Post-Workout Meditation: Speeding Up Recovery
Workout can be sometimes painful if we hit engage in a wrong lifting position or due to overtraining. The former might be avoidable if you know the fundamentals of resistance training. The latter is actually the usual problem. We tend to train too much; thus, increase the chance of overtraining injury. Can meditation help in recovery after workout?
Meditation practices have potentials to speed up workout recovery according to a major study. Meditation and mindfulness routines are effective for reducing the possibility of overtraining. Combining exercise and meditation is also proven to promote physical performance.
Finally, meditation-based interventions might be particularly effective during the post-exercise phase as means by which to expedite psychophysiological recovery and reduce the likelihood of overtraining.
US National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
For most gym goers, meditation may sound like a joke. Many popular athletes are not actually meditation-based interventions as a joke. Let’s name names. Michale Jackson, Phil Jackson, Derek Jeter, Lebron James and Novak Djokovic are just a few of the long list taking meditation seriously and combining it with their athletic routines.
The late Kobe Bryan whom I considered one of the best basketball player was also a practitioner of meditation. He strongly believed in the power of sleep and meditation for you to improve your physical, emotional and psychological performance and goals.
"You get in the zone and just try to stay here. You don't think about your surroundings, or what's going on with the crowd or the team. You're kind of locked-in." Kobe Bryant
Meditating at the Gym
There are simple meditation poses and styles that you can combine with your gym workout. Try which one works for your preference and personality.
- Sitting meditation
- Moving meditation
- Walking meditation
- Guided meditation
- Mantra meditation
- Focuses meditation
Keeping a meditation journal is a good habit to remind of your meditation goals and progress. Your input also gives you an overview of which one works and not.
Now, your question might be where can you meditate in the gym. After trying almost all places in the gym and recording them in my journal, I have finally found which one works for me. The best places to meditate before, during and after gym include:
Gym lobby
Both pre or post workout meditation can be practiced in the gym lobby. The principle of sitting meditation using a chair can be part of your work out meditation. Yes, we heard you that lobby is often busy and noisy. That’s why noise-canceling headphones should always be in your gym bag.
What kind of meditation is good to practice while in the gym lobby? Guided meditation sounds sensible in this environment. Close your eyes and practice deep breathing while listening to your meditation teacher as he guides you while meditating for about 5 minutes.
Inside a gym
Meditating while working out can save your time especially if you are always on the go. You can practically apply this meditation anywhere in the gym. What do you need? Again, a pair of headphones is a must have.
Moving meditation works inside a gym particularly for beginners of meditation. You can combine both gym warm up and meditation in this sense. Stretching flexibility exercises are ideal to be combined with meditation-mindfulness interventions. Yoga poses can also easily be applied in the gym. Just grab a yoga mat and spend 5 minutes before grabbing one of those barbells.
For practitioners of meditation, combining both in the gym is a piece of cake. They find peace and stillness everywhere. It takes time to practice this momentum. Practice makes perfect.
Yoga studio
Wanna make use of your gym membership? Then you should be joining yoga classes. I know you may feel awkward with the poses but the good thing is that you don’t actually need to do all of them. Most yoga instructors also offer alternatives or easy options especially for beginners.
Here’s one more advice. Talk to your yoga instructor that you will not be finishing the whole yoga session and you are there to feel good before or after your gym workout session. I have been doing this approach for a couple of years. And here’s another good thing. I have developed that student-instructor with my Indian yoga instructors and I encouraged them to hit the gym sometimes. The result is amazing I have my meditation and stretching flexibility in the yoga class with my supportive instructors. Friendship has also blossomed between me and the instructors. One more thing. They’re sometimes giving me physical therapy in case I experience injury.
If you really don’t want to attend yoga classes, that’s not an issue. Just look at the yoga timetable and once it’s not occupied you can simply sneak in and use the yoga studio. Did I forget to say that everyone’s observing silence in the area? Or should I also mention that they’re playing one of those meditation music?
Locker room
When you finish your gym session, you may want to spend some time to rest before you take a shower or grab your bag. Use this time to practice guided meditation inside the locker room. There can be noise coming from the other guys so make sure you use your headphones and start playing your guided meditation. Sit in the bench or on the floor, close your eyes and start meditating. When people see your headphone are on, your eyes closed then the chance of minimizing their noise is likely possible. It’s worth trying.
Sauna or steam room
Feel tired after work? Use your membership to make use of its facilities. Spend 10-20 minutes in the sauna room and practice focus meditation while inside. Focus meditation happens when you allow your attention to focus your attention on your sensation, surrounding, sound or even an object. Let’ say for example you are in the steam bath and as you’re body is sweating, you could feel your heart beat getting faster. What you are focusing in the steam room is your sensation and breathing.
Steam room is ideal for focus meditation since you are not distracted by too much noise or background music in the gym. Nobody pays attention if you are doing meditation poses.
Shower room
For some meditation can be excruciating and they simply don’t want to do it. That’s totally acceptable. How? After your workout session, take a shower and practice mantra meditation. This form of meditation involves saying repeated sounds, phrases, or utterances during meditation. The most common practiced mantra is ‘Ohm.’ You can create any words or mantras. Say it as long as you can to practice deep breathing..
The element of water sets a soothing and relaxing environment. Close your eyes, breathe in deeply and say your mantra continuously. Repeat the same process for about 5 minutes and get out of the shower leaving you feel rejuvenated.
Stairs
Your gym is on the 5th floor. Then it’s a sign for you to climb the stairs. Stair climbing has many benefits including building muscles, boosting metabolism and promoting weight loss. One of its surprising benefit of stair climbing is that its an effective way to boost mood.
Moving meditation is for for athletes or physically active individuals. One of its example is stair climbing. Compared to the stair climbing used as an exercise, try to do as slow and mindful as you can focusing more on your breathing and sensation more than its fitness value.
Office
We respect your time and we know that you might probably use your one-hour lunch break. Once you are back to your office after a quick workout session, sit down in your office chair and put on your headphone while watching or listening to a guided meditation.
- Practice gratitude
- Arrive to work early
- Visualize success
- Plan ahead
- Keep your desk clean and clutter-free
- Share your meditation goals
- Bring a mat
- Use meditation apps
- Go for a walk
- Drink a cup of tea
Home
Home sweet home. All you want to do is to go back home after a workout session. Your home can also be a good meditation place. Once you are in the dressing room, either sit down or lie down on the floor. Close your eyes and practice deep breathing. Breathe in slowly for 5.5 seconds and breathe out for another 5.5 seconds.
Best places to meditate at home
- Garden
- Bedroom
- Bathroom
- Kitchen
- Study Room
- Pool
- Balcony
- Basement
- Attic
Does meditation cause weight gain?
Another surprising benefits of meditation is that it can also aid weight loss and improve overall health problems based on a study. People who meditate tend to divert their attention to other things; thus, they avoid overeating.
People with sedentary lifestyle which is linked to obesity tend to experience depression and anxiety. Meditation is an effective way to help them. It is also associated with better mood.
Researchers have also used mindfulness-based interventions as a means to facilitate weight-loss and improve health-related behaviors in adults with overweight and obesity.
US National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
This is another bonus video on how meditation helps you to lose weight.
Related Topics
13 Shredding Core Exercises That Burn Fat Without Equipment