Athletes understand it best — frequent intense workouts place a significant amount of stress on the body, making it challenging to achieve optimal athletic performance. Professional and amateur athletes alike know the importance of effective training and recovery plans. Without a consistent pre- and post-competition health regimen, it’s impossible to function at your highest level. A sport that’s usually an enjoyable competition against an opponent can feel like a battle against your own body when you’re not in your best shape.
If you’re an athlete, you know how crushing defeat can be — especially if you feel defeated by your own physical limitations. But maybe you’ve heard of the increasingly popular intravenous (IV) therapy, a cutting-edge tool for athletes desiring to get back into action quicker. This effective treatment is an efficient way to replenish your body with the vital minerals, vitamins and amino acids you need to unlock your full potential.
IV Therapy, offered at All Star Wellness and Regenerative Medicine, is a proven therapy for athletes. Before we discuss how it can help you take your game to the next level, let’s review what happens to your body after an intense workout.
Your Body After an Intense Workout
It’s no secret that athletes exert a lot of energy. Intense physical activity leads to the gradual depletion of micro- and macro-nutrients. In approximately one to four hours, 50 to 60 percent of your energy levels can diminish. Heavy exercise leads to dehydration, fatigue, soreness, microscopic muscle tears and oxidative stress on cells. Sometimes you can feel the effects for days after an intense training session.
Several key micro-nutrients are drained during an intense workout. Excessive sweating leads to the loss of electrolytes, which are essential because they provide your muscles with the electrical stimulation they need for optimal performance. You become slower as you exhaust amino acids and fatty acids in your gut, liver and blood. Concentration and motivation dwindle as a complex of vitamin B and magnesium subside. Once this wealth of nutrients and others significantly dry up, your body starts to burn fats for energy. Despite this, your overall performance suffers and recovery is harder.
Your body is stressed and exhausted after an intense workout because its sources of energy are significantly depleted. Days can pass before they are restored — a frustrating waiting period for anyone, regardless of athletic level or training schedule.
What Can IV Therapy Do for Athletes?
As an athlete, you likely already eat a clean diet, take appropriate nutritional supplements and drink beverages chock-full of electrolytes to make sure you get the nutrients that support optimal health and fitness. When ingested orally, these nutrients must be digested and absorbed into your bloodstream before they’re available for use in your body. This process is not only slow, but also sometimes inefficient. Some nutrients are absorbed more easily than others, and some individuals have chronic digestive problems that make absorption difficult.
With IV therapy, the digestive system is bypassed. The nutrients flow directly into your bloodstream, resulting in greater nutritional retention and faster availability. The nutrients can get to work immediately.
How might you improve? Here are some possibilities:
Peak Performance: Whether training or competing, every athlete wants to perform their best. Peak performance is when you’re exerting your most significant energy output with ease and mental clarity. This is only possible when you have the right nutrients in the right concentration. IV therapy can help ensure you have the optimal amount of amino acids, electrolytes and vitamins so you can reach your peak during any physical activity.
Longer Lasting Energy: Low energy levels at the end of a high endurance game could mean the difference between winning and defeat. IV therapy can provide your body with a natural energy boost and help you conquer your next match. The right combination of ingredients can enhance your stamina and endurance levels across the board — from greater physical capabilities to improved mental awareness.
Faster Recovery: Any physical exertion puts your body at some risk of damage. By incorporating IV therapy into your recovery routine, you may notice improvements in blood circulation, bone strength, muscle growth, muscle soreness, hydration, fatigue and cell repair. This will maximize your post-workouts to help you achieve the biggest performance gains. IV therapy also has anti-inflammatory properties that can help accelerate recovery rates for sports-related injuries.
Proven Benefits of IV Therapy
IV therapy is a reputable treatment with proven benefits. Just ask Chris Hopkinson, the first person to ever stand up paddleboard the entire length of the Chesapeake Bay. The Maryland native spent a total of nine days to accomplish the 203 mile-long journey, which raised $177,000 for the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) to plant oysters in the bay. Hopkinson underwent IV therapy and peptide therapy at All Star Wellness and Regenerative Medicine to replenish his energy levels and ensure he could accomplish this fantastic feat. Despite the grueling and challenging journey, Hopkinson says he’s never felt better and is recovering from the action faster than ever before.
Play Your Hardest. Play Your Best.
IV Therapy for athletes at All Star Wellness and Regenerative Medicine is an exceptional treatment that can have you playing at your best with quicker recovery rates and long-lasting energy. If you’re an athlete and want to optimize your performance, contact us at 443-808-1808 or visit our contact page to schedule a consultation. We can devise an IV therapy plan tailored to your athletic lifestyle.