Many people are starting to exercise again after their summer vacation. Whatever the motivation is moving forward—to lose weight, get stronger, increase stamina or to spend some quality time with friends—it is good to remember these simple points before you dive in.
- have fun - make sure you enjoy your exercise, otherwise you will never last, and you won’t be able to make it a part of your lifestyle. Find a community you like to be a part of in a sport or activity you love doing.
- eat clean and healthy - exercising and eating healthy usually goes hand in hand. For you to exercise you need energy from quality proteins and carbohydrates. When you start working out your body screams for good, nutritious foods and once you have started exercising your mind tells you not to waste that great workout by stuffing yourself with something unhealthy. If your goal is to lose weight just remember, it all starts in the kitchen.
- don’t start too fast or too heavy - try to minimize the risk of injury and long periods of sore muscles by going slow and light, you can always increase the weight and intensity as you become stronger and fitter.
- drink lots of fluids - water is best, but electrolytes are also recommended if you have worked up a big sweat. Try to stay away from pre-workout drinks. These drinks are usually full of carbs and tend to cancel out your exercise, that is, unless you are working out for a long period of time or are in competition, then you need the energy.
- stretch it out - I really need to work on this one but I feel a big difference in recovery when I stretch after practice. Try to allocate at least 5-10 minutes to stretching.
- sleep and rest - this is probably the most important part of exercising. Have your rest days in between exercising. You should have at least 2 rest days in a normal week, and try to get at least 7 hours of quality sleep a night.
Follow these simple steps and you will be well on your way in making fitness a part of your life and becoming happy and healthy.
