Jenna Glamuzina – Feb 2026
🏅Coming into sports carnival and finals time for our summer sports, we thought we could share some information about how to best recover from a game or even gym training to be able to go again better the next time.
1️⃣ Stretching 🧘♀️🙆♂️
Low impact movement like stretching, yoga, Pilates, walking, swimming will see benefits in muscular soreness in the coming days. This sort of movement can reduce the stiffness and swelling you feel after exercising, and promote better muscle recovery. Keep the intensity light and target the effected muscle groups for best results.
2️⃣ Hydration 💧🧢
After we exercise, we continue to lose fluids and typically do not replenish them enough. Dehydration can impair our mind and body from functioning at an optimal level. Water is the gold standard when it comes to rehydrating yourself, although sports drinks are popular, they can contain high levels of sugar, so are only recommended for moderate-vigorous exercise longer than 60 minutes in duration. Specifically after exercise, we should drink 1.5x the amount of water we lost during exercise for appropriate rehydration post-workout.
3️⃣ Foam rolling and massage 💆♀️😎
Manual therapy can see some improvements in sore muscle groups after exercise. Either using foam rollers, massage guns, massage balls or massage sticks can all be useful ways to treat the area. Please don’t try massage until 24 hours post-workout, otherwise there is an increased risk of injury. Compression can also be effective, wearing tights or bandages can apply pressure and relieve the pain in muscles post-workout. Make sure this is safely done and not losing circulation to other parts of your body.
Keep in mind, massaging doesn’t always fix an injury, but can provide pain relief which makes us feel better and more motivated to be active
4️⃣ Diet and sleep 🍎😴
A balanced diet all round sees better results in recovery. Eating more protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates gives us enough energy to exercise, but also helps to refuel afterwards. Protein after workouts can repair muscle damage. Recommended protein doses per day differ based on gender and age demographics, for example:
⭐️Females: 0.75g/kg of body weight
⭐️Males: 0.84g/kg of body weight
⭐️Pregnant, breastfeeding, 70+: 1g/kg of body weight
Also balancing protein with eating healthy fats (found in nuts or avocados, oils and spreads, seafood) and carbohydrates (whole grains, lentils or legumes, fruit and veggies) to replenish energy used during workouts. The ‘Australian Guide to Healthy Eating’ provides information on having a balanced diet, or you can consult with a GP or dietician for more advice.
Adequate rest and sleep is paramount in recovering after exercise. There is such thing as overexercising, our body needs time to recuperate before going again. Children require 10-12 hours of sleep a night compared to an adult needing 7-9 hours. Prioritising good sleep can see better results physically and mentally.
Not every method works for everyone, but one might be just right for you!
If you are wanting more information on recovery tips or exercise advice, contact us to book in a physio or exercise physiologist consult today:
📞 (08) 7610 8242