Despite many people’s desire to exercise, especially during this period of confinement caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the truth is that they find it difficult to stay motivated to do any physical activity.
This situation is most visible at the beginning of the year when the wish list almost always includes exercising, going to the gym or taking up running. However, after the first two weeks of January, the motivation to do so begins to wane.
The worst moment is precisely those first few minutes when you start doing physical activity and ask your body to start moving. People would simply prefer to keep sitting or do something that seems more fun.
For this reason Kim Lowry, sports dietitian at Houston Methodist Hospital offered, through a statement, some tips that will allow you to see that at least those long workouts are producing results in your body and your health. With this goal in mind, you should review your pre-exercise habits.
The main behaviors that can have a negative impact on people’s performance are three: what you eat, how you recover and how much sleep you get, he added.
This is important to keep in mind because if you don’t eat the right foods and don’t get enough sleep, you simply won’t have the energy you need to exercise.
“One of the easiest mistakes to make is to make a mistake in the timing of meals and start training on an empty stomach, these causes a greater physical and mental wear.”
For this reason, the ideal is to have a balanced meal about three to four hours before training. This should include:
- Complex carbohydrates: oatmeal, quinoa or potatoes.
- Colorful vegetables: peppers, carrots or tomatoes.
- Lean protein: chicken, natural yogurt or eggs.
If the routine is high intensity, it is recommended that an hour before you eat simple carbohydrates, such as fruit or granola, to supplement your energy reserve.
This way you will be more motivated to exercise every day.
