By Anna Buckman (The Zoe Report)
While regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, there's one aspect of it that's often overlooked: recovery. Yet according to Jennifer Jacobs, fitness expert and founder of the J METHOD, it shouldn't be an afterthought. In fact, you should consider it just as important as the main event. "If you are looking to optimize performance, avoid injury, or be at your best, integrating a consistent recovery routine into your training program is essential," she tells TZR in an email. What exactly does that look like? Well, you'll want to focus on a few types of workout recovery tools.
Though that doesn't mean *just* going out and buying a bunch of different items to help you out. Rather, you should approach recovery as a holistic process. "One of the principals of the J METHOD is to recover often," Jacobs continues. "This doesn't mean only using recovery tools, such as the J METHOD recovery ball, but making sure to focus on the importance of sleep, hydration, and movement."
That said, the right tools coupled with these practices can help maximize your recovery results, thus reducing muscle soreness and helping you move more freely so that you feel your absolute best in your next workout. Yet with so much out there to choose from, it can be daunting to find ones that are effective. To help guide you, TZR reached out to fitness experts and trainers to get their suggestions on the buys that really do work, plus a few tips on how to use them and why they do the job. Their recs, ahead.
Workout Recovery Tool: An Oat Milk & Herbal Blend
Recommended by: Andrea Marcellus, fitness expert and AND/life app creator
"My hands down favorite recovery tool is an iced oat milk turmeric latte featuring Oatly's full-fat oat milk and Joya’s Glow turmeric and herbal support blend," says Marcellus. "Oat milk is higher in protein than other plant-based milks, which is really just glorified juices full of sugar and without superfood benefits like fiber, plant-based protein, or big micronutrient value. Oat milk is full of vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium, potassium, and magnesium, making it an excellent post-workout recovery snack, as well as hydrating beverage."
"Joyà’s Glow is a blend of turmeric and black pepper, which is essential for the body to access circumin in the turmeric — the powerful anti-inflammatory we all want from it," continues Marcellus. "It’s a delicious blend that also includes herbal supplements designed to boost mood and balance hormones. So after a workout, not only are you getting a powerful anti-inflammatory to help with muscle recovery, you’re getting support for mental and emotional balance to go along with the endorphins you released during your workout, maximizing your workout's net-positive effect on your mental wellness as well as your physical wellness."