Recovery is more than getting a good night's sleep. 💤

Happy Thursday Three!

Here are this week's coaching tip, exercise tutorial and question to ponder for the week.

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I. Good recovery is more than a good nights sleep 💤

Sleep is undeniably the rockstar of recovery, but achieving true restfulness goes beyond merely clocking in 8+ hours of shut-eye.

Physical recovery can also be achieved through activities like yoga, massage, or stretching, which can alleviate fatigue, aches, and pains.

What about mental recovery? We've all experienced the feeling of being utterly drained, yet unable to fall asleep with our minds in overdrive. This type of fatigue needs a different kind of rest. Sleep is undoubtedly crucial here, but we can also explore ways to create space for mental recovery too.

Anyone who has cared for young children or looked after a couple of rascals knows the feeling of sensory overload. The constant barrage of screaming, crying, shouting, and banging, along with the background noise of Blippi (if you don't know who that is, consider yourself lucky), can quickly leave you searching for a quiet place to sit.

Life can be a non-stop whirlwind, and sometimes taking a step back to catch your breath isn't easy. However, more often than not, we can all find ways to up our recovery game; even in a small way.

• Prioritize getting a good night's sleep.

• Schedule in some downtime.

• Try meditation.

• Take a walk or enjoy some time in nature.

• Stretch out or try a 15-minute yoga routine.

• Make time for friends and savour their company.

How might you up your recovery game?

II. The Executive stretch

In the last edition of Thursday Three, we explored a simple yet effective hip test (Figure Four). Knowing the areas where you are tight is a great starting point, but now it's time for some homework.

Improving hip mobility is not as simple as doing just one stretch, but it's certainly not a bad place to start. The "executive" stretch is one that I highly recommend you start with.

This stretch can be done at the gym, at home, or even in the office. Sure you might get some funny looks from your coworkers. Invite them to join in too.

Check out the demo video here.

III. Quote to ponder

if you don't pick a day to relax, your body will pick one for you.

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P.S. If you enjoyed this week's Thursday Three, share it with a friend.

Thanks,

Jamie