Plan Ahead to Make the Most of Your Workout
We’ve talked a lot about workout tips during the workout. Planning and spending an adequate time preparing for your workout is also important to your overall success. This plan will prepare you mentally for the workout, should outline an intense routine, and will identify a recovery process.
Start at the End - Plan Your Recovery Before You Workout
A successful workout begins before you even leave for the grocery store. It is important to plan ahead by having meals and snacks prepared and ready to go. Your recovery is supported by your nutrition which includes eating healthy fats, healthy sources of protein and a wide variety of leafy greens and vegetables from the onion family. Eighty percent of your body composition can be attributed to diet. The PLATFORM’S approach to nutrition is uniquely based on the latest scientific research. We aren’t following fads. We’re ahead of the curve, knowing what you actually should be eating. Getting healthy involves eating delicious foods that are easy to prepare. We will also provide you with guidelines for eating smart and an endless number of simple and delicious recipes.
And it’s not just the foods you’re eating that are important. You also need to hydrate. Drink water throughout the day as a lifestyle routine. According to the Harvard blog, the benefits of plain water even go beyond circulating nutrients to your muscles and speeding recovery. Below are some additional benefits:
The researchers found the participants who drank the most plain water in their daily diet consumed fewer total calories, drank fewer sweetened beverages, and took in less total fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt, and cholesterol. In fact, they discovered that increasing plain water consumption by one to three cups a day could decrease calorie intake by 68 to 205 calories a day. That could add up to a lot fewer calories over time — and result in significant weight loss.
These results support prior research on this topic, which has shown that drinking water before meals and that substituting water for sweetened beverages can cut down on calorie intake and improve weight control. That means people interested in losing weight, building lean muscle, and improving their overall health could benefit from incorporating more plain water into their daily diet.
You Actually Do Need Your Sleep
It is also critical for you to get enough quality sleep for optimal performance during your workout and to speed up your recovery time. By now you probably realize that health is made of many parts – if one part of the body system suffers, you’re likely to see consequences in other areas of your life. Though diet and exercise are critical components of healthy lifestyles, it’s also important to remember that sleep is inherently linked with how we eat (and how much), how we exercise (and whether or not we lose weight), and how we function on a daily basis. Getting the proper amount of sleep each night is necessary to face the world with your best foot forward. Sleep will help you on the road to good fitness, good eating and good health. Here’s the link to our previous post on sleep.
The Right Swag Can Help Your Recovery Too
We used to throw on that ratty old t-shirt, those hand-me-down running shoes and slather baby oil all over our skin to make sure we got a good tan. There have been major advances in running shoes, sunscreen and what to wear overall. Americans spend upwards of $30 billion per year on athletic apparel alone. Most of those garments are there to make you look more aerodynamic but serve no other serious purpose. However, we do have an apparel workout tip you cannot miss: wear compression clothing to help speed up the recovery process. They work as support structures for your muscles, decreasing inflammation and shortening recovery time.
Have an Intense Workout
Traditional workout methodologies break-up the routine to every other day is cardio, Tues., major leg groups, Wed., upper shoulders, don’t forget cardio… The PLATFORM’S solution is simple and intense. Concentrate your time and efforts to where they will have the maximum impact. Follow an exercise program that allows you to simultaneously build muscle, burn fat and up-regulate hormones. One example of up-regulation can be seen when people exercise more, increasing the sensitivity of cells to insulin. Cells that have become down-regulated and are less responsive to insulin can be up-regulated through regular exercise to make them more sensitive. This is why exercise is recommended to patients who are developing type two diabetes. In some cases, changing diet and exercise habits can resolve the issue, allowing the patient to make a full recovery. In others, exercising to encourage the cells to up-regulate can help the patient control the diabetes.
Push yourself for brief intervals and replace long low intensity workouts with short high intensity workouts. The PLATFORM approach to exercise is to make sure you get the results you want without wasting any time. Other programs stick you in the gym for as long as possible, spinning your wheels. THE PLATFORM is organized around the principle that you can lose those unwanted pounds and build lean muscle with the 47 minutes of workouts per week. How does it work? By prioritizing intensity and form over duration and repetition. Each week, we also give you the personalized feedback you need to exercise efficiently and effectively using our app and the latest insights from the scientific community. With the data you provide, we make sure you're getting the workouts done in the right way and we tailor your goals for each of your workout sessions as you push yourself, but also stay safe.
Get Mentally Charged
Your workout is not complete without gearing up the most important muscle of all - your brain. Show up to your workout like you mean it. It’s go time and you need to imagine you are going into battle. Remember, intensity is the name of the game. It’s time to show off your mental gymnastics as you prepare and focus. Another very useful workout tip is visualization. This is when an athlete visualizes his throw as complete or she follows through in her mind as the soccer ball leaves her foot and lands in the goal. Visualize those pounds dropping off, your favorite pair of jeans feeling loose in all the right places, walking through a room standing tall and heads are turning. Just as the physical aspects of a workout continue to benefit you for hours after you’re done, you can ride that natural endorphin high, as well. For more information in regards to endorphins, your brain and why exercising makes you happy (proven theory) check out the DailyBurn.
