{"id":568588,"date":"2026-07-31T12:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/568588\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T12:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:29:14","slug":"try-this-31-day-active-recovery-fitness-plan-to-rebuild-muscle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/568588\/","title":{"rendered":"Try This 31-Day \u2018Active Recovery\u2019 Fitness Plan to Rebuild Muscle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer is flying by. If you haven\u2019t taken the opportunity to slow down and relax a bit, here\u2019s your chance. <\/p>\n

Many people tackle health goals by going all in \u2014 pushing your body and committing to an intense workout plan. But rest is an essential piece to the fitness puzzle: It gives your muscles time to recover and rebuild, reduces injury risk and prevents burnout.<\/p>\n

But before you plop down on the couch and settle in for a Netflix binge, know that recovery doesn\u2019t mean no movement at all.<\/p>\n

Instead, we will be focused on active rest: Moving your body in ways that feel good, release tension, improve flexibility and encourage relaxation.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving yourself extra TLC this month and focusing on how you can support your body and treat your body to what feels good is very empowering,\u201d says TODAY Fitness Contributor Stephanie Mansour. \u201cYou can have daily sessions that you look forward to because they feel good in the moment (not just after the fact, like many people say about strength training or intense workouts.) Physically, your body may feel more relaxed, limber, flexible, mobile, and even less aches and pains.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great mental break, too, Mansour says, giving yourself the opportunity to assess what has been working and what hasn\u2019t \u2014 and figure out your game plan so you can hit the ground running in the fall.<\/p>\n

\"StartStart TODAY>>Download the calendar here<\/a>31-Day Active Recovery Plan<\/p>\n

This month will introduce you to a handful of modalities that will help release tension physically and mentally. Think: Yoga, mobility, foam rolling, stretching and low-impact walks. <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope this month allows people the chance to tune in to their bodies to find out what they truly need,\u201d says Mansour. \u201cSo many times we blindly follow a fitness or wellness plan without really knowing if it is working for us or making us feel good. But when we really embrace our bodies and give ourselves the TLC we deserve, that\u2019s when we can lighten up and really dig deep to decide: What types of workouts make me feel good? What is my body really craving? What would make me feel good, mentally, in terms of moving my body? Being able to take a step back from an intense workout program and re-evaluate where you\u2019re at and what you need is very empowering, especially prior to fall when we all focus on getting back in the swing of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Is Active Recovery So Important?<\/p>\n

\u201cRecovery days are so important because you cannot put pressure on your muscles, bones, ligaments and joints 24\/7, 7 days a week!\u201c says Mansour. \u201cYour body physically needs time to repair and process the work that you\u2019ve done.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cRemember that recovery days don\u2019t mean just sitting on the couch. You can do yoga, go for a walk, foam roll, even get a massage,\u201d she says. \u201cActive rest means moving your body in a low-impact and low-stress way that still helps improve circulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The benefits of consistently incorporating active rest days into your workout routine are:<\/p>\n

Support muscle growth: \u201cWhen you exercise, you cause tiny little tears in the muscle fibers, so recovery allows time for these muscle fibers to fuse back together which creates larger and stronger muscles,\u201d says Mansour.Improve circulation: \u201cYou\u2019ll be stimulating blood flow to stiff and tight areas, as well as increasing overall circulation,\u201d says Mansour. \u201cRecovery activities also help reduce inflammation and swelling.\u201d Combat stress: \u201cRecovery activities help loosen up muscles, relax the nervous system, and decrease stress physically in the body and mentally,\u201d says Mansour.Reduce risk of injury: \u201cInjury is a huge risk if you skip rest days or don\u2019t engage in recovery activities because repetitive use without rest or stretching can cause strains, tears, or even rips. Feeling more sore than you have to be and \u201cpushing through the pain\u201d can be pointless, if only you\u2019d stretched or recovered in between your intense workouts, you may not be feeling that way! You can also have less energy for your workouts if you don\u2019t allow your body proper time to recover.\u201dHelp reduce burnout and increase consistency: \u201cMentally, rest days give you a chance to focus on other things,\u201d says Mansour. \u201cRest days help you stay committed to your fitness routine because you avoid burning out easily by constantly feeling like you\u2019ve got to exercise 7 days a week.\u201d\"ChiaThis four-ingredient Chia Pudding comes together in minutes.Natalie RizzoNutrition Tips That Support Recovery \u2014 and Save You Time In the Kitchen<\/p>\n

While we\u2019re slowing things down in the fitness department, we\u2019re also taking the stress out of meal time. Start TODAY dietitian Natalie Rizzo shares her time-saving tips to take the stress out of healthy eating \u2014 so you can spend your time enjoying the last month of summer, not slaving over the stove. <\/p>\n

Give yourself a break from cooking. \u201cJust like your body benefits from recovery, your mind can benefit from a break too. If you\u2019ve been spending lots of time in the kitchen this summer, give yourself permission to simplify your meals,\u201d says Rizzo. \u201cChoose meals with just a handful of wholesome ingredients that come together in minutes. A four-ingredient chia seed pudding<\/a> made with chia seeds, your favorite milk, a drizzle of maple syrup, and fresh berries is a perfect example.\u201dPlan for leftovers. \u201cRecovery days are the perfect time to embrace meals that practically cook themselves,\u201d says Rizzo. \u201cSheet-pan dinners require minimal prep, create very little cleanup, and often make enough for leftovers, which means you\u2019re setting yourself up for an easy lunch the next day. Simply combine a protein like tofu, chicken, or salmon with a colorful mix of vegetables, drizzle everything with olive oil, season generously, and roast until tender. Cooking once and eating twice saves time and energy while ensuring you have nourishing meals ready to go when life gets busy.\u201dRecovery nutrition doesn\u2019t take a day off. \u201cEven when you\u2019re not exercising, your body is hard at work. Rest days are when your muscles repair and your body adapts to the training you\u2019ve been doing. That means your nutrition still matters,\u201d says Rizzo. \u201cInstead of dramatically cutting back on food because you\u2019re taking a day off, focus on building balanced meals that include protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, healthy fats, and plenty of colorful produce. Protein helps repair muscle tissue, carbohydrates restore energy stores, and fruits and vegetables provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summer is flying by. If you haven\u2019t taken the opportunity to slow down and relax a bit, here\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":568589,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[589,163,85,46],"class_list":["post-568588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/568589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}