Pilates Princess Is Dead, Recovery Girl Has Arrived

A few months ago, a colleague mentioned in conversation that she had gone to the gym at seven in the morning, before work. Aside from the fact that I did not believe her at all for a good half hour, after she convinced me and became the supreme queen of fitness in my eyes, the first question that quite naturally slipped out was: “Why on earth would you go to the gym at seven in the morning?” Her answer was simpler than I expected. I was hoping for a barrage of complex reasons about how it is good for every segment of life, complete with the obligatory wellness theories and scientific explanations, but the exact opposite happened. Three short words followed: “It feels great.” Okay, I thought, this is something I can understand. No endless recipes for health, no grueling workouts that require two hours of cardio, electrolytes and calorie counting. I can relate to the idea of doing something simply because it feels good. Isn’t that the point of, well, life as a whole?

Lately I have often been seeing claims that we are supposedly in the era of wellness burnout, that we need a break from the beauty and fitness industries, and that more and more influencers are turning to minimalist beauty routines and as few products as possible. A similar atmosphere has appeared in the world of workouts, too. The Pilates craze and the titles of Pilates princesses have slowly given way to something new: the Recovery Girl era.

What is a Recovery Girl?

The latest wellness content talks less about working out and more about recovery. Sauna, stretching, walking, quality sleep and slower mornings are becoming just as important, if not more important, than intense exercise. The focus is no longer on constantly pushing the body past its limits, but on finally allowing it to rest. Music to my ears! I have to admit that, apparently, I have always been a Recovery Girl, we just did not have a name for it back then. I was never the kind of person who cannot wait to work out or feels the need to turn every free moment into some kind of physical activity (obviously). Even less was I someone who intuitively knows how to begin serious exercise. But everything that today falls under the job description of a Recovery Girl, I was doing completely spontaneously.

I love long walks without any particular goal. I adore the days when I manage to go to bed earlier. I will always choose gentle stretching over a workout that leaves me unable to sit down for the next three days. And honestly, I have never felt guilty about it. The Recovery Girl trend does not promise a new version of yourself in thirty days, it does not ask us to optimize every minute of our lives and it does not convince us that rest is something we have to earn. Instead, it starts from the idea that taking care of ourselves is sometimes much simpler than the wellness industry wants us to believe.

Of course, this is not an invitation to give up movement and exercise forever. It is more of a reminder that health does not look the same for everyone. For some people, the gym at seven in the morning will feel good. For others, an extra half hour of sleep and a walk after work will feel good. And maybe the whole point is precisely to find what makes us feel good, instead of what the algorithm is currently telling us we should be doing.