Recovery, performance, pain relief and the science behind CBD are often big topics to get your head around. Sometimes it can be helpful to see examples of what others are doing and evaluate what you might wish to incorporate into your own wellness routine. In this article I’ll share my personal journey and insights into these topics. You’ll learn simple, doable, tips and tricks on recovery, performance and feeling your best.
I’m Robert, founder of Yellow Athletic, and I’ve been on a journey to understand and overcome challenges that have kept me from doing what I love, which is getting out there playing sports and being active. Thanks for allowing me to share my experiences with you!
About the Recovery Tips + Regimen
Working with our Medical Advisor Dr. Morgan, and drawing on my 50+ years experience of being an athlete, we compiled a simple list of recovery advice that anyone can start doing. You can see the short, simple list of tips in our Recovery Regimen article. The original article has 17 tips that I’ll focus on here, but Dr. Morgan has kept on going, and if you sign up for his emails at the bottom of our homepage, you’ll get tips from him weekly in your inbox.
Outlined below, I’ll share my experiences with each of these tips. I’ll also touch on the Science of CBD and unlocking the power of CBD to enhance athletes recovery speed and efficiency. We’d also love to hear what you're up to, reply in the comments section, email us: hello@yellowathletic.com or comment on our instagram account @yellowathletic.
Breathe
A friend of mine wrote a book Super Wellness, and in it are several chapters devoted to breathing. Yes, breathing! When I asked her what are the most important things I can do for my health, she essentially replied with a proverb: a person can live days without food, maybe 72 hours without water, and mere minutes without breath. Wow, that illuminated perfectly how important breath is.
Most of us only inhale about 30% of the potential oxygen we are capable of with each breath. Imagine how much better you’d feel if you moved the needle to even 50 or 70%!
So what am I doing with this knowledge? Well, I’m working on it. I have set a daily reminder each morning that says “deep breathes”, I then proceed to start taking a few deep breaths through my nostrils. Immediately I noticed how shallow I was breathing before this. Also seeing some benefits from deep breathing. It’s a simple practice that can have a big impact on our health and well-being.
Furthermore, as I consistently practice taking these deliberate, deep breaths, I've observed a fascinating transformation in how my body responds. It's as if my physiology begins to recalibrate, and the act of taking deeper breaths becomes second nature. The initial conscious effort soon gives way to a subconscious habit, allowing me to maintain a more consistently optimal level of oxygen intake throughout the day.
Moreover, I've extended this practice beyond my daily routine. Whenever I encounter moments of heightened emotion like anger, anxiety, or frustration, I consciously turn to deep breathing as a coping mechanism. The results are remarkable. Almost instantaneously, my body's stress response starts to dissipate, replaced by a sense of calm and balance. I find myself better equipped to navigate these challenging emotions, maintaining a clearer perspective and making more rational decisions.
Hydrate
I’m sure you come across lots of articles, chatter, advertisements etc. about hydration. Formulas, indicators, guidelines: but are you drinking enough?
Some of the tips that work for me: I have bought several reusable water bottles that are attractive and easy to carry around. A yellow bottle in my soccer bag (so I can find it amongst all of my equipment), a camouflage bottle that I keep in my car, and an attractive glass bottle on my work desk. A smaller 12 ounce bottle in my traveling work bag. I’ve found that all of these bottles make drinking water fun, yes fun, and they gamify my efforts.
I also have Nuun electrolyte tablets in various places throughout my house which encourages me to add them to my water. A tri berry or watermelon fizz makes drinking so much more pleasurable. The first thing I do upon waking up is to drink 12 ounces of water as my body has been without it for 8 or more hours. Think of water as lubrication for your body. It also moves vital nutrients around, regulates your body temperature and has lots of other benefits too. Trying to lose weight? Drink a big glass of water before your meals as it will make you feel satiated and less prone to fast eating or overeating. Most people could improve their hydration, try some of these tips to move the needle for you!
Stand+Move
I’ve heard that sitting is the new smoking, that’s how bad it can be for you. When I sit for too long I can feel my lower back tightening, the circulation in my legs grinding to a halt. Here’s what I do about it! I have a sit stand work desk, whenever I feel achy or restless I raise the desk and stand anywhere between 10-30 minutes at a time. I also use the Pomodoro Time Management Technique, where I work very focused for 25-40 min at a time followed by a 5 min break where I get up and walk around a bit. I also take a 10-20 minute power walk mid afternoon (barefoot, but that’s a story for another time) to increase my blood flow and get my energy going. Try some of these techniques to literally move from a sedentary lifestyle of sitting to standing and moving to improve how you feel.
Stretch
Okay, I’m guilty here. I don’t have the patience for stretching, even though it always feels good when I do. I’m actually quite good about showing up early for workouts to do dynamic body movements and other efforts to prepare my body for exercise, but am often in a rush afterwards and don’t have time or patience to stretch. It's something to work on. However, I do have an alarm that goes off every night at 6pm (when I’m likely at home) that screams “MOBILITY”, and I answer this call 3-4 times per week, and incorporate a few hip stretches (a problem area for me) into my routine. I suggest finding a source of inspiration for this stretching and mobility work. Play some music you love, set a timer for 15 minutes (it helps to know there’s an end in sight) and try some new moves you’ve seen on social media. I enjoy the simple yet effective advice of Dr. Caleb Buress, on his instagram account he has lots of simple to follow demonstrations of stretching and mobility movements to solve common problems. After 15 minutes I feel much better and often have a better night's sleep.
Get on a Roll (er)
I’m tight most days. After playing soccer at night, I have trouble getting to sleep as my lower legs ache and my hip flexors are on fire. Littered about my house, in the bedroom and living room, I have several variations of foam rollers: some vibrate, some have medieval-like protruding knobs, others are soft, and I have a small one I travel with. I roll out my back for 1 minute (yep, that’s all it takes for results in one area), my hamstrings and thigh muscles. Problem areas loosen up considerably, and since so many areas are connected, work in one area benefits another as when I roll out my hamstrings and my lower back loosens up. Also littered about my house are lacrosse balls, which I stand on each foot for about 30 seconds, as well as various sizes of mobility balls to put pressure on tight spots in my back and hips. Another feel good tip: put a lacrosse ball under your leg or behind your back while driving to loosen up tight areas.
With as little as 5 minutes spent on foam rollers and mobility balls I make lots of progress on my problem areas. Try it yourself, these tools are inexpensive and require minimal time spent for benefit.
Massage
Well, let's be honest, who doesn’t love laying on a massage table and having a gifted pair of hands (and knees and elbows) work away your physical complaints. But if you don’t have the time, or don’t want to spend the money, I’ll suggest you buy a percussion gun, I love the one from Hyperice. These devices essentially hit your problem areas a few hundred times per minute, and have a variety of attachments to try out. Very convenient and easy to use in breaking down knots and tight spots in your back, shoulders, hips, legs etc. DO NOT skimp here and buy one of the many cheaper knock off versions as their motors simply are not powerful enough to work well. Hyperice and Therabody’s Theragun are the only two I’d recommend.
CBD
I divide my life into two parts, before CBD and after! OK, that's hyperbole, but my physical life did greatly improve once I discovered the healing effects of CBD (read here about why I founded Yellow Athletic and my journey using CBD). I have a daily routine as follows: wake in the morning and take a dropper of Anytime Recovery CBD Oil, in the afternoon an energy and focus CBD Gummy, and 30 minutes before bed a dropper of CBD Sleep Oil. I also apply the CBD Roll On Stick for localized relief in my problem areas (currently my shoulder and hip flexors) upon waking and before bed. No surprise that there is a rise of CBD roll-on sticks in wellness routines. My aches and pains have been reduced by about 80% and I sleep deeply and restoratively with this routine. Once I found the right dosage level and began using CBD consistently the results were amazing, and led me to start Yellow Athletic so I could share my newfound physical joy with others.
Compress
Compression clothing (such as those sold by Nike & Under Armour) promise improved circulation and recovery time. I’ve tried these clothing lines without much benefit noticed, though they are worth a try. And maybe there’s something to them: watch an NBA game nowadays and you’re guaranteed to see half the players wearing compression sleeves or leggings. I do however feel lots of benefit from wearing compression socks, I tend to wear them around the house, or under my pants on cold days. It's recovery that takes no effort, just put them on for a few hours a day. And talking about no effort, here’s something I’m really excited about that I do while watching TV; I wear compression boots. My wife and I compete for these boots, “oh, are you sitting here because you were planning on using the boots?” Zip these up around your legs, plug em in and hit power on. I wear them for 30-40 minutes and I feel amazing afterwards. These boots are not cheap, and can run you up to $800. Suggestion, many gyms etc. have pairs you can use, try them out first to decide if it's an investment you're willing to make. Now that I’ve been using them, I can’t live without them!
Conclusion
Recovery, performance and feeling your best can happen with simple steps. Our team at Yellow Athletic put together this list of tips because they are easy to implement into our busy lives and become healthy habits. Thanks for allowing us to share them with you!