You come home after your workout and the stress of the daily life goes on immediately. You cannot really get to rest. To make it easier for you, we put together a few tips for relaxing after the workout.
1. Meditation
Meditation is currently included in many different sports and is also used in the therapy of burn-out for example. You may know a lot of people who point to their forehead with their fingers and say, “Oh, meditation, such a nonsense”, “whoever believes it will be saved” and so on. But it is not nonsense or why else is it used in therapies, or why do athletes of all performance classes meditate more and more frequently? A regular meditation training helps a lacrosse player not only to be more relaxed on the field, but it often improves working under real stress in the daily life or at work as well. All of this is due to the fact that regular meditation is a relaxed basic attitude. This allows an athlete to react more adequately under tension. In addition, it is shown that the stress hormone cortisol is lowered. The consequences of this are that you have a higher concentration, better sleep and more energy, if this is necessary in the next lacrosse game or in the daily life.
2. A pure headache
Another tips for relaxing after the workout is that you are thoughtful of your mind, for example with thinking and/or strategy games. It will bring you a nice balance between the two, because already many athletes take advantage of it when they do some brain jogging. This compensation serves mainly to get the physical activity to other thoughts and then the head for the next matches to be released. To relax after the workout is ideal. The same principle, only reversed, is used in school teaching. The children have school sports as a compensation for mental exertion at school, which also increases concentration and performance.
3. Asian relaxation techniques
The Asians are very deeply integrated into the matter, which proves that relaxation is an important prerequisite for the health of the body and mind. These three styles are therefore very suitable for lacrosse players, because they offer the perfect balance to one of the fastest sports in the world. The performance of the individual exercises imparts a lot of rest and the inner balance, which is ideal for relaxing after the workout.
Yoga
Yoga is from India and can be found under the heading philosophical teachings. It is a combination of physical exercises, meditation, breathing and concentration exercises. These exercises then affect the body, the mind and the soul. Yoga is described by scientists as harmonizing. As soon as you begin practicing yoga regularly you will notice how this affects your body. There is a feeling of total relaxation, more energy and vitality, new self-confidence, disappearance of back pain and headaches, strengthening of the immune system, reduction of neck, shoulder tension and mental clarity and concentration. What proves to be advantages for playing lacrosse. For beginners it is possible to go in yoga lessons, but you can also find many useful videos on the internet.
Qigong or written in German: Chigong
Chigong is a Chinese meditation, concentration and movement form for the cultivation of body and mind. The Chigong has its origin at the Zhuangzi and also during the Han dynasty it was practiced as seen on some silk pictures. In Chinese history it plays a major role in health care and also in religious-spritual purposes, especially in Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Chigong consists of breathing exercises, body movement, concentration and meditation exercises. These are intended to harmonize and regulate the flow of gi in the body. It solves energy blockages and is an important prerequisite for health. But it is important to do it regularly for a lasting success.
Tai-Chi
Tai Chi, which is actually called Tai-Chi chuan or Taijiuan, is also referred to as Chinese shadow boxing. It is a martial art created in the empire of China, which is practiced there as a popular sport. Originally Tai-Chi was an inner martial art for unarmed or armed melee. Today, it is considered as a system of movement theory or gymnastics, which serves health, personality development and meditation. Tai-Chi is said to result in inner blockages being solved. The various figures are used, for example, to simulate animal behavior which is then carried out in flowing movements and in slow motion. Through Tai-Chi, the breathing, the cardiovascular system and the nervous system can be influenced favorably. As every lacrosse player knows, nerves of steel are required for one or other game. The exercises ensure a harmonization of ying and yang.
4. Power-Nap
Another tips for relaxing after the workout is a Power-Nap. For all those who are now wondering what a power-nap is, we explain this briefly. Power-nap is the daytime sleep or the daytime sleepy night, which means the short sleep outside the nightly main sleeping phase. One form of this is, for example, the midday sleep. Such a kind of sleep is taken to regenerate the cerebrum and to avoid sleep drunkenness. This works, however, only when the short sleep before the deep sleep (SWS – Slow Wave Sleep) is terminated. Sleep researchers have found out that a short daytime sleep increases the concentration, performance and reactivity. A power-nap should last a maximum of 20 to 30 minutes. The whole thing works like this: You sit comfortably on a chair or lie down, then you close your eyes with the intent now to sleep 30 minutes. If you do the whole thing more often, you will notice that you inner clock will wake you up at some time at the desired time. But at the beginning you should use some tools. Either the classic alarm clock or you take something into your hand, because as soon as you come into deep sleep, your body loosens itself and the object would drop. This is very helpful if you have other important dates after the lacrosse training, but you need a quick rest.
5. Wellness
This point is obvious and known to everyone, but precisely because of this, many people use it little. The excuse: ” I’ll do it tomorrow” or “I have no time” does not count. Think about yourself and give your body a bit of relaxation. The warmth loosens muscular tensions, promotes blood circulation and pain. That is why the heat is also one of the oldest relaxation methods. A relaxing massage increases there covery and the well-being and one is only passive.
6. Quick relaxation exercises
These exercises help you not only after the sport, but these can really be applied everywhere briefly and inconspicuously. For example in the supermarket at the cash desk or before an important speech.
Spontaneous relaxation technique
It is a breathing exercise for quick relaxation, which goes back to the American Maxie Maultsby. The whole thing works like this: You breathe deeper than you normally do, when you breathe out again in a movement and then hold you breath for 6-10 seconds. You have to find out which time is best for you. Count in thoughts always from 1001 to 1006 or 1010. You repeat this procedure more often, until you perceive the relaxation.
Traffic light exercise
The traffic light exercises is progressive muscle relaxation or deep relaxation. With this exercise, muscle groups are consciously stimulated and relaxed by a relaxing state. The exercise lasts between 20 and 30 minutes and can be performed in lying, sitting or standing. Tightening the individual muscle groups should take about 5 seconds. The order is: right hand – right forearm – right upper arm – left hand – left forearm – left upper arm – forehead – eye part – nose -mouth/lower jaw – neck – shoulder back – stomach – right foot -right lower leg – right thigh -left foot – left lower leg – left thigh. This exercise should be done daily. This is very good for lacrosse players, because you do not just relax, but also bend a muscle ache.
Laugh
One of the most important and easiest relaxation exercises is laughter. If you laugh, it is a positive physical change which triggers tensions and tension. As a result, the concentration of stress hormones decreases again. An Indian named Kataria developed the so-called laughyoga, where one can train the laughter so that one on longer needs to laugh and use the whole healing power of the laughter.