It’s a great time to get outdoors or into the gym and get into shape. Here are some great hacks to help you along on your journey to get into the shape you want to be in.
Cardio Hacks
- Heavily question “Workout Hacks” that you see on TikTok: Fitness experts have found that a majority of the fitness tactics that make it into the short clips of TikTok tend to include outdated information, the wrong information, or worse. The short clips leave little room for useful information, let alone a way to explore any science that backs up the tips that are provided.
- Have a saltwater or Epsom salt soak after a good workout: After a long, sweaty workout is the ideal time to have a saltwater or Epsom salts soak to help coax toxins out of your skin. If you can get out of your workout clothes and have a half-hour-long sauna after your cardio routine, this is even better to help your body get rid of all of the nasty things you want to get rid of. Your skin is the largest organ of cleansing, after all, and a nice, long sweat is a great way to get rid of waste products through the skin. If you ever have a really terrible hangover, this is a good tip for that, as well. The difference will amaze you.
Lifting Hacks
- You need to keep lifting heavier to make gains, but it’s not the only thing: Having a well-rounded lifting regime is the best way to get a healthy result for any body type. Even if you have to include routines that you “hate”, by setting new personal bests with reps, or with weight, by having a well rounded lifting routine that includes variation in working different muscle groups, you will build up strength everywhere, proportional to your body shape, and can make you possibly lift stronger when you work out the muscle groups that you enjoy the most.
- Listen to your body when coming back after an injury: Don’t be afraid to lift when you come back after an injury, but pay close attention to when your body tells you it needs to rest. If you feel like you need more than a day off to rest a muscle group, give your body that room to get back to normal.
- If you have a stubborn sore muscle, alternate hot and cold temperatures in the shower: Make the water temperature over your sore spots as hot as you can stand (without actually hurting yourself, of course) for about half a minute, then turn on the cold spigot and blast the area with cold water for about another half minute. Do this a few times during your shower, and it should help ease muscle aches after a minor strain or a big lifting day.
- Use resistance training if you are unable to get to the stacks or the free weights: Gorilla Bow’s home workout and other resistance training systems are a great alternative workout for the home if you are unable to get to the gym.
- Treat your workouts like a job instead of a hobby: For consistent gains, and to maintain your healthy shape as you age, treating your workout schedule the same way you would treat your work schedule (and with the same amount of importance in the big picture of your happiness and well-being) will help you keep on track with your fitness routines.
Diet and Nutrition Hacks
- Get a cup of coffee before your workout: It’s no big secret that a big caffeine hit before your workout can enhance your performance at the gym. The fitness journal Fitness & Nutrition says that getting a cup of coffee before exercise can actually help you to train harder for a longer time, affecting your performance for up to 2 hours. To avoid packing on fat, forego the cream and sugar to bring you the best possible results from this natural diet aid.
- Try to get your workout in before breaking the morning fast: By skipping breakfast until after your morning run, or before you hit the gym, you are more likely to burn optimal fat if you are looking for weight loss. Studies have shown that working out on an empty stomach better allows fat oxidation (or fat loss) than eating prior to exercise. It’s a good idea to bring along a small snack like a bag of almonds with you, just in case you have any low blood sugar issues from working out on an empty stomach.
- Don’t skimp on lean protein and creatine after a big lifting day: By having a large post-workout shake made with whey protein after an intense resistance training routine, your body can better build up lean muscle. Studies have shown that coupling weight training with supplemental whey protein can actually boost both upper and lower body strength. Lean muscle mass burns more calories than fat, of course, so using this tactic to help build up lean muscle will help you keep off excess weight. Research has additionally shown that adding creatine to this formula will improve your results even further.
- Add HIIT to your workouts to burn the most fat: HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a great way to burn an optimal amount of calories, and may even improve insulin sensitivity in obese individuals who are at risk for adult-onset diabetes. HIIT essentially involves working out as hard as you are able for a short amount of time, then taking a short break, then repeating the process. If you work out to exhaustion for 1 minute, you should rest for 30 seconds, then repeat. This has been shown to burn calories, boost your metabolism, and build muscle more effectively than other types of cardio. It also is a time-saver, as HIIT workouts give you the most bang for your buck in a shorter period of time.
- Eat a small snack prior to large meals: By eating a small snack three times daily, prior to your traditional mealtimes, you can reduce your post-meal blood sugar levels. Tests on type 2 diabetics showed that this is an effective way to help control blood sugar. The snacks should be healthy snacks, not sugar or fat bombs. It may also help you be satiated at mealtimes faster, as it takes up to 30 minutes for the body to recognize that it has eaten. Having a large glass of water before meals is also an excellent way to reduce the amount of food you will need to become satiated at meals.
- Turn off all of your screens before you eat: By turning off distractions like the TV, your phone, your video game, or your computer while you eat, you will probably eat less. A study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that distracted eaters tend to eat at least 10% more.
- Do meal prep, especially if you are doing Keto: Diets that heavily restrict traditional snack foods, like Keto, can leave you feeling vulnerable if you are starving and nowhere near your own fridge. By meal prepping for lower carbs and carrying your own stash of pre-portioned, keto-friendly snacks, you can avoid having a meltdown and eating a donut or a hot fudge sundae to keep you from having a low blood sugar incident while you are away from home.