So, you just did your workout and are now wondering, "What six things does PJ want me to do to make this workout go from good to great?" Yes?
Well, maybe not. Coincidentally, I do have a few tweaks to tell you about that can turn that sweat fest from fab to fabu-lous.
First, wash your hands after your workout. Most gyms are Petri dishes for germs and if you were touching a dumbbell or a machine, chances are hundreds of your closest friends were too.
I'm not trying to freak you out, nor am I germophobe. It's just a good habit to get into, especially when it's cold and flu season.
Second, hydrate. We lose a lot of fluid when we sweat, and simply sipping water throughout our workout isn't enough, especially in this hot weather. You need to also rehydrate after your workout to help your body recover.
The Journal of Nutrition reported that being dehydrated by a measly 1.36 per cent (I love that stat. They couldn't round up or down, those pesky, precise researchers) has a negative effect on the body.
How much fluid should you be drinking, and what type? That depends on your body size and your exercise session.
The larger you are, the more fluid you need, and the more intense and sweatinducing your exercise was, the more fluids you need to add to your intake.
Very sweaty, intense workouts require more than just plain ol' water to recover from. With every sweat bead that you dropped, you lost both water and minerals, and you need to replace both of them.
You can add a sprinkle of sea salt to your recovery water, to replace the electrolyte deficit (personally I find this disgusting, though). Or sip coconut water, or use an electrolyte replacement powder sprinkled in your water bottle. I love Vega electrolyte replacement and recommend the Pom Berry flavour (stay away from the Lime, yuck).
Third, keep moving throughout your day. Do not use the excuse, "Oh, I worked out already," and spend the rest of the day sedentary. The body does not like that - and neither does your doctor, chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist, dog or trainer.
You see, the longer you stay put, the more agitated your body gets.
Our bodies were built to move. We have flexible limbs designed to move, skin that stretches so we can move, a spine that functions best in an upright position, and a heart and cardiovascular system that counts on us to move to help with the flow of blood.
Fourth, eat a cookie.
When we work out, we deplete our muscle glycogen stores (in the storage form of carbohydrates). This is the body's number one fuel of choice for our muscles.
After our workout is complete, these levels are low and we need to replenish them to help aid in recovery and to make sure that we don't start cannibalizing our own muscle tissue. Your body needs something to run on, and if it has no other choice, it will start to break down its own muscle tissue for fuel.
Research has shown that a protein source paired with a higher glycemic carbohydrate is best for both replenishing our glycogen stores as well as providing the muscles with the amino acids needed to recover and grow.
My favourite post-workout snack is a protein shake with almond milk and fruit. Other ideas are a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bead, yogurt and homemade granola, veggies and hummus, an egg wrap, or, yes, even a cookie!
One thing, though: be wary of the amounts you are eating. A snack should be less than 200 calories and a light meal after your workout should clock in at around 400 calories. Too often I see people ingesting twice as many calories as they burned in their workout. Don't fall victim to that!
Fifth, log what you did. If you are truly serious about improving your fitness, I recommend you journal what you did in your workout.
Record what weights you lifted, reps, sets and/or what intensity you trained at. You could also add what your energy levels were (using a 1-5 scale), and time of day of your workout.
As you look back at your past sessions, you might begin to see a pattern, and then you can start to coordinate your workouts around that pattern (e.g., you might see that you have more energy at a certain time of day).
Finally, stretch your hip flexors. In an ideal world, we would stretch all of our muscles after each and every workout. However, in the real world we usually have just enough time for our workout. If you are one of those people, then I recommend one stretch, and that one stretch is for your hip flexors.
Most people's hip flexors are short and tight due to the increased sitting that we do in the day. This can play havoc on everything from our low back, to our hips, our knees and even our upper back.
My go-to hip flexor move: Kneel on the floor and place your right foot out in front and then lunge forward until the right knee lines up with the right ankle. From there, lift the left arm up and lean away from the right hip. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and switch legs.
PJ Wren is a local personal trainer and writer in the Delta area who specializes in over-40 fitness. She can be reached at www.fitnesswithpj.com.
