Actionable steps to boost your recovery, courtesy of Equinox-selected experts.
1. Have achy muscles? Consider contrast therapy.
Also known as contrast bath therapy, contrast therapy is the act of immersing part of the body (or sometimes the whole body) in hot water, and immediately following this with cold water immersion. “Contrast therapy produces rapid hot/cold exchanges, which reduces muscle stimulation and relaxes muscles,” says Angelica Lopez, complex manager for The Spa at Equinox Studio City. “It is great for inflammation as it slows down cellular metabolism which reduces the production and release of chemical inflammatory mediators.” In other words, she says, it can provide immediate relief of pain and inflammation. READ MORE
2. Train your brain to stop pain.
If you’re dealing with pain of unexplained origin, consider practicing distraction in moderation, says Christie Uipi, LCSW, an LA-based psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. “There’s a time and a place for distraction,” she says. “Distraction can help us realize that our pain went down because we’re thinking about something else and don’t feel it. Distraction can also bring fear down. For example, if someone is afraid of spiders, you don’t just throw ten spiders at them. You have them look at a few spiders and then distract them.” READ MORE
3. Apply kinesiology tape.
“Kinesiology tape acts like a ‘big Band-Aid’ in a way,” explains Angel David Rojas, the area spa manager for Equinox’s Westside NYC Clubs. “When you bang your elbow, your first reaction is to comfort and hold the area.” And that’s basically what kinesiology tape does. Only, unlike taking a couple of seconds to self-soothe, kinesiology tape keeps it up for days, helping you to move through injury and feel better faster and for longer. READ MORE
4. Address injuries with fascia training.
“Fascia training consists of myofascial massage, stretching, elasticity, and proprioception [or the sense of self-movement],” says Ali H. Mesiwala, M.D., a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeon at DISC Sports & Spine Center (a partner of Red Bull Athlete Performance Center). “Through these methods, one can improve movement, reduce pain, and increase flexibility. Fascial training can also help to reduce injuries by making tissue more elastic and less stiff. We utilize these principles with many patients post-surgery as part of their physical therapy and rehabilitation.” READ MORE
5. Focus on nutrition timing.
To maximize recovery, nutrition scientist and exercise physiologist Dr. Stacy Sims says it's critical for women to have some food post-exercise, ideally something with protein and carbohydrates within 45 minutes to an hour after your workout. That could mean eggs with toast, fruit, or starchy vegetables. "One, that helps facilitate reparation, but two, it signals to the brain that we're no longer in a breakdown state and it's okay to start repairing, which helps with endocrine (hormone) health as well," she explains. READ MORE
6. Slip into a red light therapy bed to reduce pain.
A 2021 scientific article published in Life says that red light therapy can be used to reduce pain, help with injury recovery, and improve skeletal muscle performance. “Red light therapy speeds up muscle recovery by increasing circulation and bringing more oxygen rich blood to the area as well as by promoting cellular regeneration through the increased mitochondrial action and ATP production,” says James Gu, the senior director of Spa at Equinox. READ MORE
7. Get deep rest to improve your well-being.
Research suggests practicing yoga nidra can help ease anxiety and depression, improve measures of general health, and boost feelings of vitality. Thanks to the delta brain waves — the slowest type of waves that are associated with the deepest levels of relaxation and restorative sleep — “it can feel as though you slept for two to four hours, depending on how your nervous system receives the practice,” says Hilary Jackendoff, a yoga nidra and meditation teacher in Los Angeles. “It can certainly help you to feel rested and cognitively functional during the day.” READ MORE