How to Recover After Intense Physical Activity – This is what you do not know

Last weekend, I had two shows scheduled on the same day — and between the two, I ended up performing four full acts. Yes, four! Naturally, the most common question I got during the evening was:

“How is your body able to handle that kind of load — especially as a contortionist?”

So today, as a 35 years old adult with 9 years of full time corporate job, I want to share the real secret behind my longevity in contortion and flexibility work. Best part? This secret applies to any kind of physical activity.

Spoiler alert: it’s not training harder. It’s training smarter — and being deeply in tune with my body.

Just like in any healthy relationship, your connection with your body needs three core principles:

1. Boundaries

2. Respect

3. Acceptance

If you are ego driven, push too hard, ignore warning signs, or try to force your body into performance mode every single day — you’re not going to last. Trust me.

I’m 35. I didn’t grow up as a dancer or gymnast, or as an athlete. I did sports since kid and movement has been part of my daily life, but until recently, I would not consider myself an athlete. In fact, I worked full-time in the corporate world for 9 years before fully diving into ZoharYogaFlex and the performing arts industry. My path has been anything but traditional — however I’ve made it work, because of the relationship I have established with my body.

Your body has boundaries

We, humans, have boundaries in our relationships with others, don't we? Same applies to our bodies. Boundaries mean knowing when to say “not today” or “that’s enough”. Just because your ego and mind want to push further, doesn’t always mean your body is ready for it. Honoring that is a form of strength, and not weakness. You need to stand up for it, and sometimes even verbalize it.

Respect your body's limits

We are taught to listen to our partners, and respect their decisions even if you may not always agree with them. Respect in phyical activity recovery context is the following: it is listening to your body’s signals, not overriding them. It’s showing up with care, patience, and trust in the process rather than forcing outcomes. Respect your body, and it will give you back what you want - at the right time.

Accept embracing your body as it is

Not every day is same. Not everyone's starting line is same. Acceptance is embracing your body as it is right now — not just what you want it to be. Progress doesn’t come from punishment; it comes from working together with your body, not against it. As human beings we tend to look to others and wanting to have what they have. And driven by ego, we end up forcing the body to work in a pace that it is not sustainable. Then injuries happen, you get burned out, you lose motivation and so on.

Train Smart, Not Just Hard

So many people still believe progress equals pushing hard every single day.

But here’s the truth:

You don’t need to train hard to get better. You need to train smart—and that means knowing when to push, and when to restore.

I never wanted to be the best or better than others - I simply wanted to improve for my own satisfaction and enjoy the journey. This mindset allowed me to apply the 3 core principles and create a high performing body.

That’s where restorative movement and activities like sauna and ice baths come in. Every Saturday I share a new contortion training at home for adults in the Zohar.Yoga.Flex YouTube channel. Last weekend I shared a Restorative Contortion Routine to educate my community that restorative movement it is a necessity. For kids, to avoid burn out. For adults, to avoid mostly getting an injury.

Whether you’re a dancer, yoga student, athlete, or just someone who wants to feel more open and grounded — this class will help you!

Why Recovery Is Key to Progress

Two days after intense physical activity from the four acts, I danced for two hours. And I didn’t do that because I’m a superhero. Those classes are part of my schedule and, at professional level, performing should not influence a training schedule. Since I’ve learned how to balance intensity with recovery, I knew I could take on the dancing class.

Restorative sessions are what allow me to:

• Avoid injury

• Be consistent at my performance

• Continue progressing year after year

And now I want to help you do the same. If you’re ready to build a sustainable, intelligent flexibility practice, start by adding recovery to your routine. You don’t need to be extreme — you just need to be intentional. Check out our FREE resources available in the Stretching and Yoga Playlist at the ZoharYogaFlex YouTube channel.

Or book a 1:1 consultation with me and let’s create a personalized path to your training goals - wether is flexibility or another type of exercise.

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With love and stretch,

xx

Zohar