5 ways to improve your fitness today
One of the common complaints about improving fitness is that there is so much information out there about what not to do, what to avoid and how everything you touch will cause you to gain a stone in 30 seconds. This leads to a type of paralysis based on not knowing what you can do, or a lack of proactive alternatives.
In an effort to provide a more positive outlook, here are 5 things that you CAN do right now to improve your fitness. None of these things involve sacrificing anything, and the best news is…all of these things work.
1. Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces of water:
Benefits:
- Helps to relieve aches and pains
- Speeds metabolism by 40%
- Reduces mood swings
- Improves mental clarity
- A natural detoxifier
At times when you are exercising, you will need to increase your water intake. Use our hydration calculator which will do the math for you in seconds!
2. Focus on the following three meal types and never buy another diet book again!
 Anytime meal: the purpose of the anytime meal is to keep you full due to protein, good fats to encourage proper hormonal balance, and lots of colourful vegetables to max out your mineral and vitamin intake. |
 Post Workout meal: the secret with the post-workout meal is to consume this within 3 hours of exercise. Your body will have used glycogen to fuel your training session, and thus the carbohydrate will replenish your depleted cells, while the protein and vegetables will aid in repairing muscle tissue that is damaged during training, as well as aiding in recovery. | ||
And the all important Cheat meal: cut yourself some slack! Every 3 days, have one meal of anything you want, with two rules:
- You can only have as much as will fit on one plate, and
- If you leave your chair once you’ve sat down, the meal is over (no double dipping).
- The key take away here is portion size.
3. Eat foods as close as you can to their natural source
- Follow the 5-second test: if it takes you longer than 5 seconds to explain where a particular item came from don’t eat it.
- I.e. let’s compare butter and margarine:
- Butter comes from cow’s milk, of which the fatty bit is churned until it becomes butter.
- Margarine takes approximately 16 processes including adding colouring, preservatives, yada yada yada…you get the idea.
- The key take away, stick to foods as close to their natural source, as this will ensure that you have the best chance of getting all the nutrients that they came with.
4. Keep a journal and measure progress
- Keeping track of your exercise as well as your food will help you to get a better sense of what you taking in and what results it is giving you.
5. Change your routine
Every 4 weeks change something about your workout routine i.e. order of exercise, intensity, weights etc.
Your body responds well to surprise, so by constantly keeping your body guessing you will ensure constant adaptation, which is the recipe for more interest in your training and more results from your efforts!
To learn more about healthy eating habits to achieve your fitness goals, contact James Staring, a leading personal trainer in Clapham, London.
ABOUT JAMES STARING
James Staring is a personal trainer based in Clapham, London. His methods have featured in publications such as Your Fitness, Hello, Healthy, Daily Mail, Closer, and many more. After giving up smoking and entering the fitness industry in 2009, James has focused on his passion to help others transform their health and fitness. However, James is convinced that most people struggle so much more than they need to in an effort to improve their fitness. Through his company, Fit to Last, which he runs with his partner, Ali Page – James has helped hundreds of men and women make small adjustments in their daily habits to transform their fitness and to love how they look and feel.
Sources
http://www.sportsnutritionsociety.org/ArchivePDFS/ArchivePDFS-171.pdf
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/pn-my-plate