Quick fact. Ready? The 'burn' that you feel during an intense workout is the build up of lactic acid in your muscles. That exact same lactic acid is actually the preferred energy source to be used by your heart. Lactic acid may be uncomfortable, but is certainly not the bad guy!

Stop Drop Wellness #15

What? You are able to recover much faster following high intensity exercise if you keep moving at a lower intensity. How? High intensity exercise results in a build up of lactic acid in the blood stream. On its own, this reduced carb takes a while to be fully metabolized in the heart and muscles. Although, active recovery, in which you keep moving, uses the lactic acid directly as fuel for that movement, speeding up its removal and that all-too-annoying burning sensation in the muscles.