When people think of sports, they think of training. Weight lifting. Intense games packed with energy and determination. Drills run over and over again to perfection. 

But what many people, even some athletes, don’t realize is that the habits practiced outside of training are equally important as the training itself. A proper recovery, when all aspects are addressed, will maximize athletic performance and maintain physical health. So what can you do to make sure that you are recovering appropriately?

First up is nutrition. Nutritious foods fuel your body and ensure that you have the proper energy to perform well in sports. However, not just any food will fulfill this task.

“Poor diet can slow the recovery process and not give the body the proper amount of fuel or nutrients needed to repair the normal amount of damage caused during exercise,” athletic trainer Brenda Pasqua wrote to the Talon. “Food is your body’s fuel source. Imagine if you put water in the fuel tank of a car, that car could not function efficiently. If you have a poor diet, the body cannot perform or recover efficiently either.”

Pasqua recommends that athletes avoid fried foods, fast foods and simple carbohydrates to maintain a balanced diet. She also advises to stay away from caffeine and energy drinks.

“Caffeine contributes to calcium depletion and slow bone growth and recovery,” Pasqua wrote.

It is also important to eat something rich in both carbohydrates and protein within two hours after exercising to restore glycogen stores and assist in muscle recovery. 

Another vital component of physical fitness is hydration. Hydration is key for maintaining endurance and preventing cramps, headaches, fatigue and dizziness.

It can be difficult to determine how much water to drink in a day. In general, teens are recommended to drink eight cups of water per day, or 64 fluid ounces. However, athletes need to drink much more than this recommendation depending on their body composition and exercise intensity.

Because of this significant loss of water from exercising, it is not only important to rehydrate, but also to consume electrolytes. 

Electrolytes are particularly important after exercise because they help boost water absorption and therefore maximize hydration. That is why many sports drinks contain electrolytes. 

If you feel dizzy, lightheaded or get cramps while exercising, you probably didn’t drink enough water earlier on. An easy way to tell whether or not you are hydrated is by the color of your urine. Lighter-colored urine means you are properly hydrated, while darker colors signal dehydration.

Sleep is also crucial to maintaining a healthy body. When you train, your muscles tear and break down. Your body reconstructs them to become bigger and stronger while you are sleeping. Without sufficient amounts of sleep, your body would be unable to complete this process.

Athletes are also shown to sleep less than non-athletes, making it all the more important to keep up a healthy sleep schedule. For teens, that means eight to ten hours per night.

While athletes often feel pressure to train constantly in order to become better at their sport, these efforts often have the opposite effect. Overexercise can lead to decreases in your immune system, burnout, increased chances of injury, longer healing time for those injuries, mental health issues and even worsened performance.

“Make sure to take at least one day off a week from all sports training to allow the body to recover,” Pasqua wrote. “Training seven days a week does not allow the body to get the necessary amount of rest needed to recover . . . The sooner you address [injuries and soreness], the quicker they can heal.”

Pasqua has seen the consequences of a lack of recovery. Over her years of working at Oak Park High School, she has seen preventable injuries rob students of a full season, stop them from playing multiple sports, increase stress and even make them want to quit their sport. 

Another harmful condition resulting from a lack of recovery is Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports, or RED-S, which results from a chronic lack of calories combined with intense exercise.

All of this information can be overwhelming when trying to figure out what is right for your body. Some OPHS athletes have created a routine to help maintain balance between their sports and their health.

“I just try to get plenty of rest,” varsity dancer Savannah Javadi said. “On my off-time, I stretch at home and just maintain my regular health.”

Katarina Modrzejewski, senior on varsity cross country, has also found a system that is helpful to her.

“[Recovery] is very important. You have to train hard and you have to recover hard,” Modrzejewski said. “Make sure to roll, stretch and also build strength, because building strength will help with the recovery.”

It may be difficult for athletes to find time for recovery as their schedules are often consumed by school, sports, homework and other extracurricular activities. However, it can be easy to incorporate some simple multitasking.

“If you’re gonna stretch, you could watch a YouTube video for homework or an EdPuzzle,” Modrzejewski said. “Usually, I’ll be in my compression boots and I’ll be watching a show or reading a book.”

From refilling your water bottle throughout the day to simply taking a break, there are countless ways you can take care of your body to the fullest. The practices that happen at home can reduce the likelihood of injury and boost your mental and physical health. Integrating these simple habits into your routine now could end up making all the difference in the long run.