Exercising on a daily basis is one way for you to maintain a strong and healthy physique, but when the results that you are getting is no longer as impressive as before, no matter how hard you push yourself, you might want to consider focusing on your nutrition. Most of us push ourselves hard when exercising, but if you are not paying attention to your diet, you might hit a weight loss plateau because of it. How will you be able to max out on your fitness? Here are a few tips that you can use.
Calculate your calorie target per day
Calorie counting may sound like a lot of work, but if you want to see results in your fitness routine, it would be a good idea to determine what your calorie range is. This is useful if you are starting a fitness plan as well as when you are trying to lose 10 lbs. Calculating your target calorie consumption can help you track how much you fuel you will have to eat for the day.
Prepare your pre-workout nutrition
Before you start your intense workout, make sure that you prepare your pre-workout nutrition first. This should include carbohydrates as well as proteins, since your body will be depending on the fuel that carbohydrates can bring. It is always a good idea to have fruits as well as vegetable smoothies an hour or two before you exercise so you will be able to perform better.
Avoid packaged food as much as possible
Another thing that you should consider when it comes to maximizing your fitness results is to skip eating any food that comes in a package. Yes, it was mentioned before that you should monitor your calorie consumption, but the calories that you are getting from an apple and the calorie that you can get from a K bar are not the same. Keep in mind that your body is better off getting energy from fresh foods.
Post-workout nutrition matters
Post-workout is as much important as pre-workout nutrition. After an intense workout, your body needs to recover from the strenuous activity that you have done which means that you will need nutrients that can speed up the recuperating process of your body. A post-workout smoothie is a good touch especially when you are working out in a gym since it can help boost your energy levels to get you home for a proper post-workout meal.
Always hydrate
Never forget to hydrate all the time. Your body is made up of considerable amount of water which we expel through sweat and urination. Just imagine how much water you are losing during an intense workout! This is why, you need to make sure that you drink up to 8 cups of water or more, depending on how active you are, every day.
Protein is a must
Protein is essential to your body as it is the building block for the muscles. The amount of protein that you need to eat daily should be based on your body weight. Let’s say that you weigh 190 lbs., and you are planning on following a high-protein, low-carb diet, you will need 190 grams of protein every day. You need to eat protein rich foods every 3 to 4 hours to ensure that you are meeting your daily requirements.
These are just a few tips that you should keep in mind when it comes to maxing out on your fitness. It’s important that you pay attention not just to your weight training, but also to your nutrition. A good balance between the two will get you the best results.
