The Secret Behind Exercise…
No, this is not one of those spam/infomercial blog posts. The title did elude to that, but I’m sorry, that’s not what I’m aiming for. Instead, I want to share a few things I picked up from an interesting article about exercise and keeping your body in one piece – literally.
When you exercise, your body uses two important things to keep you moving and healthy – carbs and proteins. The carbs help you stay energized (consider it like the gas in your car) and the proteins allow for your muscles and tendons to repair themselves once you have strained and flexed them (like the oil in your car). Without these two things, you aren’t going to have a great time exercising. You’ll be tired, sore, and you might injury yourself.
How do you make the most out of your exercise time? I’m glad you asked.
1. Eat Before
You should never work out or exercise on a completely empty stomach. A lot of people wake up in the morning and begin their workout right away but it really shouldn’t be done like that. Take 5 minutes to eat a banana, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or maybe a half of a bagel. Don’t pig out but just make sure you have something in your stomach.
2. Eat After
According to the article I read, your body only has a small window of time when it rebuilds and restores all of your muscles once you put down the last barbell or put away the tennis balls. Make sure that you eat a snack or meal that is abundant in carbs and proteins, such as pasta, peanut butter and jelly, turkey with cheese, any assortment of nuts/berries, or a protein bar. This will help your body repair your muscles and will give your stomach the satisfaction it needs.
3. Stretch
It’s crucial to stretch before AND after a workout or any form of exercising. Stretching helps to ease your muscles in and out of your joints and will enhance your flexibility. Stretching before a workout could be dangerous but only if you overstretch, causing muscle tears and other injuries. Make sure you just do a light stretching routine before exercising. Most people wonder why you should stretch after a work out. Take this advice from wellnessletter.com:
“Stretching improves flexibility, which allows you to move your joints through their full range of motion. Flexibility is a key element of fitness; it can enhance physical performance and relieve muscle tension and stiffness. You should stretch after a warm-up and/or when cooling down after a workout, since it is easier and safer to stretch a warm muscle than a cold one. Warm-ups bring blood to the muscles and make injuries from stretching less likely.”
Well, that’s it – at least for now. As I learn more and gain more experience working out and exercising, I’ll be sure to post about my tips and tricks. For now, be sure to get enough proteins and carbs and don’t forget about stretching. If you don’t remember anything else, remember this: Don’t overdo it. Don’t eat too many proteins or carbs or stretch too much. You’ll be hurting your body more than you will be helping it.