If you are working harder and achieving less in your personal fitness routine, it is time to take a look at some helpful advice on how you can work smarter, not harder. Everyone can learn something new that can bring better results with less effort and you can begin by reading the great tips below.
It is best not to work out when your are ill, unless you only have a slight cold. Reserving your body’s energy when you are ill, will help the healing process, and get you back to full strength quicker.
Make sure that you drink a minimum of sixty-four ounces of water each day to insure that your body stays properly hydrated. You should also drink an additional sixteen ounces of water for every hour of moderate or high intensity workout that you perform. You don’t want to risk your body becoming dehydrated.
In order to maximize your fitness potential, be sure to lightly exercise sore muscles the next day. This will allow blood to flow into the muscles at a much higher rate, therefor speeding up the healing process. Be sure to do more repetitions, but at a lighter weight or lighter strain.
Every time you do abdominal exercises, make sure to do back exercises as well. If you do so, you won’t have back pain–too many abdominal exercises can cause back pain and poor posture. Don’t focus on one body area and neglect other areas, make sure to have a balanced workout.
Once you commit to your fitness plan, do not let an injury keep you out of the game. If you get the okay from your doctor, there are always ways to work around an injury and get in some sort of a workout. Working muscles that are not injured will burn calories and help keep you fit while you heal.
If you want to take your running to the next level, incorporate weights and strength training in your daily workout. A number of studies have shown that runners who add in regular strength training for at least two months are able to cut an average of thirty seconds from their best time.
Try increasing your foot speed in speed sports by doing some foot exercises. Start by placing your feet hip-width apart and placing your hands at your sides. Stretch one leg out in front of you and touch it with the opposite hand, then lower it back to the floor. Do the same with the other hand and foot, except do it from behind you. Do these for about 20 seconds. Try to pick-up speed doing them for maximum results.
A fun and exciting way to change your exercise up is to replace one or two exercises with sprinting. A sprint in a park will allow you to enjoy the scenery while having an intense aerobic workout. It requires no special training, however you should speak to a doctor before starting.
To keep fit when you go out, park far away from the location you are trying to get to. For example, at the mall, instead of fighting for the closest parking space, park out in the distance. The walking will help you keep your metabolism up and burn calories.
Make sure to schedule exercise into your day around the meals that you eat. If you do not have a schedule of fitness and meals, you could find yourself caught out in public on a lunch break and end up eating some unhealthy fast food because you are in a rush. Also, planning healthy snacks will help reduce purchases of poor quality foods.
Think of chin-ups in a different light. Focusing on pulling your body up can be a daunting thought, so instead focus on pulling your elbows down. Studies show that people who think of chin-ups in this manner were able to consistently outperform those who were thinking of lifting their body weight.
Do your lunges backwards. Instead of stepping forward, step back to get the most benefit. When you step backwards, you are working your whole leg, plus you will be making your other one work harder to help you keep your balance. Put this to good use, and start lunging in reverse!
To bicycle more efficiently, train by cycling using one leg. This technique helps you learn how to best distribute the work across your leg muscles by making you to think about pulling your leg back up at the stroke’s bottom. Have both feet locked into the pedals, but simply let one remain static. The best strategy is thirty minutes each leg, then five minutes of both legs.
Going out of town but don’t want to miss out on a workout? Here are a few ways you can workout while away from home. Pack the resistance bands. They don’t take up much space and provide a good workout. If you’re staying in a hotel, check and see if it has a gym. If they don’t, check with a local health club as some will sell day passes.
Give different muscle groups a break. Working the same group of muscles, such as your abs, can become counterproductive if you don’t give them some downtime to recover. Design your workout as a circuit of training that focuses on alternate areas of your body each day. This allows more recovery time and keeps your workouts more interesting.
Trying to be fit – find a partner to workout with! To make sure you are getting the most out of your time while working out and completing fitness activities, it helps to have a workout partner to push you to your limits. When you work out by yourself, you are much more likely to give up earlier than you would if you had a work out partner.
Even a small tip from the article above can help you to take a smarter approach to achieving your best fitness level. It can help to maximize your routine and get you in the very best shape, not by working harder but by working smarter. It can make a huge difference that you can see and feel.