When it comes to improving your fitness, nutrition, and health, Club Sweat has chosen 10 of the simplest ways to eat better, perform better, and boost your entire well-being.
1. Going to the gym without eating first?
Here’s a new incentive: Eat protein before you go and you can peel off 15 pounds a year. A study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport showed that women who ate a high-protein meal an hour before their workout burned more calories per minute than women who ate a low-protein meal or no food. The additional calorie burn amounted to 185 calories over the following 24 hours and could add up to a 15-pound loss within a year.
2. HIIT it!
Trade in your long, slow cardio for a few high-intensity sessions a couple of times a week for more effective fat loss. High-intensity aerobic training is more effective at reducing belly fat and overall body fat than any other type of exercise. Women who cycled (on stationary bicycles) three times a week for 20 minutes, doing workouts consisting of eight-second sprints followed by 12 seconds of low-intensity work, lost more fat (4lbs) than women who cycled for 40 minutes at a steady state. 4x the weight loss in half the amount of time, sign me up!
3. Focus on muscle strength.
At Club Sweat, we believe strength is the be all end all and for good reason. focusing on strength give you the challenge to continue going back to the gym for more than just looking good, not only that but it helps boost metabolism, improves bone health and yes, of course, it makes you look better naked!
4. Eat smart to recover.
It’s also important to continue eating a balanced diet to help your body heal. The body needs a lot more calories to function daily than to exercise, during injury, we need to trust our bodies, which can intuitively adjust calorie need — we just need to listen. We need about 10 calories for every pound of bodyweight to function. So a 140-pound woman needs 1,400 calories per day just to live healthily.
5. Don’t drastically diet.
Lean people (versus those who are overweight or obese) who diet are more likely to experience a rebound or “fat overshooting” effect that leaves them heavier than when they started. Small, potentially permanent, lifestyle changes such as cutting out high-calorie condiments and making small increases in activity are more likely to lead to lasting weight loss.
6. Listen to your body.
Most of us turn a deaf ear to our bodies, even when they are screaming for a break. Overtraining is a common occurrence among fitness die-hards, and in the long run, it kills progress and promotes injuries. If you’re experiencing a number of these overtraining symptoms, it’s time to throw in the gym towel. Add another full rest day to your program and scale back on your intensity and/or volume for several weeks to get back on track. Remember exercise should be part of your lifestyle if it means taking 1 step back to move 2 steps forward its worth it.
7. Get adequate rest during workouts.
There’s nothing wrong with keeping your heart rate elevated to maximize calorie burn. But hardworking muscles need regular breaks within the workout itself to replenish themselves with oxygen, blood and blood sugars. How long you rest depends on your goals.
8. Stay involved even when sidelined.
Although injury may prevent joining weekly runs, rides or swims, you can still take long walks, go to physical therapy, practice yoga, and find new ways to stay involved with training partners and teams. You’ll feel less isolated, which can be a problem when you get injured. And stay connected to your gym buddies. Having a strong social support system and positive outlook during rehab can enhance healing results.
9. Drink more water.
You can’t burn fat and calories without adequate fluid, It sounds too simple, but it’s extremely important. A poor workout, either from lack of endurance or an inability to work out intensely, is often because of being under-hydrated. Aim for 2.5L of water per day ideally more on workout days.
10. Spice up meals.
Add red pepper to meals to kick up fat burning. Capsaicin, which gives hot peppers their zing, can cause a small, temporary increase in metabolism,
Start slow and focus on one habit at a time, once it becomes part of your lifestyle incorporate the next habit before you know it you’ll have one hell of a healthy lifestyle!
