Recover to Perform: Why Rest Is the Missing Link in Your Active Life

When Enthusiasm Outpaces Recovery

I’ll admit it—this weekend, I overdid it gardening. Once I had a vision for the space, I got so excited I couldn’t help but dive in headfirst. The plan was simple enough: transform a 50-foot-long by 8-foot-wide stretch of lawn into a beautiful garden filled with shrubs, trees, and flowers. Step one? Rip up all the grass. Easy, right?

Not exactly. Those roots are no joke.

Day one, I made it halfway through the grass removal. Day two, I finished the rest. By day three, it was time for soil prep, planting, and mulching. Since the garden is tucked at the back of our property, that meant lugging heavy bags of soil and mulch across the yard. And here’s the thing—I haven’t exactly been training for that. My recent movement routine has been focused on yoga and mobility to complement snowboarding, so my upper body was in shock. Halfway through day three, I could feel my form breaking down. Fatigue had set in, and I had to call it.

Looking back, I know my body would’ve handled it much better if I had spaced things out. But in my excitement, I was too focused on the outcome.

This kind of overexertion is something I see all the time—not just in the garden, but on the trail, at the gym, or even during a return to running. It’s like signing up for a race after not training for months and jumping into daily runs. The truth is: recovery isn’t just for elite athletes. It’s essential for anyone who wants to keep doing what they love without breaking down.

Let’s dive into why recovery matters—especially for performance in your favorite recreational activities—and how to make it part of your routine.

Why Recovery Matters

Muscle repair and performance adaptation
Progress doesn’t happen during training—it happens during recovery. Every workout creates micro-tears in your muscles, and your body needs time and nutrients to repair those tissues. That repair process is what makes you stronger and more resilient. Without enough rest, your body never gets the chance to fully adapt.

Nervous system reset
Training activates your sympathetic nervous system—your “fight-or-flight” mode. This is useful for performance but unsustainable if it’s always on. Recovery allows your body to return to a parasympathetic state—aka “rest and digest.” This shift is essential for proper digestion, hormone balance, immune function, and long-term energy.

Injury prevention
Most overuse injuries happen when recovery is neglected. Muscles that don’t get enough rest begin to break down instead of build. When your primary movers fatigue, your body compensates with weaker or less efficient muscles, increasing the risk of strains, tendonitis, and joint pain.

Mental clarity and motivation
Recovery isn’t just physical—it helps your brain, too. Without enough rest, it’s harder to focus, stay motivated, or enjoy your favorite activities. Your brain and body are part of the same system. Prioritizing recovery helps you feel more grounded, present, and excited to move.

Common Signs You're Not Recovering Well

Persistent soreness or fatigue

If you have persistent soreness or fatigue you may not be giving your body enough time or strategies to recover. Some soreness after a new workout or PR is normal, but it shouldn’t last beyond a day or two.

Performance plateaus or regressions

When your body is fighting to recover and it experiencing soreness and fatigue, it is not going to be at its peak performance ability. You may start to notice performing plateauing or worsening.

Sleep disruptions

Your body does the most recovering while sleeping. If you are waking up in the night or too early it may be a sign that you are under fueling and your body is signaling that your blood sugar is too low.

Chronic tightness

If your muscles are overused and not getting the proper recovery then they may get stuck in a “knot” or trigger point.

Increased pain

When you don’t focus on recovery strategies and any of the above consequences happen, then your body is at risk of developing pain or injury.

Types of Recovery

Passive Recovery

Passive means that it happens when you don’t do anything. Remember when I mentioned sleep? That is a passive recovery technique. So it is important that you get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Even missing the mark one time can negatively impact your body and take weeks to normalize from. Another passive strategy for performance recovery is rest days. Sometimes your body just needs rest from the demand of an activity. You don’t always need a strict rest day, but they should be considered after races, or high demand adventures.

Active Recovery

This is more typically what I recommend for individuals training. A rest day can still be active, but it should not be physically demanding like the activity you are training for. Active recovery can include walking, gentle yoga, stretching, and mobility work. The purpose of the chosen active recovery strategy should not be for a workout.

Systemic Recovery

This type of recovery is focused on the systems that support your musculoskeletal recovery. Those systems include your nervous system and your lymphatic system. Breathwork is important to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to put the body into a relaxed state via the diaphragm. Doing lymphatic massage can help expedite recovery by stimulating the lymphatic system to filter waste released during a workout from the body.

Recovery Services I Offer That Help Support Recovery

Everyone’s recovery needs look a little different—whether you're coming off a weekend hike, pushing your garden project a little too hard (guilty), training for a race, or just trying to feel good in your body again. That’s why I offer recovery services that are individualized and hands-on, focused on helping you move better, feel better, and bounce back faster.

Here’s how I can support your recovery:

• Dry Needling

  • Great for releasing tight muscles, calming down pain, and improving circulation. It targets those deep spots that are hard to reach with stretching or massage.

• Soft Tissue Work & Cupping

  • Helps loosen up tight fascia and muscles, improve blood flow, and reduce soreness. Cupping adds decompression to areas that are often compressed from activity or posture.

• Muscle Scraping

  • A tool-assisted technique that stimulates healing, breaks up adhesions, and supports tissue repair—especially helpful for chronic tightness or old injuries.

• Red Light Therapy

  • Uses low-level light to support cellular recovery, reduce inflammation, and promote healing. It’s gentle but powerful, especially when used consistently.

• Stretching & Mobility Work

  • Custom routines to help restore joint motion, lengthen tight muscles, and prepare your body to move well again—whether for performance or daily life.

• Percussion & Vibration for Lymphatic Drainage

  • This technique supports your body’s natural detox and immune processes, reduces swelling, and promotes faster recovery post-activity or injury.

These recovery services are designed to be personalized to your body, your goals, and where you are in your movement journey. You don’t need to be injured to benefit—many of my clients use these sessions as tune-ups to stay active and prevent breakdown.

Your body does the healing—I’m just here to support it.

How to Integrate Recovery Into Your Week

Don’t wait until you’re in pain to make a plan! Set yourself up for the best success, and be sure to make a plan for recovery- after all, you plan your training blocks! Plan recovery days after peak training activity days. Make sure you are scheduling self-care days with your local physical therapist or other wellness professional.