RECOVERY ISN’T ANOTHER THING YOU NEED TO ADD INTO YOUR ROUTINE
Ice baths. Saunas. Massage guns. Foam rolling. Supplements. It can seem like everywhere you look, there’s a new recovery hack.
The fundamentals of recovery are often much simpler and easy to overlook.
Recovery is influenced by a range of factors. Together they can affect how well we adapt, recover and respond.
THE FUNDAMENTALS
SLEEP & nutrition
coping & support
mood, beliefs & values
general health
training & daily activity
access
lifestyle
environment
life demands & stress
Fuel & restore
SLEEP | NUTRITION | HEALTH
This is the stuff that creates the foundation for how well we can show up.
Your body needs adequate opportunity and resources to recover from the demands placed on it. Sleep, nutrition and your overall health can influence energy, adaptation and how ready you are to train or take on daily activity.
MANAGING THE LOAD
TRAINING | DAILY ACTIVITY | LIFE DEMANDS | STRESS
It’s everything you're asking of yourself – and training is only one part of the picture.
Load management doesn’t just relate to training. Work, family, physical activity and periods of higher stress all contribute to the overall demands on our bodies. It should consider what training and rest look like, not just between individual sessions but also over longer periods of time.
More isn't always better. Sometimes it's about finding a balance between life's demands and our current capacity.
CREATE THE RIGHT CONDITIONS
LIFESTYLE | ENVIRONMENT | SUPPORT & BELIEFS | MOOD & COPING | ACCESS
Our environment, routines, beliefs, support network and access to the things we need can all influence what recovery actually looks like in practice.
Together, these factors shape what recovery looks like for each of us.
Importantly, not all of these factors may be completely within our control.
IT’S NOT ABOUT OPTIMISING EVERYTHING.
Good recovery isn't about getting every factor perfect.
It's about recognising the demands you're currently facing, identifying what you can influence, and making practical changes where they matter.
Sometimes that might mean prioritising sleep. Sometimes it's adjusting training. Other times, it might simply mean accepting that life is particularly demanding right now and adjusting expectations accordingly.
So, HOW is your recovery?
We’ve created a simple Recovery Check-In to help you step back and consider the factors that may be influencing your recovery right now.
Reflect on areas like sleep, nutrition, training, stress, lifestyle and support. Recognise what’s working, identify what may need some attention, and consider what may simply need to be accepted for now.
Free to download. No perfect scores required.
This resource is designed as a general self-reflection tool and isn’t intended to diagnose an injury or replace individual healthcare advice.