Exercising is one of the crucial elements of a healthy lifestyle. Stronger muscles mean stronger body, and not only in the terms of stamina. Regular physical activity promotes the health of every system, the cardiovascular in particular. However, if done incorrectly, exercising might be inefficient and even harmful. In order to prevent these problems, you need to know how to prepare your body for training as well as learn some post-workout muscle care.
Workout Preparation Tips: Food & Exercise
Regardless of whether you plan a heavy weight lifting session or a 15-minute yoga routine, preparing both your muscles and your stomach is a must. The food will prevent cramps and give you the energy to work out. Some warm-up exercises will loosen your muscles and reduce the risk of injury.
Start your training preparation about an hour before the gym:
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Eat a carb-rich healthy snack.
This will fuel your activities without causing any digestive discomfort. Note that you shouldn’t eat anything less than an hour prior to exercise. If you feel really hungry, snack on a banana or a handful of dried fruits and nuts no later than 30 minutes before the gym. -
Meditate for about 5 minutes.
Just let your mind relax and forget about all other daily activities. Focus on your body to get more ‘in tune’ with your physical condition. Do this immediately prior to the workout. -
Stretch for 5 minutes.
Look up a basic whole-body-stretch routine and perform it slowly. You need to warm up the muscles and loosen them up from the hours of sitting in the office chair/driving/etc. Pay more attention to doing all the moves correctly and feeling how every muscle stretches than the intensity of the exercising. Stretching both improves your balance and increases the range of motion, which enhances the overall efficiency of the workout that will follow.
Don’t forget that the quality of your clothes also affects the results of your exercising. You need to wear something comfortable so that you can focus on the movements completely. However, too loose clothing might cause you to fall. If you plan for a jog, get appropriate shoes.
Post-Workout Muscle Care: Relieving Pains and Boosting Results
When you work out, the tissues that make up your muscles get damaged. They heal, grow, and thicken during the rest periods, which is how the muscle mass increases. This process is what causes DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), a condition that makes 1-2 days following an intense workout extremely painful for those, unused to exercising. Regular practice reduces the rate of this reaction, but even pro athletes feel it to some extent.
The best ways to relieve this type of pain include:
- Let your muscles rest for 24 hours.
Overworking the tissues will only increase the damage and might cause permanent injury. Plan your workout schedule in a way that allows every group of muscles relax for 1-2 days. You also need to get a healthy 8-hour sleep as your recovery speed increases at this time. - Stretch immediately after the workout and the next day.
Like warm-ups, cool-down stretching exercises help loosen your muscles and prevent injury. They will ensure the blood is flowing properly through your body and kickstart the process of muscle recovery. Stretching first thing the next morning will relieve the worst of the aches.
- Take appropriate supplements.
You can speed up the muscle restoration process and increase its efficiency by providing your body with boosts of specific nutrients. For example, Krill Oil will give you antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids. They reduce inflammation and thus help the muscle ache pass faster. CLA 1000mg Complex promotes the growth of lean muscle mass and will enhance the workout benefits for those who aim to lose weight. CoQ10 120mg boosts you with an enzyme the body uses to produce energy and generate new cells. Thus, it fuels the recovery process as well as promotes heart health.
