What to eat post workout

What you eat and when is a super important part of training. The first meal after your workout is very important as our body is in the rebuilding phase. Your meal should help your body repair, recover and adjust to the workout you have just completed.

Your meal needs to have both proteins and a bit of carbohydrate and a little fat

It is best to have this meal sooner than later as the body is ready for good nutrition! Having it within 30 minutes of your workout is ideal.

The fear of gaining weight with pre and post workout meals is a myth. As long as you do not exceed the calories you need to have, it’s fine. Both these meals should be a part of your total calorie intake. What one must remember is that the most important part of any diet is the calorie count.

Here is one of my favorite post workout meals:

2 salmon fillets or 1 salmon steak

½ tsp ground garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

1 tblsp finely chopped fresh basil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 lemon wedge

1. Rub the salmon with lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and basil and keep aside for 15 minutes.

2. Heat the oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan. Add the salmon, skin-side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side till browned and flaky. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

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Burn 100 extra Calories!

It is fall and the busiest time of the year is approaching. You might be getting a little concerned about your fitness calendar.  Candy and calorie filled cocktails are all around and the cold, dark weather makes exercise much less exciting. The good news is, small things can make a big difference. Burning just 100 extra calories each day adds up to 700 calories a week! This has inspired me to blog about 4 ways you can burn 100 calories. Read on for my ideas.

1) Bike

If you own a bike take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and bike to work or just bike to meet your friends for brunch.  If you do not own a bike then try cycling on the exercise bikes at the gym or sign up for a spin class.

Here are some reasons to cycle: Light cycling (between 10 miles per hour (mph) and 12mph) can burn 100 calories in 15 minutes while more intense cycling (between 14 mph and 16mph) can burn the same amount of calories in 10 minutes.  If you are super fit then cycling at over 20mph for just 6 minutes can burn 100 calories.

2) LIFT WEIGHTS

No, you won't get "bulky" if you weight train. You will get lean in life and I'm all about that. Weight lifting is actually quite a good calorie burner. Weight lifting could actually prevent you from piling on the extra pounds.  Just 30 minutes of moderate weight lifting burns 100 calories.  It gets even better if you have an intense workout with 15 minutes of vigorous weight lifting burning 100 calories.

3) Jog

Jogging is an excellent exercise all year round.  Jogging can help you reduce your blood pressure, prevent cancers and help you sleep. It is also a great way to burn calories with 13 minutes of jogging burning 100 calories.

Need to "spice" up jogging because you find it dull? Try adding some excitement by mixing up the pace (sprint for 1 minute then jog for 5 minutes), adding some resistance (jog with a heavy backpack or weighted vest) or even turning your jog into a circuit training session (jog for 5 minutes, stop and do 1 minute of push ups, jog for 5 minutes, stop and do 1 minute of crunches and so on).

4)ICE SKATE

You can channel your inner Nancy Kerrigan in the winter. Because ice skating is popular a lot of places have an ice rink where you can practice your "moves."  Ice skating for 17 minutes at 9mph or less burns off 100 calories!

These 4 ways of burning 100 calories are pretty straight forward and very attainable.

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Plan To Succeed!

In this post I'm talking about kick starting a fun fitness plan

1) Don’t do anything you don’t enjoy!

Don't do anything you don't enjoy. That is VERY important when it comes to your fitness. That's been my mantra for years now. I've seen people give up on their fitness plans way to often, try not to see it as a burden but rather try do something you enjoy and in turn exercise won't feel like a burden. Your fitness should not feel like you are just going through the motions, don't do an activity that really doesn't inspire you. That is a good way to lose enthusiasm and end up quitting.

My two cents: BEFORE you start any new fitness program, if you don't already exercise, before you actually start exercising, think about what you enjoy doing fitness wise and then choose your workouts around that. This will help you stick to your fitness plan and have more fun as you do so!

2) Cardiovascular & Resistance Training are important so do both!

Resistance and cardio are musts. Your exercise plan should include both. If this doesn't happen figure out a way to make it happen. The great news? Most any exercise can be modified so that it improves both your cardiovascular fitness and your strength. This is what I mean:  jogging is a cardiovascular exercise but by stopping at regular intervals and performing push ups, squats, lunges, squat-hold, plank, etc, you can build strength in all your muscles. If you are more of a weightlifting fan try performing some lighter sets at a faster pace with more repetitions, you can target your cardiovascular fitness.

The main thing is to make sure you include cardiovascular and resistance in your workouts.

3) Decide On Your Best Times To Workout

Ok, so just coming up with a workout is not enough! You must figure out when you’re actually going to do the workout. Liking your fitness routine isn't all you have do, if you don’t make it part of your schedule, you’re much less likely to follow through with it.

You are a priority. If you don't take care of you, you won't be able to take care of others. To fit your workout into your schedule, start by deciding how many times per week you can realistically workout. Set a realistic goal. Maybe 3-4xs a week. Don't go hog wild and start by telling yourself you are gonna workout 6 days every week. You need to give yourself some flexibility if something comes up during the week.

Conclusion

You have to plan to succeed in improving your fitness. Without a plan many people will fail. If you just copy what someone else is doing that is a recipe for failure. So, you do what is best for you and put together a workout plan that makes you excited!

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Partner Up! 5 Exercises you can do with a workout buddy.

Sometimes you need to have someone to workout with you. Research has shown that people are more likely to stick to their plan if they are held accountable. So grab an accountability buddy and start your sweat sesh.

Here are some exercises you can do together:

Partner Push-Up with Shoulder Tap: Tap into this! Find a mat and get down on all 4s, facing your partner in a push up (full or modified...it's your choice). Next, lower your bodies by bending at the arms with the abdominals engaged. Push back up to the starting position, then lift your right hand, and tap your partner on the left shoulder (while your partner does the same thing). Complete 10-12 reps, alternating hands each time.

Wheelbarrow Push-Ups: Remember this one from your days as a youth? This is a tough one so if you are just starting out I would advise to skip this one for now. Work up to it! Start in a traditional push up position with your accountability buddy holding your feet in their hands. Bracing the core, head down and complete as many push-ups as possible while maintaining good form. With each down motion, add in a synchronized squat on your partner’s end to really double up. You do NOT move forward during this exercise.

Body weight Squat: Stand facing your partner at arm’s length, like how far you'd be from your dance partner in Jr High, with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, grasping each other’s forearms. Maintaining a secure grip, at the same time squat down until the thighs are about parallel to the floor. Hold, then slowly return to starting position. Repeat for 10-12 reps.

Dynamic Lunge: Shorty get low, low, low, low.  For this move, stand facing your partner at arm’s length, clasping each other’s hands between you. Next, lunge forward your right leg as your partner lunges backward with their left leg (Turn on your thinking caps this move requires coordination). Reverse the motion, lunging backward with the right leg as your partner lunges forward with the left. Complete 10-12 reps, switch legs, and repeat.

Reach-and-Touch Plank: You and your partner are team mates, right? Go join awesome forces and show 'em how it's done. Lying on your stomach facing your partner, position the elbows under the shoulders with the palms flat on the floor and the toes tucked under. Next, using the muscles in your core, elevate the torso into a plank position, (you must move at the same time) and reach forward with the right hand to touch your partner’s right hand. Follow swiftly with the left, then lower your bodies back down to the floor. Complete 11-14. Follow this by saying "good game" in a monotone voice.

Try these fun 5 exercises with your workout BFF for a lively sweat sesh! Your waistline will thank you for not indulging in high calorie foods.


I found this awesome article that I think you would appreciate and like:
Get More than a Beach-Ready Body with 10 the Best Core Exercises