Many athletes schedule recovery days to break up their routines. These days are commonly used to allow their bodies to recover from long stretches of continuous and intense athletic training. Even the healthiest of athletes should take the time to understand the benefits of giving their bodies the opportunity to recover. Joints need time to heal from strenuous training, and intense workouts can lead to serious injury from overused muscles, so it's important to schedule downtime weekly or monthly depending on your level of activity.

Recovery days are also an opportunity to replenish your body with nutrients and keep your body properly hydrated. If you're planning on taking a day off from intense athletic training, make sure you still drink plenty of fluids. Recovery days may be a great opportunity to add a low-calorie TapouT Cherry Lemonade Blast sports drink to your hydration routine. This will replenish your body with essential electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium and potassium. If you've been training for days on end, your body will be craving these very important nutrients.

As the name implies, active recovery involves a day of activity, but with less strenuous exercise than their normal routine. The activity on these days can take many forms, but most times it involves different types of exercises than what occurs during regular training. Runners may take up cycling, while cyclists may go for a slow-paced run. The key to an active recovery day is to make sure that you include different and less intense movements for joints and muscles that may have been taxed during regular workouts. Some popular forms of exercise utilized during active recovery include:

• Yoga
• Lightweight training
• Stationary cycling
• Walking or hiking
• Swimming
• Rollerblading or ice skating

The key is to find an activity that uses different muscles and motions than what you use during your routine training regimen. If you're a runner training for a marathon, simply slowing down your run on a recovery day will still put a strain on weary muscles. Find something that you'll enjoy, but don't fall into the trap of doing the same workout at a slower pace or for a less significant amount of time.

It's also been suggested to tone down your workout's intensity by 30 to 40 percent. This might mean a casual half hour of swimming laps at the local pool or a walk through one of your favorite parks. Activities like yoga, riding a stationary bike or lightweight training are perfect for low-key recovery days without having to leave your home.

When planning your active recovery day routine, remember to take your hydration needs into account. Since you're still performing some sort of physical activity, your body will demand more water than if you were simply sitting on the couch binge-watching your favorite movie franchise.

Including a sports beverage before and after your recovery workout will give your body the minerals and nutrients it requires to actively recover from days of intense training and keep you hydrated during low-key workouts.

Try including a tasty TapouT Citrus Kick during active recovery days. Our regular TapouT has 120 calories to provide your body with the energy it needs to function properly. It is also full of vitamins to keep your body and mind performing at its peak. These vitamins are very important during active recovery workouts. Your mind and body may be fatigued from days of grueling athletic activity and may not respond and recover to their fullest without a little help.

TapouT Sports drinks come in two tantalizing flavors, our regular Citrus Kick and our low-calorie Cherry Lemonade Blast for those seeking a sports drink with less sugar. Both varieties are designed with performance in mind, and they can both aid with hydration on active or passive recovery days.

Repeated intense workouts can leave your body completely tapped. You can run the risk of dangerous dehydration, have a reduction in energy and your mind and body may not perform well if pushed too hard for too long.

Both flavors of TapouT contain 240mg of sodium. Sodium is essential in the process of keeping your body hydrated. Retaining more fluids on recovery days will help your joints and muscles return to top physical condition and help your body get ready for the more intense workouts that are sure to come following recovery days. TapouT also provides your body with the essential electrolytes it needs to give you higher energy and better gains during any training regimen. These electrolytes include:

• Magnesium
• Chloride
• Potassium
• Calcium

It is also very important not to neglect the mental aspect of your recovery days. Grueling training routines can leave your thought process foggy and slow. TapouT has you covered for mental recovery as well. Vitamins A, C, E, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12 will not only replenish your body's energy reserves, but they'll also help restore mental clarity and keep your mind sharp as you go through your daily routine