We often think about fitness in conjunction with, or in parallel to, exertion, such as strength training, functional fitness, and sports. While this may be true for the most part, we often neglect our body’s natural need to recover. Muscles and joints strain, tear, and wear themselves down without us even realizing it, and can lead to serious injury.
This is something I have come to realize in my own fitness journey lately. After committing to a healthier lifestyle in the beginning of the previous year, I often focused on getting my workouts done, eating right, or even getting my steps in. While I did feel like this strategy and approach was working and I was slowly building towards a healthier me, midway through the year, I felt my body start to ask me for more rest.
No longer would I be able to stay up late to catch up on my favorite TV show, or even spend an extra hour or two after the workday to play video games to help relax. It was as if my body was screaming at me, begging me to simply lie down and get some rest. This is when I started to tell myself that recovery does matter, and in some cases, might even be more important than just constantly straining your body more and more as you go.
Cebu’s New Wellness Routine
Summit Recovery started roughly two years ago when Joel, the owner, had the vision to start a facility centered around recovery. He saw athletes and everyday people alike lacking a way to recharge their bodies correctly. Sure, you could get a massage here and there or try your best to get a full night’s sleep, but being an athlete himself in Australia, where he’s from, he knew there were so many more ways you could help your body feel better after a long day or a crazy workout.
From Burnout to Balance
Joel shares how his main goal with Summit Recovery is for athletes and regular people to recognize that recovery is just as important as training, and that another day of extra reps isn’t always better.
He speaks of a basketball player who trained six days a week, which led him to start experiencing extreme back pain. Entering the regular season, he was urged to ease up, which is when he started visiting Summit Recovery three to four times a week. This, in his own words, helped push him through the season and even helped cure the pain in his back and knees, and helped him feel fresher heading into training every other day.
The Science of Feeling Better
Summit Recovery offers two different services at the moment: contrast and compression therapy. Contrast therapy revolves around alternating between a hot sauna and a cold plunge, which Joel says is great for the heart and skin health.
The sauna helps relax your muscles and blood vessels, while the cold plunge shocks your body as it tries to heat itself at a massive rate. This helps with inflammation and is good for the immune system. It’s a great way to relieve soreness. A session of contrast therapy goes for Php 700.
Compression therapy, on the other hand, is focused more towards athletes and older people. It helps with circulation and helps your legs feel much lighter after a long day of training and work. This being a shorter, lighter activity, you can get a 30-minute session for Php 400.
Summit Recovery is also running a package that lets you try all three services for Php 1,000.
You can visit Summit Recovery on the 3rd floor of Taft East Gate, located across from Landers Superstore Cebu.
Photography Kyrra Kho
