With the pandemic and the changes it has wrought on the way people live and work, health is becoming a major concern to a growing number of individuals. People are cautious about what they eat, how their work routine may affect their health and about their lifestyle choices. Health and fitness are not synonymous, but they are intimately entwined. For many people, their level of fitness often influences their overall health.
For many people, physical fitness seems to be intrinsically linked with the ability to perform feats of strength, excel at sports or perform physical tasks that seem beyond the ability of “normal” folks. While this may be true to some extent, the real definition of physical fitness is quite different. Physical fitness is the ability of your body systems to work together efficiently and daily activities with the least effort possible.
One of the most intrinsic parts of any health and fitness regimen is the workout. Workouts define to a great extent how physically fit you are, how in shape you look, and how efficiently your body works when performing tasks, both during and after the workout. Over the years, the popularity of and approaches to workouts among men and women have both grown and diversified. Gone are workouts consisting of simple curls and weight lifting, modern workouts are likely to contain exercises from a range of disciplines (such as those seen in Crossfit) and the use of scientifically proven kinaesthetic movements that help strengthen the body. This diversification in workout styles has also driven the development of new machines, devices, and tools for exercising.
Top Tips To Enhance Your Workout Productivity
The sheer spectrum of machines and exercises available in a gym can make approaching a workout both confusing and somewhat daunting for a number of people. Not knowing how to properly use a machine or perform an exercise may also mean that the workout may become somewhat redundant and not deliver results in line with the effort. It’s important to know how one can workout efficiently so that every move counts.
First Thing’s First - Maintain a Healthy Diet
Some people who work out regularly complain that despite their best efforts, determination, and grit, they are not observing many positive results. If that is the case, their diet may be to blame. A good exercise routine must be paired up with a great, nutritious diet. Eat healthy food such as fruits and vegetables, healthy lean meat, milk, eggs and the like, packed with protein for muscle building and both soluble and insoluble fibre to keep your insides healthy to help you burn fat. What ingredients make up the bulk of your meal may depend on what your physical goals are. For example, for an individual who wants to stay in a lean shape, get light muscles, and be flexible, a balanced diet consisting of grains and leafy vegetables may be a good choice. When it comes to people wanting to build muscle, protein-rich food may be the right option. Before considering any radical changes to your diet, you should consult with a medical professional to ensure that you won’t be causing yourself any harm.
Get Your Gear
With the pandemic still being an issue around the globe, it's important to be safe during your workout. In addition to regular protective workout gear, such as a weight belt, proper shoes, knee or wrist braces if needed and the like, athletic face masks can help ensure that you don’t pass on any germs to other people at the gym. Besides directly supporting/protecting you in your training sessions, gym gear may also help on a psychological level by getting you into “workout mode”.
Do Not Underestimate The Power Of Cardio
No matter what your workout goals are - getting big, losing weight, increasing stamina or getting ripped - you cannot discount the importance of cardiovascular exercises. In addition to improving the performance of the heart, lungs and circulatory system, cardio exercises also help you to burn calories faster and in larger quantities than most other forms of exercise. You should be getting cardio exercise, such as a run, a brisk walk, a swim, a bike ride or another exercise that involves whole body movement a few times each week. Cardio may also act as a good break from heavy workouts in the gym. By alternating strength building exercises and cardio your muscles have time to relax and be in prime position to bounce back with full force as you continue to train.
One of the recommended exercises to help improve your cardio is squats, but with an extra jump between each rep. Squats are usually perceived as strength training, but adding a jump between squat reps makes the exercise combination an excellent cardio workout.
Using dumbbells or a barbell to your squat intensifies both strength training and cardio. However, lifting weights without a partner is dangerous because nobody’s there to act as a spotter. This makes learning to use squat racks to safely maximize the cardio benefits of your squat exercises essential. Many gyms and online fitness stores offer multi-functional squat racks that suit every purpose and space, from squats and dips to pull-ups and rack pulls.
Cut Down On Your Rest Time
Although it may be tempting to take a break during the workout sessions, you should always refrain from taking too many breaks. While taking some rest breaks during a workout is important to avoid fatigue or injury, the more your body rests, the less of an affect your training is going to have. Ideally, your rest time between complete sets of exercises should be around between 30 to 45 seconds. Longer rests may render the exercise less effective.
Having a strict training schedule is crucial for attaining your training and fitness goals, especially during pandemic isolation, as it is easy to get distracted by something else at home. Stick to your routines and have a clear goal set for every workout or training session. In this way, you can attain the perfect body, better health, and boost your self-confidence. By embracing the best workout practices and worrying less about rest time, you’ll make workout sessions a habit that you’ll love and enjoy.
Hydration Is A Must
If there is one thing that is universal for all people invested in their fitness, it is the need to hydrate properly before, during, and after any workout session. Being adequately hydrated is essential for your body to function properly. If you are dehydrated, your blood can’t flow as efficiently, your digestive process is disrupted, your brain may be affected so you won’t be able to think clearly or control your body efficiently, you may experience headaches, fatigue and lose the ability to properly regulate body heat.
People lose a lot of water through sweat when working out, and this must be replenished both during and after the workout. The more fluid you lose the more difficult it becomes for your body to properly regulate heat, typically making you sweat more to try and bring your temperature down. This cycle makes dehydration more likely, so it’s best to keep a bottle of water handy to drink from during your workout.