If you’re looking to get in shape, most people wait until the new year, though there’s something to be said about getting a head-start and forming the building blocks on which you can then catalyze your growth for the new year.
When you think about how a house is built, it’s often the foundations that take the longest time to put in place, and the same is true when it comes to your fitness. See, whilst we all want to accomplish significant growth, and of course there are links between things like peptides and muscle growth, but fundamentally, you want to be building bulf from a stable base.
This way, it’s like building a pyramid, in that the first level provides the support and stability for the rest of the structure - for instance, if you want bigger shoulders, it makes sense to first build up the strength of the stabilizing muscles around your rotator cuff. Otherwise, you’re likely to find yourself overloading the muscle and causing an injury.
With that in mind here are a few ways you can start building the foundation for a stronger you in the New Year, and get in shape for the festive season:
1. DRINK MORE WATER
We all know our bodies are made up of mostly water, yet we often find ourselves in a place where we are dehydrated. We simply don’t drink enough water.
When you consider that being chronically dehydrated (which is what most people are) puts a huge amount of strain on vital organs, which means you perform much less than you would if you were hydrated.
It often results in a foggy head, an achy body, and a low mood.
When it comes to working out, it’s particularly important you keep hydrated. For instance, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you should drink at least twenty ounces of water in the two hours prior to exercise, throughout your workout, and the one most people forget - after your workout, as this is when the body needs to flush out the lactic acid in your muscles.
2. DEVELOP CORE STRENGTH
When people think of “core strength” they mostly assume it has to do with their abs, yet, core stability isn’t limited to your abs and back - it extends to all joint structures, for instance, if you develop stability around your knee joints and shoulder joints before lifting heavy weights you are safeguarding yourself against injury.
For this reason, taking the time to engage in activities like yoga, pilates and swimming can be deeply beneficial to building a firm core foundation.
3. EXERCISE LITTLE AND OFTEN
Many people are guilty of binge exercising, trying to cram in so much to a workout that they overdo it. Whilst this can be tempting, it would actually make a lot more sense to do a quick thirty minutes in the morning and a quick thirty minutes in the evening - as this way, your body has time to repair and replenish.
There’s often no benefit in exercising for hours upon hours, as is evidenced by the effectiveness of high intensity interval training.