Exercise is a crucial part of life. It holds so many tangible benefits, including increasing your lifespan, which cannot be argued with.
However, are you pushing yourself to your absolute potential? There are sure, easy ways to establish the most effective and efficient exercise regime you can.
We’ve compiled our top 6 tips to ensure that you get the most out of your next workout.
1. Track your progress digitally
Tracking your fitness progress digitally means you can visualise the benefits and have benchmarks to work off.
These days, there are many ways you can you can do this.
From Fitbits to a multitude of fitness apps, it’s easy to see your progress and keep track of how your fitness and nutrition is going. Ensure that you log in each session of exercise to accurately monitor your progress.
2. Use music for motivation
It has been scientifically proven that working out to music not only increases how hard you work, but also lifts your mood. Put together an encouraging and fast paced playlist to guide you through your next workout.
A good way to do this is via Spotify, then downloading the playlist so you can listen to it offline. Choose your favourite artists and songs, so your workout becomes a time you look forward to.
3. Healthy competition
A great way to ensure you’re getting the most out of your exercise is with some healthy competition. Do you have friends or family that love working out?
Construct a healthy competition with them, as this can provide greater motivation for you to reach your personal best! A good way to do this is a competition of personal bests, trying new exercises, or increasing the regularity in which you exercise.
4. Fuelling your body
Just like a car, if your body has no fuel to run on, it won’t perform. You can’t just feed your body any old fuel, either. Foods to include into your diet are low GI foods, unrefined foods and complex carbs (reference glycemic index chart).
This will result in a slow-burning energy that will get you through your next workout. Be sure that all the meals you eat before your workout, including the one immediately before, include about 40 grams of slow-digesting carbs such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, fruit, buckwheat or whole-wheat bread.
5. Invest in quality gym equipment
How can you expect to perform at your fitness best if you don’t have the equipment to do so? Ensure you have proper running shoes, exercise gear, hydration, towels and weights. Investing in the right type of gym equipment is key to improving your weekly exercise regime.
6. Do cardio after weights
It may seem unfounded, but research has unequivocally found that it is far more efficient to do cardio after weights, rather than the other way around. In order to get the most out of your workout, try to do your cardio either after weights or on a different day.
Don’t cheat yourself out of success. There are things you can do before and after you head to the gym to ensure supercharged workouts today, tomorrow and beyond.
These tips will improve your efficiency, endurance and strength. Take heed of the 6 tips we’ve compiled to improve your weekly exercise regime, and get the absolute most out of your time sweating in the gym.
