Something I have learned in this last year is to take care of my body. In this sense, I mean physically! I have been working out for years it was either with sports or at the gym. With all this active stuff I was never a person to stretched or do any body care. Let me tell you I regret this a lot. My body is feeling it now as I have been working out more now. Since I have been pushing my body a lot more I have learned to properly warm-up and cool down my body. If you are similar to me please take my advice and make sure you take care of your body. Even if it is just 5 minutes of stretching, those 5 minutes help your muscles get moving and get the blood flow moving in your body. 

 Don’t just jump into a workout, warm-up. This warm-up could be walking on the treadmill for 5 minutes or just moving the muscles in your body that you are going to work. Make sure to do some dynamic stretching, this is when you are constantly moving the body part instead of standing still. Static stretching is best to do after a workout when your muscles are warm and ready to be stretched. 

 I have talked about this before but yoga is amazing for body recovery. I have not been into it as much this last month but I can feel my body wanting it. When I was doing yoga constantly my body felt so much more lose and less sore. Especially when I did it in the morning when my body was stiff and sore, I found that the soreness would go away much faster. Even just doing a session once a week you will find such a difference. There are so many good YouTube videos you can follow. 

  I know this can be costly but if you can afford it go to physiotherapy, massage therapy, a chiropractor or whichever form of rehab you like. This is so good for your body. Theses specialist know exactly where your pain is and what is causing it. They will help get rid of the pain while also giving you stretches and exercise to help make sure the pain does not come back. I  cannot say enough about this, I have been doing all of these for years and they all have helped my body in such good ways, especially with my hip pain. 

  Take one day out of your workout split to just focus on body care. This could involve stretching, foam rolling, or just body workouts. This allows your body to just rest while also being active. Having this in the middle of the week is so good to make sure your body has the rest it needs. 

 These are just a few ideas I try and incorporate in my life to help take care of my body but I truly recommend for you to do it too!! You will thank me later! 

 XoXo,

 Katelynn