It doesn’t matter what (or who) is to blame, even if we are the strongest and toughest people on earth, our body needs to recover. Here we have a list of the best ways to recover, heal, and de-stress our bodies and souls so we can get even stronger, both mentally and physically.

No. 1 – You Should Do Some Mindless Activities

Manual labor is the best way for you to mentally “get away” and take a break. Cook, clean the house, swim, or take a long run! All these activities will let your mind refocus and develop new great ideas to replace dilemmas and problems you didn’t manage to tackle.

No. 2 – You Should Sleep More

You may not believe it, but a good night’s sleep is the best way to recover. Sometimes, the circumstances are beyond our control, and we cannot get those necessary 8 hours of sleep. You can try methods outside of this list, but if you don’t sleep enough, your battle for recovery will eventually be lost.

No. 3 – You Should Take A Hot Bath And A Good Book

Do this separately or even joined! If you can take 30 minutes for yourself, to be alone and relax, read a book, or even just think in peace, you will help the healing process immensely – on both physical and mental levels.

No. 4 – Go To Your Favorite Place

There has always been that one place that helps you relax, right? Great, then go there! Go outdoors, to the beach, or to the library, whatever you like best. By getting away, unplugging from the rest of the world, and simply enjoying life, you will be able to get your mind, body, and soul back to normal. When you are stressed, even a 15-minute walk outside can help.

No. 5 – Try Some Stretching

Hard living or hard training can affect other areas of your body, other than your mind. You can reduce the pains and minor aches just by taking 15 minutes to stretch from head to toe, warm up and add some foam rolling. If this feels good, and helps, adding a yoga class might be a good idea.

No. 6 – What About Your Diet?

Not having enough electrolytes in your body after a long workout can be as dangerous as being dehydrated. To help your body recover, and fight inflammatory effects of hard work, you just need to add salts and antioxidants to your diet. So, from now on, sodium, magnesium, and potassium, as well as Vitamin C, turmeric, and beta-carotene, are your best friends.

When your body needs extra fuel, when it lacks minerals, vitamins, and general nutrients, nothing helps more than eating well. Take some vegetables, fruits, healthy fats from nuts or fish, lean proteins! And, if you are really burning yourself out, you can even use some supplementing protein powder to help your body regain the energy it needs for such an exertion.

No. 7 – Take A Long Bike Ride

If you need a light option to loosen up, biking is a great one for the legs. After 30 minutes of cycling, you could add some yoga-based stretching. If you don’t really enjoy bike rides, you can go rowing, swimming or simply use an elliptical trainer to help your sore muscles and joints, as well as help you get rid of the stress.

No. 8 – Have You Ever Tried A Dynamic Stretching?

It does seem like we push stretches everywhere, right? That is because different stretches do different things to our bodies. This Land/Sea routine is great in cases when you are burned out from hours on a bike, or miles of running, or even hours in front of the computer! All the dynamic stretches you usually do prior to working out, do them once normally, and once in the pool, in chest-deep waters. These aqua jogging exercises will really help and make your body snap back into great shape a lot faster.

No. 9 – Take Short Naps

A good night’s sleep is very important, as we have already pointed out, but naps are also important! You won’t believe how much 10-15 minutes long nap could help. It improves alertness and relieves general lethargy. Best Cure? Try nappuccino! And what is that? Well, take some caffeine after taking a nap – just as you finish with your 15-minute rest, the caffeine will kick in, and voila – you are ready for every and any challenge life can toss at you!

It doesn’t matter if you are recovering from an injury, an illness or training for the Olympics, your body and your mind deserve good care and recovery in order to function properly. Give these ideas a try, see the difference, and let us know what worked best for you!