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Exercise and fitness aren’t only for the world-famous professional sports stars you see on live television. Keeping fit, adopting a healthy lifestyle, and eating right are habits millions of people worldwide now adopt. Many of us are members of a local gym or fitness studio, while others like to keep fit at home by lifting weights in the garage, running miles on the road, or jumping rope in the garden. There are countless ways to improve your fitness, build muscle, and lose weight.
It’s the perfect time of year to assess your fitness journey. Are you hitting all your targets and feeling a sense of accomplishment from the results? That’s great. It’s crucial to stay dedicated and committed to your program but also prepare to pivot and change direction to keep things exciting and engaging. Boredom is the number one enemy of your fitness goals, and you must identify a decline in results before it becomes a problem.
You may be at the beginning of your fitness journey and looking for the best place to start. Do you dream of a physique enjoyed by the top athletes quoted at sports betting Las Vegas apps? You may dream of having the strength of a football star or the endurance of a soccer player. Today is the best time to start, and there are useful ways to get your fitness journey moving.
Looking for some inspiration and advice before day one at the gym? We’ve got you covered. Keep reading as we pick the brains of former professional boxer Frankie Monkhouse, who offers his insight and experiences. This article aims to ensure readers have the latest and most reliable information on exercise, including common misconceptions that could damage your progress.
Warming up and cooling down
There are mixed feelings about warming up before exercise and cooling down after your workout. Most of us were taught the importance of warming up and stretching when doing physical education in school, but are proper warm-ups and cooldowns as important as we learned? You see many people in the gym warming up, but only some take the time to cool down properly.
Warming up and cooling down is crucial to good health, and you should never avoid this part of your regime. Warming up is essential to increasing blood flow, avoiding injury, and improving flexibility. Dynamic stretching is key, as is light cardiovascular movements, including jogging or cycling. Anything that raises your heart rate is a great idea.
A ten-minute cooldown is also important. It allows your breathing to return to normal following a big session and reduces the chance of injury and muscle stiffness. Do static stretching or something similar to your warm-up. Add a good warm-up and a proper cooldown to your routine, and you’ll enjoy the many benefits.
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Get the right gear
Try fixing your plumbing with a child’s set of plastic tools, and you won’t get too far before breaking something or injuring yourself. Try mowing the lawn with a pair of scissors or kickboxing in sandals. These suggestions are so ridiculous you wouldn’t entertain them, so why do so many people insist on hitting the gym and training with the wrong gear? It’s detrimental to your training and could lead to injury.
When exercising, you need the right equipment. I don’t mean the latest and most expensive running shoes, and I’m not talking about the best wearable technology. Get the right footwear designed for your activity. Running shoes should be the only option for sprinting or jogging long distances, while flat shoes are best for lifting weights. Research the best and most affordable footwear for your activity and invest in your training. It’ll help reduce injury while improving your performance.
Clothing and protective gear are as important as proper footwear. Depending on your sport, you must wear protective gear to reduce the chance of serious injury. When planning your gym wardrobe, choose breathable clothing that’s proven to keep your body cool, dry, and comfortable. There are more than enough sports and gym brands available online.
Hydration and nutrition
When I was boxing, there was a restriction on drinking water in some gyms. The thinking was you can’t drink water during fights, so you’d better get used to not having it during training. Times, attitudes, and sports education changed, but with the benefit of hindsight, and now I am older, I often look back at that as one of the worst things I’ve seen in sports. My advice to anyone doing sports or exercising is the complete opposite: take on as much water and fluids as possible.
Proper hydration increases performance and reduces injuries. Don’t visit the gym and start training without a water bottle full to the brim, and you should aim to drink at least one full bottle during your session. The risks of not having proper hydration during exercise are serious and could cause long-term damage, such as muscle injuries, or short-term problems, including fainting. Think smart, train smart, and stay hydrated.
Many people believe working out at the gym for a few hours a week is enough to get fit, strong, and healthy, but I can confirm that’s nonsense. Proper fitness has three pillars: exercise, nutrition, and rest. If you neglect just one of those pillars, the entire foundation of your fitness will crumble. It’s not necessary to eat like a professional athlete, but it’s important to make healthy decisions and eat as clean as possible.
It’s time to shine
OK, so you should know enough to get started on your new fitness journey. I hope you enjoyed reading my article. Remember to warm up and cool down when exercising, and wear the best footwear, clothing, and protective equipment you can afford. Drink water, eat clean, and get as much rest as you need.
Learn to listen to your body. It’ll tell you when you have more energy to go hard at the gym, when you need a rest, when to sleep, and when to eat. Get to know yourself again, and remember that you know your body better than anyone.