Time to give yourself some TLC
Woohoo! You’ve just completed a fantastic workout sesh playing your favourite sport, so it’s now time to give your body some TLC. As every sports person knows, getting in the habit of a good recovery routine is very important to help minimise the risk of injury. We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite things to do post-match – many of which you can get the rest of your Just Play teammates involved too for some extra bonding time.
First things first – let’s stretch!
Stretching is important to prevent injury, increase range of motion and increase explosive power. While your muscles are still warm after a game, you should give some of the following stretches a go:
Lower body stretches
Hamstring stretch: touch your toes and keep those knees locked straight!
Quad stretch: pull your heel to you butt while pushing your hips forward and keeping your knees together.
Glute stretch: you may want to look this one up on Youtube – this feels simply amazing.
Calf stretch: time to release those baby cows! Find a wall, prop your toes up on it and push forward.
Upper body stretches
Cross-body shoulder stretch: hold for at least 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Obliques stretch: lie down and twist.
All hail the foam roller!
Foam rolling is fantastic for promoting blood flow into areas that need extra recovery and to stretch out your muscles. It works by applying pressure to massage your tissue. Be sure to take deep breaths as you roll to help increase oxygen to your muscles.
For foam rolling beginners, it is normal to feel a little bit of pain but don’t worry, it gets easier with practice!
Time to hydrate & replenish
With good exercise comes a good amount of sweat. Everyone knows that you’ve got to drink lots of water to rehydrate but it is easy to forget about replenish lost electrolytes. Electrolytes are positive or negative ions used in metabolic processes (turning food into energy).
In addition to drinking your favourite sports drink, the following foods will give you a natural boost:
- Green vegetables
- Bananas
- Watermelon
- Avocado
- Sea salt
- Lemons
- Blood Oranges
- Coconut water
Speaking of food, aren’t you hungry?
Eating well after a game is very important – chances are you’ve thought more about your pre-match meal than your post-match one! If your meal is a combination of the food groups listed below you’ll be onto a winner dinner:
Protein: great for repairing and building muscle
Carbs: after running around your glycogen stores are likely to be running low – time to restock!
Fats: contrary to popular belief, having some fat after a game isn’t going to affect your recovery. Opt for good fats such as avocado, nuts & trail mixes.
Another thing to consider is the timing of your post-match meal. Many experts recommend having some energy food within 45 minutes of finishing a competition.
Recovery Sleep
The most important tip of all! Sleep plays a major role in recharging your body for the next game. From Serena Williams to Lance Armstrong, sporting stars swear by sleeping well to improve performance and concentration. Plus, regular exercise will help improve your sleep quality too – win-win!
Want to get involved? Just Play builds social teams from individual registrations. You can enter Just Play on your own or with 1 or 2 friends and be placed on the same team.
Check out the Just Play app – available now on Android and iOS devices.
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Keen to start playing some casual games? One Game is from the same team behind Just Play and exists to make it easy for anyone and everyone to play casually.
Check out the One Game app – available now on Android and iOS devices.
