Getting into shape and acquiring the body you’ve always dreamed of is no easy feat, especially for people who are just beginning to get into health and fitness. There are a lot of different, often even contradictory opinions out there, and when you first get into it nutrition seems like a whole separate science full of technical terms, none of which you understand.
This can be pretty daunting and discouraging for a newcomer, and what they need instead (in my opinion, at least) is some concrete, factual and simple advice that they can easily adhere to and use to kick start their workout routine. Today, I want to share with you some of the tips that have been very helpful to me when I first started working out, so hopefully, they’ll have the same effect for you too!
Stay Hydrated
The human body is close to 70 percent water, so we need to have a lot of it every day to ensure that all of our bodily processes keep functioning properly. However, to this day I’m appalled by the sheer number of people who don’t drink any water at all. This might sound crazy at first, but I assure you that it’s 100 percent true. It’s not that they don’t get hydrated at all, they just replace water with unhealthy beverages like soft drinks, alcohol, and sweetened coffee.
This is a really bad idea for more than one reason. Your body simply needs a certain amount of pure water every day, and failing to do so can lead to a number of difficulties – one of which is a slower metabolism which makes it harder for you to lose weight. Yes, you heard me correctly; drinking more water can actually help you lose weight in the long term, so I highly recommend that you take in at least 10 cups a day.
Don’t Always Work to Failure
One of the most popular training methods among weightlifters and bodybuilders is the appropriately-named “working to failure” technique. As the name suggests, it means performing a certain number of reps until your body can’t physically handle doing another good form rep, and then stopping the exercise. This pushes your body to its limits and significantly increases muscle growth when you’re first starting off, as your body is forced to adapt to the new type of stress you’re throwing at it.
However, it’s important to note that working to failure is very tough on your nervous system, which means that it can fatigue you much more quickly. This is okay at the end of a workout, but if you do it at the very beginning and if all you do is working to failure, you’re going to burn yourself out much faster than you’d like and won’t be able to perform as many workouts as you might desire. Additionally, it’ll take a longer time for you to recover from such a workout, which means that won’t be able to hit the weights as often as you’d like.
Never Skip Breakfast
I can’t stress enough how important this one is. The age-old mantra that goes “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” has never been truer than it is right now. Your body constantly uses up calories and burns energy, even while you’re sleeping – so by the time you wake up, keep in mind that your body has been using energy for the past eight to ten hours without getting a single refill.
This is why it’s extremely important to give it that refill as soon as possible after you wake up because this is when it is able to use that extra energy most efficiently. Otherwise, sooner or later you’re going to start feeling groggy, have cravings and generally feel a certain kind of fatigue that will make it very difficult to do anything that is remotely physically challenging.
If you feel like making breakfast is too much of a hassle right after you get up, I highly recommend that you try a home food delivery service as I guarantee it will make your life infinitely easier in this aspect.
Conclusion
As you can see, health and fitness aren’t that much of a science as most people make it out to be. There are more complicated aspects, for sure, but as long as you’re disciplined and know what you’re doing, you really don’t need to delve into deep waters that much. I personally think that the simpler your approach is, the more effective it will be and that overloading yourself with information will only slow you down in the long run. That being said, I wish you the best of luck in your pursuit of health and a strong body, and hope my advice has been useful!
Post By:- Theresa Brawner is a 28-year-old fitness instructor from Boston, MA, who writes articles for www.diet.st. in her free time. When she isn’t helping new moms get back in shape, you can find her in the kitchen, working on new recipes.
