7 Easy Ways to Prepare Your Body for a Workout
Regular workout has many health benefits. These benefits include weight management which in turn helps to lower the risk of lifestyle diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Working out also triggers your brain to release feel-good hormones that help to reduce your stress levels and this is also good for your mental health. Exercise also helps you to get better sleep at night and therefore you will be sharper and more ready for the activities that you will do the next day.
Another benefit of working out is helping you to improve your confidence in your physical appearance. Working out helps you to get to the body size that you have always desired and this improves your self-esteem. However, this does not happen overnight and therefore you need commitment and patience when you are starting a workout routine. With time, you will begin to see the experience of these benefits. Listed below are ways to prepare your body for the workout.
1. Get Enough Sleep at Night
When you are getting ready to start workout sessions, it is important to ensure that you get enough sleep before then. Getting enough sleep which is of good quality is one way to improve your performance as you work out. Doctors recommend that you get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night and when you do this, you will get enough rest. Working out will then help you to get a good quality of sleep and this cycle is beneficial for your health.
2. Warm-Up Exercises
Warming up refers to exercise that warms your muscles and this is a very important step before doing any exercise. The warm-up session lasts less than 10 minutes and it helps to prepare your heart and brain for the workout session. You can learn how to do proper warm-up using workout resources from workouthq.org. The warm-up exercise can be different from the main exercise that you will be doing during the workout.
3. Pre-exercise Stretching
To improve your performance during a workout, you should do some stretching. Pre-exercise stretching helps to increase the range of motion of your muscles and therefore it becomes easy for you to work out. The stretching exercises are easy and each takes less than 10 seconds. However, you should never stretch before doing warm-up because this increases the risk of muscle tears.
4. Stay Well Hydrated
Another way to prepare for a workout session is to drink enough fluids. It is important to drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. When you are preparing to work out, you need to increase your water intake because exercise increases sweating and thus more water loss as well as the loss of electrolytes. Losing too many electrolytes increases the risk of getting injuries from the workout and lowering your workout performance.
Failure to drink enough water can cause dehydration which is a medical emergency because it lowers your blood pressure. The amount of fluids that you need before working out depends on the duration of the workout and the type of workout that you will be doing. Some of the fluids that you can take to hydrate your body before working out include water, milk, and sports drinks. It is however not advisable to drink too much water before working out because it may make you feel sick and unable to work out well.
5. Good Nutrition
It is also important to take a well-balanced diet before working out. The food that you take before exercise provides energy for your muscles which is necessary to help your muscles to withstand exercise. Taking a well-balanced diet before a workout also prevents your muscles from quick fatigue and also contributes to the growth and repair of your body tissues after a workout.
Taking too little food before exercise will not help you to lose weight faster but it will increase your risk of bone and muscle damage as well as the risk of injury. Getting enough nutrients before exercise does not mean that you should overeat.
6. Performance Supplement
If you are doing a hard workout, you can take a supplement to enhance your performance and recovery after the exercise. Some of these supplements include protein, iron, or even ketones. Before using a supplement, confirm with your doctor whether it is safe for your medical condition or any other medication that you may be taking.
7. Reduce Alcohol Intake
When preparing for a workout, you should cut down on alcohol intake because alcohol reduces performance during exercise. The rates of injury are also higher when you take alcohol before exercise. Alcohol also delays recovery after exercise.
working out has many benefits that include reduction of the risk of lifestyle diseases and improving your confidence in your physical appearance. Working out also improves sleep and mental health. Before working out, you should prepare your body by being well hydrated, eating a well-balanced diet, warming up, and stretching.