Sharing 10 increasingly commonly asked fitness questions and my thoughts. For today’s post, I wanted to share some increasingly fitness FAQs since ya’ll seemed to enjoy the last one I did! So let’s swoop into your questions well-nigh plateaus, time, motivation, where to focus our energy, and increasingly below. Have a urgent fitness question? Leave it in the comments section and I’d love to take a look!
10 increasingly commonly asked fitness questions
1. I’ve hit a plateau – why is this happening?
When you hit a plateau, this is a unconfined time to wangle your current fitness and nutrition routine and see how it’s been going. Usually, a plateau is the result of needing spare stressors (not challenging yourself with your routine), not balancing your routine (overtraining), or unsustainable fitness and nutrition methods. I see this happen a lot with lattermost weight-watching and/or fitness routines with upper intensities. Initially, you see results, but eventually, the soul becomes stressed and makes an effort to hold onto anything it can.
Plateaus are moreover sometimes a good reminder to switch up your fitness routine. You don’t plane necessarily need to switch out the exercises (especially if you’re performing archetype push/pull movements, deadlifts, squats, etc) but transpiration up the weight, and tempo, try unilateral versions of the exercises, or add in a cadre or wastefulness component.
Make sure that you’re sleeping unbearable each night, balancing your workouts between cardio, strength, mobility, and rest (if you need help, check out this post or join us in Fit Team), and accessing your nutrition intake. Ensure that you’re eating unbearable fuel for your lifestyle, hydrating appropriately, and including a wastefulness of proteins, healthy fats, leafy greens, starchy veggies, and fruits.
If you’re doing all of these things and still not seeing results, it can be helpful to have an uneaten set of expert vision on your routine and see what’s going on. Also, hormone function can stupefy or stall your progress. We offer quite a few variegated testing options depending on your goals, so if you’re curious well-nigh learning more, send me an email gina@fitnessista.com (subject TESTING).
2. I don’t have time to exercise. Any tips?
I think it can be really overwhelming to think that you have to get in a 45-minute or hour-long session, expressly if you’re rented with work, kids, and life. Instead, focus on movement throughout the day when you can, and unravel your official workout into smaller chunks. When you have multiple small exercise sessions, this unquestionably increases the value of EPOC post-session (the glut oxygen you slosh as the soul returns to homeostasis), leading to a higher overall energy use (calorie burn).
Remember that everyday activities count as movement, plane though they’re not “official” workouts. NEAT = non-exercise zippy thermogenesis is attained through regular life activities, like walking the dog, gardening, a flit party with the kids, playing tag, uneaten walks virtually the office, vacuuming/cleaning, etc.
3. What’s increasingly important: nutrition or exercise?
The tricky answer: they’re both important for various reasons. I think nutrition is probably increasingly important than exercise for overall health (if I had to pick, expressly since you can get in “accidental” exercise but not “accidental” solid nutrition), but exercise has such a huge impact on sleep, hormone function, immune function, unorthodoxy health, heart health, metabolism, AHH. I don’t like to pick and would say focus on both Fuel your soul well with nourishing foods, lift heavy-for-you weights, sprinkle in some cardio that you enjoy, take 1-2 days of full rest each week, and focus on the other health pillars (sleep, stress management, hydration, meaningful relationships with others, sunshine, etc).
4. How long should a workout be?
Go for quality, not quantity. The weightier workouts are the ones that leave you pleasantly sweaty, feeling like you pushed yourself without feeling depleted, and ready to enjoy the day. Maybe it takes 10 minutes to get there, maybe it takes you 45 minutes to get there. Don’t worry well-nigh the time clocked in as much as the quality of the movement you’re getting. Like I mentioned above: don’t be wrung to unravel it up throughout the day.
5. How do I stay motivated?
It took me a long time to learn that often, I have to create my own motivation. If you wait until you finger like doing something, it may not overly happen. (If I waited until I was excited to skim my teeth, I probably wouldn’t do it. It’s just a box I trammels twice a day. Fitness is the same way; I focus on putting in the reps each day.) If you don’t finger motivated, count to 3 and requite it a try. Go for 5 minutes and see how you feel. Usually, getting started is the hardest part.
If without 5 minutes you’re still not feeling it, requite yourself a rest day and try then the next day. A workout at 30-40% effort for multiple days in a row is less salubrious than two to three workouts per week at 100% effort.
6. Are there any workouts that can help relieve stress?
Ah, stress — that pesky little devil that seems to pop up whenever we least expect it. But fear not, my fitness aficionados, for there are constructive workouts out there that can help you kick stress to the prorogue while working up a good ol’ sweat. Enter the world of strength training! While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when combatting stress, pumping iron can do wonders for your mental well-being. Not only does it increase your heart rate and release those feel-good endorphins, but it moreover helps uplift your energy levels, making you ready to take on whatever curveballs life throws your way. So grab those dumbbells and say “sayonara” to stress!
7. How do I measure progress besides the scale?
Step yonder from the scale, my friends, considering there’s increasingly to progress than just numbers. When it comes to tracking your fitness journey, there are various other ways to see how far you’ve come. Take heart rate, for example. Monitoring your heart rate during workouts can requite you valuable insights into how efficiently your ticker is working. As you engage in regular physical worriedness and incorporate resistance training, you’ll notice improvements in your heart rate. Another way to measure progress is through your energy levels. Pay sustentation to how you finger throughout the day. Do you have increasingly pep in your step? Increased energy levels are a unconfined indicator that you’re on the right track. So let go of that scale and embrace the variegated metrics of success!
8. What’s the weightier time of day to work out?
Ah, the timeworn question: “What’s the weightier time of day to work out?” Well, my fitness pals, the wordplay is…drumroll… it depends on your goals! If your main focus is to increase muscle mass and strength, studies suggest that working out in the afternoon or evening might requite you an edge. This is when our soul temperature is at its highest, which can enhance muscular performance. On the other hand, if your goal is to shrivel increasingly calories and lose weight, morning workouts may be your weightier bet. Exercising on an empty stomach can tap into those fat stores, helping you shed those pesky pounds. So pick the time that aligns with your fitness goals and get ready to conquer your workout!
9. Can I still exercise if I have a rented schedule?
Oh, the dreaded rented schedule. But fear not, my time-strapped comrades, for there is unchangingly a way to sneak in some physical worriedness surrounded the chaos. Plane just 30 minutes of exercise can do wonders for your soul and mind. Whether it’s a brisk walk during your lunch break, a quick HIIT session at home, or plane a flit party in your living room (yes, I’m serious!), every little bit counts. Remember, consistency is key, so don’t write-up yourself up if you miss a workout here and there. Simply get right when on track and alimony moving forward on your fitness journey, one step (or flit move) at a time.
10. Is it okay a work out every now and then?
Oh, my friend, let me put your mind at ease – it is perfectly okay to work out every now and then. While consistency is important for making long-term progress, there’s no harm in occasionally indulging in a workout that’s less well-nigh urgent calories and increasingly well-nigh having fun. Variety is the spice of life, without all! So whether it’s that impromptu hiking trip or an energetic game of waterfront volleyball, these sporadic bursts of physical worriedness can still contribute to your overall fitness level. Plus, they can requite you that much-needed uplift of motivation to get when into the swing of things. So embrace the occasional workout and remind yourself that fitness is all well-nigh balance.