Recovery Playbook
The At-Home Recovery Blueprint
Recover better at home in ten minutes a day. Start with the plays. Add compression when you're ready for more.
Twenty simple recovery plays from Dr Peter Fowler to help you sleep deeper, lift your energy, ease soreness, and perform at your best.
Recovery should be simple enough to actually do
You don't need more time or a perfect routine to recover better. You need a few simple things, done consistently. This blueprint hands you twenty plays you can start today, each one built to fix a specific problem in the time you genuinely have. When you want more from your recovery, the bonus chapter shows where compression boots fit.
Small, repeatable habits beat occasional heroics every time.
Dr Peter FowlerThe Recovery Project
- 1
Find your challenge
Open the Recovery Navigator and jump straight to whatever is bothering you most right now.
- 2
Run one play
Each play gives you three actions, the time it takes, and the result to expect. Do the three actions today.
- 3
Build the habit
When a play works, lock it in with the 7-Day Challenge and your Personal Action Plan.
Build the foundation first
Recovery tools get the attention, but they sit at the very top. Get the base right and everything above it works better.
Highest impact sits at the base. Build the foundation first. Then add a recovery tool to get more from it.
Good recovery starts with good sleep. Choose the play that matches your biggest sleep challenge.
Dr Pete's tipIf you only focus on one recovery habit, make it sleep.
Waking Up Tired
You slept for enough hours but still wake up feeling tired, groggy, or unrefreshed.
Dr Pete's tipConsistency matters more than perfection. Focus on your wake-up time first.
Struggling To Fall Asleep
You get into bed but your mind or body doesn't seem ready for sleep.
Dr Pete's tipSleep starts before you get into bed. Create a wind-down routine your brain can recognise.
Waking Up During The Night
You fall asleep easily but wake up one or more times during the night.
Dr Pete's tipYour sleep is influenced by what happens throughout the day, not just at night.
Dr Pete's tipThe goal isn't to stop thinking. It's to stop carrying tomorrow into tonight.
Most people reach for caffeine when their energy drops. Often a few simple habits make a bigger difference. Choose the play that matches your biggest energy challenge.
Dr Pete's tipWhen energy is low, focus on movement, light and hydration before reaching for more caffeine.
Afternoon Energy Crash
Your energy drops after lunch and you reach for caffeine, sugar, or another snack to get through the afternoon.
Dr Pete's tipMovement often boosts energy better than another coffee.
Feeling Flat All Day
You wake up tired and never seem to find your energy throughout the day.
Dr Pete's tipHow you start your morning often determines how you'll feel by lunchtime.
Low Motivation To Exercise
You know exercise will help, but finding the motivation to start feels impossible.
Dr Pete's tipMotivation usually arrives after you start, not before.
Your body adapts to stress when it recovers. These plays help you bounce back faster, move more freely, and feel ready for whatever comes next.
Dr Pete's tipWhen your body feels stiff or sore, gentle movement is usually the best place to start.
Sore After Exercise
Your muscles feel sore, tender, or fatigued after training, making it harder to move and perform.
Dr Pete's tipMovement is one of the most effective recovery tools available, and it's free.
Got compression boots? Add Play 21 after your walk.
Heavy Legs
Your legs feel tired, sluggish, or heavy after training, work, travel, or long periods on your feet.
Dr Pete's tipHeavy legs often need movement, not more sitting.
Got compression boots? Play 23 is built for this.
Tight Muscles
You feel restricted, stiff, or tight when moving, training, or doing everyday activities.
Dr Pete's tipA few minutes of mobility every day beats one long session on the weekend.
Stiff After Sitting All Day
After a long day at a desk, in the car, or on the couch, your back, hips, shoulders or legs feel stiff and uncomfortable.
Dr Pete's tipYour body doesn't need the perfect program. It needs regular movement throughout the day.
Recovery Day Routine
You know you need a recovery day, but you're not sure what you should actually do.
Dr Pete's tipA recovery day isn't about doing nothing. It's about helping your body recharge.
Recovery isn't just about your body. Your brain needs opportunities to recover too. These plays help you reduce stress, clear mental fatigue, and create space to recharge.
Dr Pete's tipThe fastest way to reduce overwhelm is to slow down for a moment.
Can't Switch Off
You finally sit down to relax, but your mind keeps racing with tasks, worries, and everything you still need to do.
Dr Pete's tipA busy mind often needs less stimulation, not more.
Feeling Overwhelmed
Your to-do list feels endless and you're struggling to focus on what matters most.
Dr Pete's tipYou don't need to do everything today. Focus on the next important step.
Dr Pete's tipRecovery is not a reward. It's a requirement.
Always “On”
You're constantly checking emails, messages and notifications, or thinking about work even during your downtime.
Dr Pete's tipYou can't fully recover if you're constantly connected.
Recovery doesn't happen in a perfect world. Work, family, travel and busy schedules all affect how well we recover. These plays help you recover in the real world, not an ideal one.
Dr Pete's tipRecovery doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to happen regularly.
Dr Pete's tipMovement, hydration, and sunlight are your best travel recovery tools.
Travelling with PROAir? See Play 23.
Desk Worker Recovery
Long hours sitting at a desk leave you feeling stiff, tired, and mentally drained.
Dr Pete's tipThe best posture is your next posture.
No Time To Recover
Life is busy and recovery always seems to fall to the bottom of the priority list.
Dr Pete's tipThe best recovery plan is the one you'll actually do.
Build A Sustainable Recovery Routine
You start good habits but struggle to stick with them long enough to see results.
Dr Pete's tipStart smaller than you think you need to. Consistency wins.
Recovery tools sit at the top of the pyramid. Once your sleep, food and movement are in place, a good tool adds to everything below it. Compression boots are the tool I use and recommend. They squeeze and release your legs in sequence, from your feet up. Blood flow rises while you use them, and your legs feel less tired and sore afterwards.
Dr Pete's tipThe best time to use compression boots is when you'd be sitting down anyway.
Sore Legs After Training
You've trained hard and your legs feel sore, tight and tired for the rest of the day.
Dr Pete's tipUse them after the session, when the feel-good effect is strongest.
Training On Back-To-Back Days
You train most days and your legs never quite feel fresh going into the next session.
Dr Pete's tipAthletes in the research used their boots every day for five weeks. Consistency is where the value is.
Heavy Legs From Standing Or Travel
A long day on your feet, a long drive or a long flight leaves your legs heavy and sluggish.
Dr Pete's tipPROAir is fully wireless and packs into its carry bag, so the hotel room counts.
The Evening Wind-Down
You want one habit that helps your body and your mind switch off at the end of the day.
Dr Pete's tipStack your boots onto something you already do, like the evening news or a podcast.
Don't have boots yet?
Every play in this chapter works with PROAir, our fully wireless boots, and PROPulse, our most adjustable system.
Compare our boots Already ordered? Your first week with your boots →Your first week with your boots
Your boots are on their way, or they've just arrived. Here's how to get the most from your first week.
Dr Pete's tipThe boots that get used every week beat the most expensive boots in the cupboard.
The 7-day recovery challenge
One play a day for a week. By Sunday you'll know exactly which habits are worth keeping.
Build your recovery routine
Stack one habit onto each part of your day. Write it down, pick a start date, and begin. You can change it whenever you like.
Start smaller than you think you need to. Consistency wins.
Dr Peter Fowler & The Recovery Project
The Recovery Project exists to make recovery simple, practical and part of everyday life, not a luxury reserved for elite athletes. The plays in this blueprint reflect that philosophy: small, repeatable actions that fit real schedules and add up over time.
When you're ready for the top of the pyramid, our compression boots are the tool I use and recommend.
Recover smarter.
Compare our compression bootsrecoveryproject.com.au