How Naturopathy Can Support Athletic Recovery

For clients who want to up their physical activity levels, naturopathy is a holistic approach that can support recovery, prevent injury, and boost performance. When it comes to starting or resuming physical activity, there’s no room for improvisation. Whether your client is ending a period of inactivity, recovering from an injury, or simply looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle, proper preparation is essential to their success. They’ll face many challenges—fatigue, risk of injury, lack of motivation—and they’ll need your guidance to avoid those pitfalls and make a smooth transition.

As a preventive healthcare discipline, naturopathy operates on the principle that wellness comes from balancing the body, mind and environment. Athletic recovery is a great example of that approach, as it involves both supporting physical performance and achieving a consistent, self-reinforcing lifestyle.

Here are the key points to explore with your clients for a smooth return to physical activity:

Why it matters:

• Electrolytes are used in muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, and body temperature regulation.
• Dehydration can lead to fatigue, cramps, and even injury.
• After just 30–40 minutes of sustained exercise, you lose an average of 0.5–1.5 L of water.

Tips for your clients:

• Water: Drink spring or filtered water throughout the day. Aim for around 30–35 ml/kg of body weight every day, outside of exercise.

• Add powdered electrolyte supplements, such as Organika, BioSteel, Vega, or Aussie Trace Minerals.

Food:

• During long endurance training sessions, drink naturally rehydrating beverages (lemon water, coconut water, remineralizing herbal teas).
• Eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in water and minerals (cucumbers, watermelons, strawberries, zucchini). You can get 20–30% of your daily water requirements through food.
• Limit your intake of diuretic and dehydrating drinks, especially alcoholic, high caffeine, and sugary beverages.

The body needs specific nutrients to produce energy, build muscle, repair tissues, and limit inflammation.

What to prioritize:

Protein: essential for muscle gain and recovery.

• Prioritize eggs, poultry, fish, meat, Greek yogurt, and tofu.
• Aim for 1.2–1.6 g/kg of body weight every day.

Complex carbohydrates: the body’s main fuel source.

• Prioritize quinoa, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, and fruit.
• Avoid refined carbohydrates (white bread, pastries, sodas), as they can lead to energy crashes.

Good fats: for cell membranes and hormonal function.

• Prioritize avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and small oily fish (sardines, mackerel).

Antioxidants: to protect cells from oxidative stress.

• Prioritize plenty of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, turmeric, green tea, and dark chocolate.

Dietary supplements as needed:

• Collagen: Designs for Sport, Medelys, Genuine Health, Garden of Life. For joint health, cell renewal, bone strength and collagen production.
• Protein powder: Designs for Sport Grass-Fed Beef Protein, ATP Lab Whey Protein Isolate, GoodProtein Plant-Based Protein. To supplement daily protein intake.
• Creatine: Designs for Sport Creatine Monohydrate. Boosts physical performance and maintains and increases lean body mass.
• EAAs: ATP Lab Amino Acids. For recovery and lean mass gains.

Tips for your clients:

Make full use of the anabolic window (30−45 minutes post-workout):

Ideal food combo:

• Protein + carbohydrates to maximize muscle recovery.
• Example: Greek yogurt with fruit, chia seeds, and oat flakes.

Suggested supplements: 

• Collagen: Take 30 minutes post-workout for muscle recovery and joint health, ideally with vitamin C to improve uptake.
• Protein powder: Take 30 minutes post-workout for recovery and muscle mass gain. Muscles are more sensitive to nutrient absorption after exercise.
• Creatine: Take any time of day, with regular daily intake of around 5 g.
• EAA: Take before or during workouts to supply the amino acids muscles need and improve energy and recovery.

Encourage your clients to listen to their bodies: Recovery takes time, so your clients can split up their meals if needed. Emphasize the importance of avoiding restrictive diets, as they can be harmful and counterproductive when increasing one’s physical activity levels and can even cause nutritional deficiencies.

Always remember that sleep plays a crucial role in muscle recovery and regeneration.

Why it matters:

• Lack of sleep can slow recovery, increase the risk of injury, and hinder motivation.
• Quality sleep promotes the release of growth hormones, which are essential for muscle repair.

Tips for your clients:

• Stick to a regular schedule: get to bed by 10 p.m. and aim for 8 hours a night.
• Adopt a healthy bedtime routine: dim the lights, wind down, and stay away from screens for at least 1 hour before bed.
• Use phytotherapy (herbal infusions or extracts) as needed: take sedative and relaxing plants (valerian root, passionflower, chamomile).

Supplements for relaxation and sleep quality (take as needed):

• Magnesium bisglycinate/citrate: SISU, Natural Factors, Designs for Sport
• GABA: AOR, Now Foods, New Roots, Natural Factors
• L-theanine: NIH Supplements, Pure Lab Vitamins, Orange Naturals
• 5-HTP: AOR, Now Foods, Orange Naturals, Natural Factors

To support your clients as they get back to their physical activities, you’ll need a comprehensive, structured and individualized approach. No two athletes are alike, and it’s important to carefully consider each one’s unique needs, constraints, pacing and goals. As a healthcare professional, your role is so much more than just giving advice—it’s about guiding, educating, and giving your clients the keys to lasting success. By focusing on their diet, sleep and hydration, you’ll help them build a solid foundation of good health, so they can work toward their training goals in a more healthy, more effective, and above all, more sustainable way.

This article provides general information only and does not replace the recommendations or care of a health professional.