For every hour you spend on ´x´ you can´t spend on ´y´ so it can be helpful to view recovery as return on investment, so, where is it best to spend your chips?
SLEEP
Sleep - is without question no 1 when recovery is concerned. And just like with your training it needs to be prioritised if you are to be consistent with it, such as having a regular bed time or scheduling your travel carefully to not comprise it. If you are consistently sleeping less than 7hr chances are you are also sick more frequently and your injury risk is high. Invest in this area whether it be black out blinds, silicon ear plugs or a fan - it counts.
STRESS
Inextricably linked to point 1. And this one is very tricky of course. Stress significantly impacts recovery so managing it well can be the key to unlock point 1.
FUELLING
Sure have a donut, but mostly eat clean nutrient dense foods and fuel for the work required. Apps like Fuelin can better interpret the demands of the workouts set if you are unsure here. You maybe shocked how much you need to eat and drink when training higher volumes!
RELAXATION
Simply doing nothing is very effective for recovery. We often feel like we need to be doing something productive all the time - but really we just need to lie back and relax on the sofa (hard for driven types!). What do professional athletes do between sessions - NOTHING, well maybe Netflix and Youtube but very little. Of course most of us do not have the luxury for this but you get the point.... being a slob isn´t all bad. A massage can be great relaxation but not if its takes an hour round trip in traffic!
MARKETING or MARGINS
Recovery boots, compression socks, ice baths, 160c cryotherapy chambers, infrared pajamas - yes you heard that correctly, supplements et al - are all backed with inconclusive and marginal benefits at best. They are often costly, market led and whilst painful placebos are powerful they are also expensive. Back to point 1: for every hour or $ you spend on ´x´ - you could be, well - fast asleep.
Master the fundamentals first.
Christie Aschwanden´s book ´Good to Go´ is a great read on all things recovery if you want to dig further.
Col
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