Let's Uncomplicate: Recovery

Recovery isn’t a reward. It’s a requirement.

A patient once told me, “Doc, I’ve been doing everything right. Eating well, exercising regularly, tracking my sleep, taking all the supplements... but I still feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. I think I might have some mitochondrial trouble.”

So I asked, “How’s your recovery?”

Blank stare.

Now, he really looked like he was hit by a truck! Let’s talk about it.

Recovery Is Not Laziness

Somewhere between hustle culture and #NoDaysOff, we convinced ourselves that rest is a reward you earn—not a necessity your body depends on. But recovery isn’t laziness. It’s biological maintenance. It’s when your body repairs tissues, balances hormones, clears inflammation, and resets your nervous system.

If you don’t recover, you don’t rebuild. And if you don’t rebuild, all that good stuff you’re doing—diet, workouts, discipline—starts working against you.

What Recovery Actually Does (While You’re Not Looking)

Restores cortisol rhythms – Chronic stress without pause = chronically high cortisol. And trust me, that’s not your weight’s best friend.
Muscle repair and mitochondrial restoration – The real gains don’t happen in the gym. They happen after the gym.
Improves vagal tone – That “rest and digest” switch doesn’t flip unless you intentionally slow down.
Boosts HRV (Heart Rate Variability) – A key marker of resilience and adaptability.
Cools down inflammation – Chronic under-recovery = slow simmering inflammation = early burnout and disease risk.

So yes, you need to recover. Not when you’re already exhausted. But regularly.

But Wait… Isn’t Sleep Enough?

Sleep is a foundation, not a complete plan. Recovery is broader. Think of it like a menu:

Sleep – Still king. But good sleep doesn’t make up for overdoing everything else.
Rest days – Your muscles (and mind) need time off structured training. No, walking to the kitchen doesn’t count.
Active recovery – Think yoga, stretching, gentle swimming, or even slow walks in nature.
Nervous system recovery – Breathwork, gratitude practices, safe social connection, and even slow chewing help your vagus nerve chill.
Mental recovery – That’s the part where you do nothing. On purpose. Without feeling guilty.

A Patient Story: Optimised but Off

Let's go back to the blank stare. This 37 year old entrepreneur is a simple example of productivity without recovery. He had everything dialed in: macros, micros, workout plan, wearables, supplements. Everything… except rest.

He trained hard 6 days a week, worked 14 hours a day, and his only downtime was getting a massage—while replying to emails.

His HRV was crashing. He couldn’t focus. He felt “wired but tired.”

We scaled back his workouts by 20%, added one real rest day, introduced a daily 10-minute breath work routine, and asked him to not track one day a week.

Three weeks later: better sleep, clearer thinking, more energy, and—surprise!—even better workouts.

Because recovery isn't the opposite of progress. It's part of it. And the mitochondria was not to blame for it. Yet!

What Happens When You Don’t Recover?

Depends on your body's mood!Let’s just say your body will let you know. Eventually. Sometimes very subtly, sometimes very loudly and sometimes with a full fledged rebellion.

Cortisol stays high → Fatigue, belly fat, hormone imbalances
Poor HRV → Your heart’s resilience goes down
Muscle breakdown > repair → Injuries and soreness
Mood changes → Anxiety, brain fog, and irritability
Plateaus → Whether it’s fat loss, strength gains, or even focus

So if you’re doing “everything right” and still not feeling great? Recovery might be the missing piece.

What Real Recovery Looks Like

No, you don’t need a silent retreat in the Himalayas (though that sounds fun). Here’s what helps:

One full rest day every week
Low-intensity movement after intense days
Good sleep hygiene (early wind-down, screens off, cool dark room)
Nervous system resets – Try box breathing, humming, or vagal-toning cold exposure
Joyful nothingness – Yes, even reading fiction or staring into space counts

The Takeaway

You can’t out-supplement poor recovery. You can’t out-exercise it. You can’t out-hustle it.

So the next time your body asks for rest, don’t treat it like a failure. Treat it like what it is: the most productive thing you could be doing.

Now go schedule a rest day. Or better—take one today. (Yes, really.)