Conversations around exercise often neglect one important aspect: aftercare and recovery. To fully maximize your performance in and out of the gym, we here at catalyst are breaking down our favorite ways to restore ourselves to 100 percent following a rigorous sweat. 

First order of business which is most important is stretching. It may seem like the stress people put on stretching is nonsense, but we’re here to tell you it's not. Stretching maintains strength, health and flexibility which is important for the mobility needed in exercise. On top of mobility and flexibility, stretching is proven to increase performance in exercise. If you don’t know which stretches will serve you best, try out one of our Yoga classes. Our instructors will teach you the proper ways to stretch and leave you with a plethora of knowledge that you can incorporate in your own stretching routine. So next time you hit the gym, don’t skip out that 10 minute post-workout stretch. 

Available at our Maple and French locations, the Hydromassage is one the best ways to treat yourself post-workout. Our hydromassage beds offer a personalized heated water massage. The bed is paired with a touchscreen where you can personalize the pressure and speed of your own massage. The combination of heat and bodywork is perfect to knead out those deep knots that can become inflamed in exercise. The best part about the Hydromassage beds? They do all the work! 

Last, but certainly not least is the importance of re-fueling. Refueling after your workout is an instrumental part in recovery, and similar to stretching can enhance your workout performance. A staple of the Catalyst Gyms are our shake bars. Each shake falls under one of the three categories: Light Intensity, Medium Intensity, and High Intensity. Our Light and Medium Intensity shakes are a bit lighter and calorically lower in comparison to our High Intensity shakes which are comparable to a meal replacement. Depending on the needs of your body and your workout, you can decide which shake will best serve you.

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