Buzzwords are aplenty when it comes to the highly lucrative industry that is health. Recovery seems the latest to join the fitness-wellness venn diagram. Call me old fashioned but I’m a staunch believer of good ol’ consistent sleep, sufficient hydration and a balanced diet. Gone are the days of passive recuperation though.
As recovery occupies its own commercial category with dedicated studios and devices, the rituals to recharge evolve into convoluted customs. Resting is now about how hard you can do it; speeding that sh–t up and ridding yourself of your disposable income while at it. Oddly enough, it’s starting to sound justified.
It’s not about answering the demands of modern lifestyles, but the recognition that exhaustion can go deeper than the physical. In this context, recovery means reclaiming equilibrium in a way that’s tailored to you.
Some find solace in stillness, others in pain. Results vary wildly. What works for one nervous system could do little for another. That’s why the notion is best approached as an experiment rather than prescription. When the output isn’t considered indulgence, but infrastructure for greater resilience.
This strategy–framing it this way changes things, doesn’t it?–comes in a variety of tools, but the universal method is to tune in to how your body responds. We don’t follow the fads, we test them for ourselves. And then write about it.
So I did. Enjoy.
