Prioritizing Your Health: Recovery Priority Pyramid
Recovery is a vital part of your health, and we need nutrition, sleep, low stress, hydration, and maybe some supplements, to do it!
Prioritizing Your Wellness Can Prevent Illness and Help with Recovery
What is the Recovery Priority Pyramid?
Fall is in full force here in New York, and it’s getting chilly out! With this weather change can come health changes, including sudden colds, flus, and just feeling run down.
One of the best ways to combat these sicknesses, and prioritize your health, is by following my “Recovery Priority Pyramid” that will help you optimize your wellness levels.
“Priority pyramids” are in no way new to the health and fitness world (hello, food pyramid from way back when). I certainly can’t take credit for them, but I LOVE how easy they make it to remind you what to tackle first.
This pyramid could be used for a myriad of health injuries: recovering from workouts, recovering from a minor injury, or even just recovery from every day life! But with the winter season almost upon us, I wanted to share how to keep sicknesses at bay.
How Do You Navigate the Priority Pyramid?
Start at the bottom and work your way up: tackle the big blocks first.
Remember that just because something is at the top of the pyramid, it doesn’t mean it’s not useful in the right context—it’s still on the pyramid!
Focus on progress in each category. We don’t need perfection in order to focus on the next level.
Priority Pyramid for Recovery: from Sickness or Soreness!
The Recovery Priorities Explained
Nutrition:
Eat an appropriate amount for your activity levels. This means focus on nutrient-dense foods, and maybe give carb cycling a try. Balance your intake of protein, carbs, and fats, and make sure you have good levels of fiber in your meals.
Sleep:
Seven hours (plus) is a must for hormone function and a healthy immune system. During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines, which help promote sleep. Certain cytokines need to increase when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you're under stress.
Studies show that people who don't get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as the common cold. A lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick. And recovery (and prevention) is what we’re aiming for!
Stress:
Manage stress with strategies that work for you. Try meditation, five minutes of quiet (it’s tougher than it sounds), or a hot bath with some essential oils to help soothe your mind and body. Journalling is also a great option, as is getting in a work out (as long as you are recovered first)!
Hydration:
This is important: drink at least three liters of water each day.
Last, but not least: Supplements.
It’s easy to say “take supplements!” But, that gives out very little information. So, here are 3 supplements (aka vitamins) that are great for your overall health. Looking for the right brand? I'd recommend reputable brands with as little "fillers" as possible. Some brands I like include Pure Encapsulations and Designs for Health. Both can be found on Amazon and are "professional-grade” for use by healthcare professionals.
Zinc
When our immune system is functioning well, we really shouldn't come down with a cold all that often. Some health professionals have even said if you are getting "sick" more than twice per year (I know! That's not very many times!) you're probably in need of some immune support and stress management.
Zinc is a mineral that's involved in:
Immune System Function
Cellular Reproduction, Growth, + Development
Neurological Function + Nerve Impulse Transmission
Apoptosis (scheduled cell death)
Gene Expression + DNA Synthesis
Where Can You Find Zinc?
Nuts and Seeds
Seafood - ESPECIALLY Oysters! (74mg of zinc per 3 ounce serving!)
Lamb
Pork
Wild Game
Whole Grains (especially quinoa and wild rice)
More About Zinc
Fun Fact: Daily intake of zinc from your food is important because your body has no specialized zinc storage system! And, if you're deficient in Zinc, you can suffer from poor immunity, slow wound healing, acne, loss of appetite, and hair loss. Not exactly appealing right?
The NIH states the recommended dietary allowance is 8mg for women and 11mg for men over the age of 19. (For lactating women it's 13mg per day!) This is equivalent to about three ounces of beef or eight ounces of almonds.
Safe to say, animal proteins contain more zinc per serving than most plant sources, so if you're a vegetarian OR have a gastrointestinal disease (or autoimmune issue!) you may need up to twice as much zinc per day due to lack of absorption.
The recommended upper limit of intake is 40mg per day. So if you are on a zinc supplement do NOT take more than 40mg per day!
2. Magnesium
In addition to boosting your energy, magnesium helps with many processes in the body, including:
Using Carbs and Fat for Fuel
Building DNA and Protein
Healing Cuts and Wounds
300+ Enzymes and Reactions
This study shows that higher dietary magnesium intake was associated with LOWER body fat levels, a lower BMI (body mass index) and a smaller waist circumference. It can also help maintain lower blood sugar levels (which might be the WHY behind the WHAT here...better glucose control usually means less body fat). Not bad, huh?
Not getting enough Magnesium can also interfere with sleep, cause anxiety, and even muscle cramps because it has a calming effect on the nervous system. And here's the kicker: most Americans do not get the basic dietary requirements for this awesome vitamin!
Where Can You Find Magnesium?
Nuts and Seeds
Cacao (that's right, dark chocolate!)
Quinoa, Buckwheat, and Brown Rice
The NIH states the recommended dietary allowance is 320mg for adult women and 420mg for adult men. The best part? You can supplement worry-free because in healthy adults, excess magnesium intake is excreted in the urine because it’s water soluble! But with that said, the NIH also states that there's no need to take MORE than 350mg per day.
If you're thinking of supplementing with magnesium, make sure to consult your physician first to make sure it's the right step for you.
P.S. Want a great recipe high in magnesium? Check out one of my favorites!
3. Vitamin D
You've probably heard a LOT about how important Vitamin D is, whether getting some of it through sunshine or supplements. This is because it’s one of the most common vitamin deficiencies in the world.
Vitamin D Helps With:
Regulating Sugar Tolerance
Regulating Blood Pressure
Maintaining Blood Calcium Levels
(Plus, if you're Vitamin D deficient, you can also suffer from low bone density or tooth decay. No, thanks.)
What Foods Have Vitamin D?
Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?
If you’re living above the Mason Dixon, chances are you're not getting enough Vitamin D! The NIH states the recommended dietary allowance is 600 IUs for adults.
It's BEST to get your Vitamin D from the sun because you can't overdose on this kind—your body knows when enough is enough. Research suggests that 5-30 minutes of sun exposure between 10am and 3pm, two days per week SHOULD be sufficient to meet your needs. But if you can't do this, it might be worth looking at taking a supplement.
Your physician can run an easy blood test to determine if your levels might be low. And, since you CAN build up toxic levels of vitamin D in the body (though unlikely) it's always a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider before popping some pills.
If you're looking for a good supplement I'd recommend reputable brands with as little "fillers" as possible that use a healthy oil like coconut or olive oil. I like Viva Naturals Vitamin D, which can be found on Amazon.
Have a question about Vitamin D, Zinc, or Magnesium? Confused about the priority pyramid, or just want to invest in your health long term? I can help you with that. The first step is to shoot me an email and we can see if we're a good fit to work together!
Conclusion
The recovery pyramid is a great way to understand what to focus on when looking for recovery. This recovery can be used for recovering from workouts, recovering from a minor injury, or even just recovery from every day life.
Have a question?! I’d love to hear from you by email at Ashley@AshleyBrownFitnessNutrition.com OR on Instagram at @ashleybrownfitnessnutrition.