When you finally get off the couch or bed to start a workout, you’re not going to be satisfied with so-so results. You start a session wanting to get 100 per cent out of every rep, sprint and set so that the hour you put in really counts. But that may not always be the case—if you’re working out while hungry, skipping sessions or hitting your home gym without a plan. Hate wasting your time? Here, pros share fitness tips that will help you make sure your workout stays as efficient as possible, each time, for better results read more on the new sauna blankets.
1) Stay hydrated
According to a study, losing just two per cent of your body weight in fluids can make your workout feel harder, reduce your performance and mess with your body’s ability to recover after you leave the gym. “Water regulates your body temperature and lubricates your joints, transports nutrients to give your body energy and keep you healthy,” says Shereena Master, a fitness trainer and mobility coach. Staying hydrated increases energy improves movement, recovery and agility; improving overall physical performance. The water helps maintain blood pressure during exercise so your heart doesn’t work harder to maintain normal blood pressure. “Good hydration also helps remove waste from muscles, while replacing the water that is lost through sweat,” she confirms.
2) Fuel your body right
The best food to eat before working out is a protein and carbohydrate-rich snack. Adequate proteins plus products like the best testosterone booster help to reduce muscle soreness and promote repair, which is key.
Pros suggest staying away from high-fat foods because they take a long time to digest, and if you workout straight after eating them, your body is competing with itself for blood supply.
3) Always warm-up
Firing the right muscles is what makes your workout effective, therefore it is extremely essential to spend at least ten to fifteen minutes warming up, also a natural appetite suppressant can help you for your workout and nutrition routine. “Warming up is a way of preparing your body for exercise. Low-intensity warm-ups gradually increase heart rate and circulation so you are better prepared to handle higher intensity exercise,” states Master. As your body temperature increases, you’ll loosen your joints and increase blood flow to your muscles.
4) Use a foam roller
This lightweight cylindrical tube of compressed foam comes highly recommended by fitness experts for increasing flexibility, stamina and easing sore muscles. “Spend time foam rolling, mobilising and stretching your muscles before you go into any sort of exercise to ensure you aren’t compromising on form or range of motion,” advises Master. This simple equipment comes in hand to smooth out and lubricate the fascia, which is the connective tissue between the joints and muscles.
5) Add massages into your schedule
A massage doesn’t just feel good but works at a deeper level to improve blood flow, decrease inflammation and help muscles recover after intense exercise. According to Bengaluru-based yoga teacher Pragya Bhatt, body massage is the often-neglected aspect of fitness, because if done regularly, it can elevate your wellness game. It can treat and prevent delayed muscle onset soreness (DOMS), decrease pain and improve recovery. According to research, it is able to influence genes in your muscle cells to decrease inflammation and increase the number of mitochondria too. Then, did you know the benefits of yoga for injury recovery?
6) Log your progress
When you work out, employ the principle of progressive workload. The best way to make sure you’re doing that is by tracking and logging each session and work on increasing your reps, sets or the time you took for each exercise. Namrata Purohit, Mumbai-based pilates trainer, agrees: “Some ways to push the body to increase endurance and stamina is to increase the repetitions and intensity, or to reduce the rest or recovery times in between sets,” she shared with Vogue India.
Anna McLain says
December 26, 2016 at 1:04 pmThank you!
Jen says
December 26, 2016 at 8:00 pmI like these ideas! New Years resolutions are always hard to stick with but I think it’s because we don’t make a plan. If you do, I feel like it makes it easier to accomplish.
Rachel Thompson says
January 4, 2017 at 8:56 pmThanks for visiting and commenting, Jen! It helps to make reasonable, small chunks of goals, and then revisit them periodically (at least every 3 months), I find. Once a year, vague goals are doomed to fail. Good luck. 🙂
Norah Colvin says
December 27, 2016 at 5:49 amThanks for those suggestions. There’s some great advice in there which I must begin implementing. The advice about the five goals in particular appeals to me. I need to be more focused.
Rachel Thompson says
December 27, 2016 at 9:13 pmHI Norah!
So welcome. Goal-setting is a science if you start digging deep. There are several ways to go about it. I find that picking one and seeing how it goes works the best — try one method for a month; if it’s not a good fit, try another, and so on. That gives you 12 tries to find the right one and you WILL. I promise.
electricscootershq.org says
January 5, 2017 at 4:25 amStaying on the couch, lulled by TV, amplifies the compulsion to dwell on negativity. When you sit still — and I’m not talking about a relaxing meditation — you are living in your head and thrust into past troubles and fears of the future. The power of the present is lost. Even a brisk walk transports you to a different place, the physical movement propels the mind onward and not on rewind.