give your body the time it needs to repair and regenerate.

4. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness involves being present in the moment and paying attention to your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Practicing mindfulness can help you manage stress and improve your overall mental health. You can do this by sitting in a quiet room. 

5. Connect with others: Social support can be an effective way of reducing stress levels and improving your overall well-being. Spend time with friends and family or join a support group to connect with others who share your interests. 

6. Take breaks: Make sure to take regular breaks throughout the day to rest and recharge. This can include taking a short walk, listening to music, or practicing relaxation or breathing techniques.

Take Your Recovery to the Next Level 

To take your recovery to new heights, you need to focus on reducing stress levels. When you can better manage stress, you can unlock the door that opens up to new muscle growth. If you want to further enhance your muscle-building potential, you need to stack reducing stress levels with a powerful recovery supplement like Evogen Nutrition Cell K.E.M. PR.

Some of you may be familiar with our original formula of Cell K.E.M. but aren’t sure of what makes Cell K.E.M. PR an advanced formula. For starters, the formula has been upgraded to include powerful patented ingredients like Sensoril^® that aid in reducing stress levels — which ties in nicely with the topic of this article. Hany also decided to include patented NO3T^® Creatine Nitrate that not only helps enhance post-workout muscle recovery but also helps enhance blood flow to allow nutrients to more easily be transported to the muscles as well as maximize muscle strength and fullness.

Used by athletes and fitness enthusiasts around the globe, Evogen Nutrition Cell K.E.M. PR has quickly become a fan favorite for reducing stress levels and improving recovery. Add it to your post-workout recovery protocol to help add the quality mass you’ve been looking for to enhance your physique.