Achieve your fitness goals as you hop back on the health and wellness train!

 

Getting started — back on the fitness bandwagon, so to speak — is often the hardest part. There have been stories of people who just lace up their shoes and walk around the block or on the treadmill for a few minutes to get them in the gym and starting their workout — it all began with just putting their shoes on and moving.

 

In part one, we explored what easing back into fitness looks like, how it won’t be the same for everyone, and how our fitness is not linear. We ebb and flow, and that is vital to remember.

 

It’s creating new, oftentimes, foreign habits such as eating better, listening to your body and not overtraining.

 

At Proven 4, we’re your fitness support in supplement form! We provide the leading, NSF Certified for Sport® drink powders to fuel you before, during, and after your workout. Lace up those shoes and get training! Follow along in part two as we look at practical things to implement to your workouts as you get better, stronger, and feel more like yourself.

The fitness hiatus is over, it’s time to work!

 

Easing Back Into Training

 

As you begin to train more frequently, you’ll notice your fitness begin to improve — this is a good and welcomed thing! Celebrate it, you’re moving towards your goal and you haven’t let adversity keep you down. Keep at it and consider the workout tips below.

 

Impart the fitness triad.

 

The fitness triad is golden, but what is it you ask? It’s creating a well-rounded training plan that implements resistance training, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility. When your fitness is structured around these three components, it adds longevity to your training goals — you stay safe while building muscle, strengthening your endurance, and staying flexible.

 

Take active rest days.

 

You may feel great and work out every day of the week, but if you’re in this for the long haul, taking active rest days are crucial. Rest and recovery is just another facet of smart training. Even when it feels like you’re just sitting around, your body isn’t — it’s actively repairing and building muscle, so give it a break! Here are a few things you could do for active recovery:

 

• Take a long, leisurely walk
• Ride your bike to the store or when you run errands
• Do an easy hike
• Rollerblade your neighborhood
• Play a game of cornhole with your family

 

Always warm-up and cool-down.

 

A great warm up and relaxing cool-down does not happen nearly as often as it should, and that’s a shame because so many benefits lie in these two small things.

 

A warm-up prepares your body for a workout and helps warm muscles so you can go harder and longer — a warm-up will likely improve your training for that day.

 

A cool-down allows your body to come back to its normal resting heart rate. When your body is not used to the shock of training, it can experience an uptick in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) which leaves sore, tender muscles for a 24- to 72-hour window of time.

 

If you don’t like the achy part of training, put a good warm-up and cool-down in your fitness routine.

 

Add flexibility and mobility training.

 

Next to skipping a warm-up and cool-down, people will forego flexibility and mobility training because they don’t think it’s worth the time and that only cardio, HIIT sessions, and weights yield results. Sorry to be the one to tell you, but you’re wrong!

 

Let’s us plead the case for flexibility and mobility work.

 

Flexibility is the ability to allow the muscles to lengthen, while mobility allows the joint to actively move to create a better range of motion.

 

Dynamic stretching (movement-based stretching compared to a stretch that is held) is great to add to your warm-up or cool-down, but mobility work is really where you’re going to see an improvement in your fitness.

 

For example, if you have tight hamstrings, this may keep you from fully getting the proper range of motion in a deadlift because your hamstrings pull, limiting your mobility. In the same vein, you may be able to easily get into a pike stretch, but your deadlift, again, is limited.

 

Mobility is crucial because it uses isometric movements and contractions to improve how you control your body, thus the range of motion you have.

 

TL; DR – Add mobility to your training sessions!

 

Get your form right!

 

When incorporating strength training, proper form is not just a goal, it is required! We just went on and on about mobility because a sure way to mess up your training is through improper form, and over time, your muscles may develop in a way that decreases your range of motion and injury occurs.

 

So, just lift properly every time, even for body weight squats!

 

Slowing down may be the key here. Be mindful of your movements and cognizant of your form — stay controlled and breathe through each lift.

 

Not sure what proper form is? Consider hiring a personal trainer or working with an online coaching group where you can take a video of your lift and they can give you feedback to improve your form.

 

Sleep.

 

Training is stress, yes, it is actually stressful for your body, so quality sleep is needed. Whether or not you feel more fatigued, it’s important to sleep.

 

Listen to your body and sleep when you need to. Cat naps? Great! Upwards of 10 hours of sleep? Do it if that’s what your body is begging!

 

When you get enough sleep you allow your body and mind the time to recover and repair so you can continue those strenuous workouts.  

 

Embarking on a new training plan is exciting and terrifying at the same time, but the most important thing is getting started — lacing up those shoes and just getting to the gym to get motivated.

 

Remember self-care throughout this process and to nourish and nurture your body in your health and wellness journey.

 

To get started with the best pre- and post-workout supplements to fuel your body, connect with us today!