A new year often comes with a host of wellness resolutions. Cut drinking, more work/life balance and working out every day. But as the weeks continue on, resolutions fade and HIIT class cancellations rise. And no, it’s not because of any personal failing. It’s often because our goals around fitness and wellbeing are not realistic or intentional
While working out every single day sounds like an optimistic idea, this leaves no room for recovery – a step which is every bit as important as the actual exercise. Yet, it is seemingly missing from so many fitness regimes
Many parts of the fitness industry – and some individuals too – have long glorified ‘more, harder, faster.’ It’s left little room for anything balance, and has meany that recovery has been skipped, overlooked or even ignored entirely. But, now as the wellness space has started to look through a more holistic lens, recovery as a crucial step is reentering the conversation
We spoke to Tiarn Bucciarelli, Head ofPilates at Housed – a new string of fitness centre where saunas and mineral pools are every bit as important as the weights racks – to understand more about why recovery is so important to an achievable, realistic and healthy fitness routine
“Everyone has different needs when it comes to recovery,” she says. “But it is essential for muscle recovery and injury prevention.”
Below, we dive into why recovery is so important, what is needs to look like and why we all need a mindset shift away from glorifying the ‘grind’
What does “recovery” actually mean?
In essence, this is a period of rest or slowdown after intense exercise. It’s an often overlooked but critical part of any fitness regime, because this moment of rest is what allows the body to repair, restore and actual reap the full benefits of exercise
“Training breaks you down. Recovery builds you up,” said Tiarn Bucciarelli
Without a proper recovery period, the microtears in your muscles (these allow the muscle to grow bigger) can’t repair correctly. In this way, recovery is also essential for injury prevention
“Training breaks you down. Recovery builds you up.”
“In recovery, your body activates muscle protein synthesis. Damaged fibres are repaired, new contractile proteins are added and fibres become thicker and stronger,” she said
Recovery is not laziness – it’s foundational
For anyone on a fitness journey with clear goals and desired outcomes, recovery needs to be as intentional as the exercise and training itself. The reality is that inadequate recovery doesn’t just leave you exhausted, it prevents repair and blocks adaption
“It’s not just about taking a rest day, but about incorporating recovery strategies into your regular routine. Without actively planning recovery, the body doesn’t have enough time to rebuild itself,” she said
Understanding that rest and repair is not ‘laziness’ and actually part of your routine is critical. If you’re not prioritising your recovery or not investing in it at all, your body will find a way to tell you. It varies for everyone but there will be signs. “One might find they need more stimulation than normal – extra caffeine, louder music, more self-talk. Their sleep may be feeling off, or they could be having persistent low level aches. It may not be injury but things like lower back tightness at the beginning of the day,” she said.
Instead of saying to yourself ‘If I’m not training, I’m not improving’, try turning it into ‘I improve when my body adapts. Adapting happens when I’m recovering’
“Back in the day with the grind culture, fitness absorbed the same message of ‘if you are not exhausted, you didn’t work hard enough’,” said Bucciarelli
But she says that a mindset shift is key. “Instead of saying to yourself ‘If I’m not training, I’m not improving’, try turning it into ‘I improve when my body adapts. Adapting happens when I’m recovering’.”
What should recovery actually look like
Some people may think that sleeping is adequate, but for many, especially those engaging in high-intensity exercise or strength training, it’s not enough
“Recovery is a multifaceted process. It should involve sleeping but also nutritional food, stretching and much more. There are so many ways that one person can use recovery in their routine,” said Bucciarelli
Recovery can be broken down into full rest and active recovery; and both can be effective depending on what your body needs. Tennis fans will have likely witnessed their favourite players on bikes or ellipticals post-match to flush lactic acid from their systems and help maintain mobility. But even if you’re not an elite an athlete, this kind of recovery is important, it may just differ in timing, scale and complexity. Active recovery in the form of some simple stretching or gentle Pilates can offer a mental reset and improve mobility.
In contrast, a full rest should invest far more in repair. “If someone is feeling physically run down or sore, a full rest day paired with something restorative may help you recover,” she said. “For us, recovery means a holistic approach that includes things like contrast therapy, compression boots and a magnesium pool.”
The main take away is that after a recovery session – whether that’s a stretch class, a magnesium pool, a nutritious meal or a big sleep – you should feel looser, with improved mobility. And mentally you should feel energised
“For us, recovery means a holistic approach that includes things like contrast therapy, compression boots and a magnesium pool.”
When choosing their recovery with intention, Bucciarelli recommends asking yourself a key question. “People need to ask themselves “if I did a strength and conditioning or advanced reformer pilates class tomorrow, would today’s recovery improve or reduce my effort?” It should improve you.”
When asked if there was one universal recovery practice that everyone should take on, Bucciarelli said it is simply to stretch
“Stretching can support recovery and have a mental shift. When done properly, it can improve range of motion, joint mechanics, increase blood flow locally and reduce excessive muscle tone. That matters for longevity and reducing overuse irritation,” she said. “Just five to ten minutes of stretches a day will go a long way.”
