By Mallory Knee
A healthy lifestyle is more than eating well—it’s getting in daily movement too. Here are some key ways to improve your workouts; don’t miss them!
There’s more to healthy lifestyle than the foods we eat, just like there’s more to a clean body than working out nonstop. Pairing the two—healthy eating and daily movement—are what can make your body and brain function better. That said, there are ways to refine both of those aspects. We already focus on a plant-based diet and reap the rewards of no meat or dairy. Now it’s time to refine our movement routines. Here are some key ways to improve your workouts. From the clothes you choose to the rep speed, these tips will help you feel more confident in your movements and in your health routines.
Start Utilizing Periodization
Building muscle may seem simple at first glance—the more you expose your body to greater demands, the greater the increase in fitness and muscle building. However, if you stick to constantly challenging yourself too much and too quickly, then you’ll plateau or regress. You have to include and utilize periodization in your exercise routines.
The thought is that you’ll intentionally include a week of low-intensity or low-volume training into your higher-intensity fitness plan. Or you can try periodization on a weekly basis—think about it like a low-intensity day. For example, adding yoga in once a week to stretch your body rather than straight HIIT workouts all week long.
Switch up Your Routine
Similarly, if all you do to exercise is the same lifting routine, then you’re going to target only a few muscles. The best way to create a healthy overall body workout is by exercising in various ways. The more varied your workout routine, the better chance you have of gaining muscle mass. Think about it this way—if you do a dance workout one day, a HIIT workout twice a week, and lift the other days, you’ll target different muscles and areas of the body. You’ll bring movement to all parts of the body, which is ideal for a healthy routine.
Choose the Right Gear
One of the simplest ways to improve your workouts comes from the clothes you choose to wear. Your activewear can affect your performance in a variety of ways. For example, if you wear baggy pants and uncomfortable shoes on your run, you’ll make it harder on your body to move. Do yourself a favor and choose clothes that enhance, rather than degrade, your performance.
Eat Before You Move
As we mentioned, the food we eat and the movement we make play important roles in our overall health. We’re not saying you need to eat a full meal right before you work out, but your body should have some food and nutrients to burn while exercising. If you don’t eat well enough before working out or don’t have enough water, then your body will feel that toll and burn—and not in a good way.
Train With Friends
Now you may not be able to go to the gym with your friends right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hold each other accountable. If you’re losing your passion for exercise, get your friends involved. You can go on social distancing walks with one another, participate in virtual yoga classes, or video chat each other while you complete a workout session. Train with friends, and you’ll fill up with motivation.
