Without doubt, my favorite recovery drink is chocolate milk. Study after study indicates this is as good or better than other recovery drinks on the market, if consumed within 30 minutes of exercise.
When we undergo the stress of physical exercise, with appropriate recovery (I.E. chocolate milk and recovery time), our body adapts and becomes more efficient. Once you adapt to a given stress, you require additional stress to continue to develop. Coaches and Athletes organize the load/recovery/adaptation into cycles and phases – this is periodization.
I am finding that same pattern applies to emotional, mental and spiritual growth as well. Perhaps it is not so surprising, but busy periods where I am highly engaged, frequently engaged with people or experiencing emotional stress leave me feeling the need for some quiet time to reflect. It is during these “recovery” periods that I seem to self-evaluate from a different, calmer perspective and the real evolution continues.
These recovery cycles are when I access my introverted characteristics. The output is often writing, creative ideas, new approaches to old problems and sometimes an adjustment to my beliefs and views.
This all reminds me that I need to go to the grocery store. I am out of chocolate milk.
