In the last few weeks I have written about some fitness crazes which really put your body through its paces. To maximize the benefit from all this exercise you need to know how to let your body recover and repair itself so next time you work out, you’ll be able to maximize on the gains you made previously.
My top tips for getting the most out of your recovery…
Drink lots of water
Some say that if you are dehydrated you perform 40% worse. This is huge, so make sure you don’t get thirsty and keep drinking before, during and after your workouts.
EAT
This is possibly the most important factor that girls often miss. You’re going to the gym to get the ideal body? Start to go to the gym to get fit instead. Either way, if you want to achieve your goal, food is your friend… provided it’s the right kind.
1. Pre-Workout
Before your workout carbs are the way forward. You want to be fueling up for energy so your body can push itself.
Eg. Peanut butter and sliced banana on toast
Eg. Bowl of cereal with fruit
Eg. Greek yoghurt with granola
2. During Workout
Eg. Banana
3. WATER
4. Post-Workout
After exercise protein and vegetables are required so your body can repair the muscles and recover quickly. Try and eat as quickly as possible after your exercise to take advantage of your body’s increased metabolism.
Eg. Salmon and Sweet Potato
Eg. Grilled Chicken with Veg
Eg. Tuna pasta
Take a day off.
If you are constantly pushing your body to its limits then you’ll need to take some rest. Assign at least one day a week as a ‘rest day’. On this day eat healthily, allow your body all the nutrients it needs to repair, if you feel like you really don’t need a rest, do some ‘active-recovery’ instead, go for a short easy jog, nothing strenuous.
Do not over-train
Exercising hard without adequate rest time will reduce gains that you’ll make from future exercise as your body will be unable to work as hard.
Girls: remember that in order to get the most out of exercise, depriving yourself of food afterwards will only have negative effects. If you work-out to get skinny, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that food is the enemy. Feed your body right and you may find that the weight drops off anyway!
Take a look at my favourite fitness instagram account: @mankofit
This girl really knows how to push her body and what to eat while she’s doing it.
Photo Sources
http://www.formerfatguyblog.co…
Edited by Faiza Peeran