Workout Habits You Should Quit
By Sara Butler
Regular exercise is crucial to your health and wellness, but many people can fall into bad habits that can impact their long-term fitness goals as well as their health. If you find that you're guilty of some of these workout mistakes, then it's time to change your tune if you want to get the most out of your workout.
Not Eating Before Exercise
It used to be the conventional wisdom that exercising on an empty stomach burned more calories, but it's now understood that the theory is baloney. It's important to provide your body with the fuel it needs to push it during exercise. There's evidence now that suggests your body uses the fuel from your fat stores as well as your blood sugar to fuel itself during exercise. If you don't have any blood sugar at hand, then your body may begin to cannibalize it's own muscle tissues, which only serves to make you tired and impact performance, as well as reduce any muscle gains you're trying to make. So, do yourself a favor and have something to eat about 45 minutes before your work out. Something as simple as a banana or a piece of whole grain toast with peanut butter can do the trick.
Skipping the Stretches
It's important to stretch both before and after a workout, but to get the most benefit from it, your muscles must be warmed up. Do about five minutes of cardio such as jumping jacks or walking on the treadmill, then do a few dynamic stretches such as leg swings and arm stretches. After you've finished exercising, take the time to stretch out each muscle group.
Sticking Only to Cardio
Cardio is a fantastic workout and totally worth your time to build strength and improve the health of your lungs and heart. But, if you're looking to burn a lot of calories both in a workout and at rest, the strength training must be a part of your exercise routine.
Consider adding high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to your workout, doing circuit training, or lifting weights. If you're not sure where to start, discuss it with the chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic or with a personal trainer at your gym.
Just as with most other things, bad habits can develop in your fitness routine. Break them with these tips!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Snellville, Ga.