When it comes to your fitness routine, the last thing you want is to put in work day in and day out with little to no results. Let’s be honest, we all want results! Whether to you that means losing weight, building muscle or getting more energy. We want to know that all our efforts are for a greater cause! But did you know that you could be sabotaging your workout before you even hit the treadmill?
Yup, it’s true. So here are 3 fitness habits to ensure you truly get all the rewards of your sweat session.
GO TO BED!
I’m so tired, I think I’ll go to the gym! Said no one ever. You need energy for better gym performance and that’s why getting 7-9 hours of sleep at night is crucial to help maximize your workout. A small study conducted by the Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory followed a group of athletes over a three-week period. They did nothing different but increase their sleep and saw marked improvements in performance, including faster sprint times, longer endurance, lower heart rate and an overall better workout. And if that doesn’t convince maybe this will… Fitness Icon Goddess Jillian Michaels says that if she had a choice between six hours of sleep and a workout or eight hours of sleep, she’d take the eight hours. Like WHAT? I’m definitely guilty of showing up to a Lagree class with less than 5 hours of sleep in me, but I’ve committed to changing my ways. Because the 5 hour sleep workouts are where the struggle is the most reeeeaal. Amiright? And being well-rested not only keeps you energized but also keeps all your hunger hormones in check too. That’s right, a lack of sleep can make you feel hungry even when you’re not. So if you want to see those gains, ditch that anti-sleep lifestyle and go to bed!
WORK IN A DYNAMIC STRETCHES TO WARM UP
Remember in elementary school gym class you we were forced to do static stretches before class. Well I don’t want to say that our PE teachers were wrong, but yeahhhh they kinda were. (Sorry Mr. Yani!) Studies have shown that static stretching before exercise can weaken performance. The most likely reason is that holding the stretch tires out your muscles. Static stretches are great AFTER your sweat session, but if you’re looking to get the most out of your workout, dynamic stretches should be your new best friend. Dynamic stretching which is basically stretching in motion, not only warms up your muscle core temperature,’ it gets your muscles and joint looser allowing you to take full advantage of your range of motion. Better range of motions equals maximum power from your body. And more power equals a better workout.
TRY A PRE WORKOUT
Sometimes even if I get enough sleep, by the end of the day, I have ZERO energy for a workout. ESPECIALLY with winter approaching and the sun setting at 1pm. (lol). So I’ve started using pre-workouts to help give me that extra boost for my evening workouts. I recently learned all about pre-workouts when I was invited to a GNC event at Spokehaus for the launch for their Beyond Raw LIT pre-workout. I’ll admit, at first I was a little hesitant to try a pre-workout because I heard that they can be full of artificial nasties and make you jittery. But this was not the case with Beyond Raw LIT. I had no jitters and it made me feel comfortable to know that LIT includes clinically studied ingredients. The ingredients are combined to support consistently better workouts. Many pre-workout formulas contain a mystery mixture of ingredients, some of which have no evidence to support their benefit and may even be harmful. Before purchasing a pre-workout, always read the label and try out a sample before you buy in bulk, not just for performance but also for taste. Many GNC stores do demonstrations of their products and may even have a sample kicking around. They also have a great return policy! The Beyond Raw LIT comes in 3 flavours, and my go to flavor is Gummy Worm.
What do you do to maximize your workout?
