When you're ready to embrace a more active lifestyle, you should start by setting your fitness goals and developing a strategy for reaching them. It can also help you to research suggestions for getting the most out of every workout. Knowing how fitness and diet will affect your physique can help you modify your strategy to reach your fitness goals in a shorter period of time.
The clothes you wear when you engage in exercise will affect your ability to work out. Your clothes should be comfortable and breathable. Polyester is the most common fabric used for activewear since it meets these conditions. It's also a lighter fabric, making it easier to move while wearing it. For women, look for supportive undergarments that aren't too restricting, such as a nude sports bra. When you feel supported and comfortable in your clothes, you'll feel freer to work out with greater intensity.
You should engage in running or another form of cardio three to four days each week. The best time to run is early in the morning before you have eaten anything. Since you're already in a calorie-deficit state, your body will be forced to burn more fat for energy. Eating before a run or bicycle ride will add more calories and give your body the fuel it needs without forcing it to burn existing fat.
When you're focusing on resistance training, you do want to eat before your workout. Your body needs carbs for energy and to aid in building muscle. Fitness experts recommend consuming 30 grams of carbs before hitting the gym. You can get enough carbs by eating a banana. Other excellent sources of carbs include pancakes, fruit smoothies, and plain oatmeal. Another option is to consume a protein drink since these beverages are designed to help the body absorb the carbs more efficiently.
Even though commercials for sports drinks show athletes consuming the products after an intense workout, this is actually a mistake when you're trying to reach a fitness goal. That's because these drinks are high in sugar and calories. One sports drink has enough calories to restore all of the calories you just burned during your workout. Unless you're engaging in a high-intensity workout that lasts longer than an hour or working out in hot temperatures, stay away from sports drinks.
After each workout, you should eat a high-protein snack. Your body uses protein to boost glycogen in the body. Protein is also used to increase protein synthesis, which is an essential process in the building of muscle. Eating a high-protein food immediately after strength training will maximize the building of new lean muscle. Eat foods that contain 10 to 20 grams of protein, such as an egg white omelet or one serving of plain Greek yogurt.
An important part of working out is keeping yourself motivated and energized. You can do this by creating a motivational music playlist that you can listen to as you're exercising. You can pick any genre of music you prefer, but try to load only those songs that you find inspiring.
Stretching before you start any type of workout is essential to help you reduce your risks of injuries. Stretching for a few minutes will loosen up the knots in your muscles and improve your overall mobility. It will also loosen up the connective tissue in your joints. Spend time stretching your neck, arms, waist, and legs to ensure you're fully limber and ready for strenuous activity.
Avoid falling into a rut with the exercises you choose. Doing the same activities consistently will cause your body to focus on burning fat and building muscle in limited areas throughout your body. Participating in a variety of exercises will help you work out a broader range of muscle groups. Instead of running three days a week, go bicycling and swimming as well. When working with weight machines at the gym, use different machines each time you go.
When you reach a plateau in your fitness progress, don't let yourself get discouraged. This is something that happens to everyone sooner or later. When it happens to you, look for more ways to get more out of your workouts. If online research doesn't help, consult a fitness trainer. Getting over that hump will help you continue on your path to better fitness.
