A couple of days ago, I listened to Terry Gross interview Kristi Ashwanden (you can listen to “The Strange Science Behind the Big Business of Exercise Recovery”) .
Ms, Ashwanden has the goods. She has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award as well as a state and national collegiate cycling champion as well as an elite cross-country skier with team Rossignol.
Christie was interviewed about her new book, Good To Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery.
She discussed several of the main topics, which included the overhydration wave, the rise of electrolytes (think salt), a wide range of techniques to deal with inflammation, massage, icing vs hot packs, compression garments, infrared saunas, and most importantly sleep.
I was so impressed with the practical way she approached interview that I bought the book after I learned that no library in the state of Maine has it, yet.
Lately I’ve been reading more, resulting in being online less, two of of my goals for 2019. I read this book in two days and it fits with my own approach to recovery for the past five years (a hint of confirmation bias, perhaps?) .
This book is a solid response to the question, “Do any of these things really help with recovery?”
You can find out yourself, so I don’t want to put out any spoilers in this review but…after reading it, I’m planning to rack up even more sleep, monitor my daily recovery with morning heart rate variability readings, continue to put in a hour or more of meditation a day, take my non-infrared saunas, reduce ibuprofen usage, make my own electrolyte drink, but most importantly listen to my body.
My traditional sauna is cranking 200 degrees right now. I’m in headed in to assist in recovery for my overstretched hamstring.
But I’m not about to overhydrate !
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