Have you ever wanted to heal faster from an injury?
For most people, recovery means remaining sedentary. Ice the injury, give it rest and hope for the best.
But there’s a problem with that approach:
Recovering by doing nothing is incredibly slow. Your body has to do the bulk of the healing work by itself.
There is plenty you can do, though, to assist with natural recovery from injury. I’m going to share some simple strategies that you can implement right away!
What you’ll learn:
- Why Recovery Takes Longer Than You’d Think
- Oxygenation is Key for Tissue Repair
- 6 Recovery Strategies That Will Accelerate Healing
- Create Your Customized Recovery Plan
Why Recovery Takes Longer Than You’d Think
The amount of time it takes to recover from an injury varies drastically based on the severity of damage done. While minor muscle strains can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to recover, severe injuries can take nine to twelve months for a full recovery.
And guess what…
How quickly your body can heal itself doesn’t depend solely on the injury. Things like your age, nutrition, sleep habits, and oxygen intake can affect how quickly your tissue repairs itself.
Your body goes through three distinct healing phases:
- Inflammation phase: First 2-4 days post injury where swelling is present.
- Repair phase: Up to 6 weeks where new tissue is created.
- Remodelling phase: Between 3-12 months depending on the severity of injury.
Each phase requires different methods of support. Neglecting to aid your body during any phase of healing will slow your recovery time. Once you understand these three phases, you can begin to look for ways to support your body.
Oxygenation is Key for Tissue Repair
Let’s talk about oxygen.
Every cell in your body requires oxygen to function correctly and build energy. When you sustain an injury, blood flow to the affected area usually decreases which in turn causes less oxygenated blood to reach damaged tissue.
If your body isn’t getting enough oxygen, healing is impaired.
Oxygen-centric products and therapies are becoming increasingly popular in athletic and health circles. Whether you’re a professional athlete or a fitness enthusiast just trying to recover faster, more oxygen equals faster tissue repair.
Supplements like Oxypro Excel work by helping your body better utilize oxygen at the cellular level. When paired with an oxygen-boosting therapy like a seated hyperbaric chamber, the results can be astonishing.
There have even been studies done that prove just how effective hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be. A 2024 study showed elite football players recovered from injury faster when using pressurized oxygen.
This sounds pretty damn amazing if you ask me.
The science behind oxygenation and tissue repair is simple. Oxygen is needed to create energy at a cellular level. The more energy your cells can produce, the faster they can repair damaged tissue.
6 Recovery Strategies That Will Accelerate Healing
Okay, now that we’ve covered the basics. It’s time to dive into some simple strategies you can start using today to enhance your body’s natural ability to recover from injury.
Keep in mind these aren’t fancy or complicated strategies. They simply reinforce your body’s natural healing abilities.
Eat More Protein
This one may sound obvious, but protein is essential for tissue repair.
Your body relies on protein as the building blocks for repair. When injured, your body needs even more protein to complete repairs.
During recovery from injury, most professionals recommend getting 1.5-2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day.
Examples of protein rich foods:
- Lean meats
- Fish
- Eggs
- Dairy products
- Legumes/beans
- Protein powder
Eat protein at each of your 4-5 meals per day. Continuously supplying your body with protein ensures a steady flow of amino acids to promote tissue repair.
Sleep
Sleep is when a majority of the repair work takes place.
While you sleep, growth hormone is released to help with tissue regeneration. Not getting enough sleep only slows down the recovery process.
Sleep for 7-9 hours per night and do your best to create a cool, dark environment for your body. Turn off all screens at least an hour before bed. Your body will thank you with better recovery.
Support Oxygen Delivery to Tissue
As we mentioned above, increasing your body’s ability to intake and utilize oxygen can drastically improve your recovery time from injury.
Oxypro Excel is a supplement that works to support your body’s ability to use oxygen at a cellular level.
Why should you care about oxygenating your damaged tissue?
Injured tissue becomes deprived of oxygen due to a lack of blood flow. By supporting oxygen delivery, you’re able to flood injured tissue with the nutrients it needs to repair itself.
(Move) Don’t Sit Still
Don’t interpret this heading the wrong way.
We’re not saying you should be out running marathons with a broken leg. What we are saying is that you should stay active as long as it doesn’t hurt.
Your body can lose muscle after 36 hours of inactivity. Keeping your body moving ensures you don’t lose muscle while you recover.
Of course, you should still abide by all medical professional’s advice regarding movement. But if you’re told you can put weight on a leg, then put some damn weight on that leg!
Don’t Fear Inflammation
Inflammation is good. I know it’s controversial to say, but inflammation is your body’s natural response to injury and it’s necessary for healing.
Instead of trying to eliminate inflammation during recovery, try supporting your body with anti-inflammatory foods.
Some foods that support a healthy anti-inflammatory response:
- Omega-3’s – Fish Oil is great!
- Turmeric + Black Pepper
- Tart Cherry Extract
These few are some of my personal favorites. They not only support reduced inflammation but also act as antioxidants to help your body recover.
Hydration is Important
Water is life.
Your body needs water to transport nutrients to your cells and flush out waste. When your body is in a state of repair, you’ll need to increase your water intake.
Shoot for drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day. More if you’re sweating or working out. Your pee should be a light shade of yellow. If it’s not, you’re not drinking enough.
Create Your Customized Recovery Plan
You’re going to want to take everything into consideration when creating a recovery plan that works for you.
- Type of injury
- Severity of injury
- Your personal health/medical conditions
- How much time you have to recover
- Amount of money you’re willing to spend
- Advice from trained medical professionals
Focus on the foundations like your diet and sleep. From there, slowly implement more recovery strategies like using Oxypro Excel. Depending on your injury, you may find some techniques work better than others.
You don’t want to overhaul your entire life overnight. Instead, pick one or two of these strategies and stick to them.
Wrap up
Accelerating your body’s natural healing ability isn’t brain surgery.
In fact, it’s quite simple if you know what your body needs during each recovery phase.
Your body has an amazing ability to repair itself. These 6 strategies allow you to take a passive recovery approach and turn it into an active one.
You’re not going to wake up healed tomorrow.
Tissue repair takes time. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to aid your body in the recovery process.
Begin implementing these strategies now. Take note of how you feel over the course of several weeks and tweak your recovery plan accordingly.
Recovering from injury is a marathon. Not a sprint.