Key points to remember while planning your fitness regimen.
- A workout is only as good as the nutrition you follow it up with.
- More greens please!!! Spinach and broccoli too!
- Fruits before 3pm (fruits are still a carb…you’ll burn through the day if you eat them earlier in the day…and let your body absorb the natural sugar.)
- Lean protein! Vegan’s and Vegetarians (make sure you are getting your protein in another form. You’ll crumble to pieces if not, and then all the fruits and veggies in the world.)
- You need healthy fats: nuts and avocados, fish and natural oils.
- Your workouts….Your trainer will provide an exercise regimen that’s best for you. (At least 4times a week). For myself I cross train: I mix up all different types of forms of exercises and classes…always keeping my power/strength days.
- Sleep – Rest well, Test Well: make sure you get your 7-8hrs of sleep a night. It is one of the major processes in muscle cell growth and repair. Lack of sleep affects mood and increases hormonal stress levels. If you feel your muscle soreness the day after a workout… that means you didn’t get enough rest the day of your workout (DOMS: delayed muscle soreness). Which can be a symptom that leads to muscle damage. So get some Sleep.
- Water…im a little parched: water is arguably the second most important compound life is dependent on; oxygen being the first. The body is made up of 70% of water…so ummm we need this guy a lot! If you’re in Chicago…in this dry air, up the dosage! Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues. Plus all that sweat you’re going to be doing…reload!! Ladies need around 2.2liters (9cups), and fellas you need about 3liters (13cups)
- Stretch…you don’t want an unpleasant stiffy: Before and after every work out. STRETCH!!!!! Flexibility training is so serious, I even wrote a blog on it. Having stiff, achy muscles is no way to go through life. With all that mass of tight-ness just building, then you adding weight or force to it… SNAP!! PULL!!! STRAIN!! You have to stretch all the muscles and fascia (small muscle spindles surrounding bigger muscles), making sure your body can go through full range of motion flawlessly.
Now let’s get this ish started!