Have you ever worked out hard without taking a break, only to find yourself injured or in pain? Maybe you’ve tried high-intensity interval training, but you didn’t have the patience to wait a full minute before your next sprint or set of push-ups. Or perhaps you trained for a marathon but skipped a rest day. Or you rushed through a weights workout at the gym without pausing between sets.

After challenging and high intensity workouts like Crossfit or sports training, recovery time is critical. Your body needs cool down time, followed by gentle stretching to keep your muscles, tendons, and ligaments flexible. You also need food—especially protein—and water to replenish lost nutrients and rebuild damaged tissue. If you skip any of these important steps after working out, you’re...