If you’re a fitness junkie, your daily workout is one of the highlights of your day. You look forward to that burn and time at the gym more than most other daily activities. If working out is that important to you, or even if you’re just looking for ways to have a better relationship with the gym, your daily habits and routine have an impact on your workout.
Fuel Your Body
What you use to fuel your body throughout the entire day is an essential part of making sure you have a good workout. It’s important to think of food as fuel for your body and make healthy choices based on the nutrients that make up your food. Planning your meals in advance and making them over the weekend is also a good way to make sure you don’t reach for unhealthy choices when you get busy during the week.
When considering fuel for your body, it’s also important to think about nutrients that support joint and gut health. Incorporating Omega 3 and energy sources like COQ-10 into your daily routine can have huge benefits when you’re working out. Total Restore is a great way to make sure your joints are supported and your gut stays healthy. Turmeric is a good supplement for inflammation. The fact is, you’re more likely to have a good workout when you’re gut and joints are feeling healthy, so be sure to support them throughout the day.
Focus on Sleep
Sure sleep may seem like it’s literally the opposite of working out, but your body is actually very active during sleep. Sleep is the time the body takes to recover from what you put it through during the day. Just like there are ways to have a good workout or bad workout, there are ways to get good sleep and bad sleep.
When you sleep enough, your body moves through sleep cycles and you want to get as much restorative sleep as you can. Deep sleep is really good for muscle recovery and re-energizing your body, while light sleep doesn’t do as much to restore your health. Drinking alcohol, drinking caffeine late, and eating large meals late can also take away from getting restorative sleep.
Focus on Recovery
How you recover from your workout has a direct result on how your body responds during a workout. Taking the time to stretch, breathe and treat your body well will keep you flexible and prepare your muscles for the next physical activity you engage in. Incorporating yoga into your routine has benefits beyond flexibility, like mindfulness and breathing. If you don’t have time for regular yoga, taking a moment to stretch while your body is still warm, will help prevent muscle stiffness and injury.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking water throughout your day will help keep you from feeling sluggish and impact your workout. Getting enough water helps support good brain function and helps fuel physical performance. Hydration goes deeper than just water though. When you sweat, your body loses salt and minerals. Be sure you’re adding these back into your diet too by intaking electrolytes. The amount of water and electrolytes you need varies based on where you live and how much you sweat. For most people, between 90-125 ounces a day is a good goal to try to meet.
Track Your Progress
Using a fitness tracker will help you get the most out of each workout. Many trackers can auto-detect workouts based on high heart rate over a period of time, making them easy to use and relatively hands-off. The data these trackers give you can be invaluable as well. Seeing what heart rate zone you’re in and how your fitness improves over time can have positive impacts on staying consistent with working out. In addition, these trackers log your sleep. This allows you to see how your body recovered from the stress you put on it the previous day.