When you’re headed to the gym, it’s easy to think of your bag as little more than a means of transporting your workout clothes and accessories. But the right bag can make all the difference in how much you enjoy your time spent working out at the gym. Here are some things to consider when planning what goes into your gym bag:
Bring your shoes in your gym bag!
It’s important to have a pair of gym shoes because they’ll help you avoid injury, keep you safe and comfortable, and make sure you get the most out of your workout. When you’re working out, your feet take a beating. They’re pounding on the ground, they’re taking all of our body weight, and they’re in constant contact with all kinds of hard surfaces.
That’s why it’s so important to wear the right shoes in the gym: they need to be strong enough to hold up under pressure while still being comfortable enough to wear for hours at a time. Gym shoes also need to have excellent traction so you don’t slip on potentially wet floors or lose your balance when lifting weights. And finally, gym shoes should be breathable so that sweat doesn’t build up inside them as you work out (they’ll also dry faster!).
Gym shoes are designed for the specific demands of the gym: whether that’s treadmill sprints or weightlifting, and while it may seem like a no-brainer, not bringing your own pair of shoes will leave you at risk of injury—and we don’t want anything bad happening to our members during workouts.
Hydration is important for your health, fitness, and performance.
When you work out, your body loses fluids through sweating, breathing, and urinating. When you don’t replace those fluids quickly enough, your body will begin to become dehydrated—and that can have a negative impact on your workouts.
Dehydration can cause symptoms like headaches and dizziness, which can make it difficult to focus on your workout. It can also lead to muscle cramps and even heat exhaustion. And if you become severely dehydrated, you could end up in the hospital with kidney or heart failure.
If you’re a serious gym-goer, you probably already know about the importance of bringing along a reusable water bottle. When you bring a reusable water bottle with you to the gym, it’s easy to fill up at any fountain and drink as much as you need.
But what if there were no vending machines or fountains? What if all you could get access to was bottled water? You’d be forced to spend money on those plastic bottles, which isn’t good for your wallet or the environment!
That’s why it’s so important to bring a reusable water bottle with you to the gym: it allows you to hydrate yourself without contributing to an industry that relies on constantly producing new plastic waste.
If you’re working out hard, chances are you’re sweating. And that’s why it’s important to bring a sweat towel with you.
Gyms are a communal environment, so one of the best things you can do is carry your own towel with you every time you work out. That way, when you leave the gym after a tough session, other people will know that they’re sharing the space with someone who cares about cleanliness.
In addition to your gym clothes, socks, and shoes, there are a few things you should always bring to the gym—and one of those is deodorant. The communal environment of most gyms means you’re going to be around other people, and no one wants to be around someone who smells bad.
Bringing your own stick of deodorant will help ensure that you walk out of the gym feeling fresh if you don’t have time for a shower.
You should always put your headphones in your gym bag – in fact, it’s not a bad idea to have an extra set that you always leave in there.
If you like to listen to music while you workout, or if you want to be able to tune out the rest of the world and focus on your workout, headphones are an absolute must.
There are tons of reasons to bring headphones with you: they’re great for drowning out loud noises of equipment or fans, they let you listen to a good beat without bothering anyone around you (which can be nice if there’s another person working out next to you), and they help keep your mind off of anything else besides what’s happening on the treadmill in front of you.
The gym is a great place to work on your fitness goals. But did you know that nutrition is just as important as your workout?
Before you go to the gym, make sure you’re giving yourself the best chance at success. Start with a pre-workout powder or supplement like BCAAs (branch chain amino acids) or creatine monohydrate. These will help give you energy and boost muscle strength so that you can maximize your time in the gym. Then try mixing them with water for some extra hydration before your workout.
After your workout, it’s important to refuel with protein. That’s why we sell our own brand of post-workout shakes at Buzzfit! These shakes are made with whey protein isolate and contain all nine essential amino acids needed for muscle repair and growth, plus they have added electrolytes and vitamins to help hydrate and replenish nutrients lost during exercise.
So there you have it! The Buzzfit gym bag checklist. We hope this helped you figure out what kinds of things to bring to the gym and how to get there.
We know it can be a challenge to find the right gym for you, so if you’re looking for a place where you can feel comfortable and supported as you work out, join the friendliest gym in Quebec! We offer free fitness assessments and classes are offered at all levels.
Be sure to stop by (with your fully stocked gym bag) and get your BuzzFIT on!
Fitness is a worthy goal. Good health, a positive mindset, healthy eating, and physical activity are all desirable things that we can gain from adopting some sort of fitness regime into our lives. However, entering the world of fitness in 2022 can come with some dubious trends and false information. From fad diets to body shaming to ineffective workout routines, there are plenty of fitness trends floating around in the cloud and the broken telephone of gyms that everyone should avoid. We’d like to help you stay in the wholesome fitness lane rather than the strange and sometimes detrimental “trendy” fitness lane by highlighting some of the worst fitness trends making the rounds this year.
One fitness trend that is sure to wreak havoc on your muscle function and could lead to some serious injuries is the idea that you have to continually push yourself to your maximum range of motion. Yes, mobility exercises are great. No, you should not be exercising at your maximum range of motion and pushing your flexibility past your body’s boundaries.
In truth, understanding how to control one’s movement through a natural range of motion is your best option for improving mobility and stability.
Usually, 90-degree joint angles are the best postures for enhancing muscle function and joint health and for increasing strength and hypertrophy. When we practice beyond those ideal limits, we begin to experience problems that genuinely endanger our flexibility and mobility.
A mix of full and partial range of motion exercises is generally the best way to go.
Social media can be a great learning tool that exposes us to genuinely helpful fitness tips. However, it can also be home to some not-so-genuine fitness fads and create a breeding ground for comparisons and unhealthy body image.
People rush to the gym at the beginning of every year in an effort to lose weight quickly, and in their quest, they resort to social media. They go to find out how the wealthy, famous, and conventionally attractive people on the internet maintain their figures. However, fitness is different for everyone, and what works for someone you come across on social media may not work for you.
It’s also possible to come across videos from people who may have the right intentions but not the knowledge they need to be giving fitness advice.
The bottom line is that fitness is a journey. Losing fat, gaining muscle, and increasing stamina takes time and dedication. We’re not saying don’t turn to social media for inspiration, but be sure to include some trial and error and research from other avenues into your routine.
HIIT training involves intervals of short, intense, high-intensity cardio and strength training followed by short periods of rest. Although it has been around for a while, it’s undoubtedly increased in trendiness in the last year as people return to their busy schedules and are looking for faster ways to get their exercise in.
Studies suggest that HIIT workouts can burn more calories in less time than other types of workouts, but it’s also important to exercise caution when doing HIIT workouts as too much HIIT (like anything) can have negative effects on your body.
Engaging in too much HIIT training can spike your cortisol levels, decrease glycogen stores, affect your sleep patterns, disrupt your metabolism, put strain on your joints, and may even result in burnout and a loss of interest in exercising.
It’s become a trend to think that by combining several separate moves into one or adding unnecessary bands or chains, any exercise will become harder and, therefore, more effective.
What actually happens is that a simple but effective workout becomes overly complicated, and your focus goes from working a muscle to figuring out how to complete said exercise. Simple exercises and targeted movements have been around and in use for as long as exercise has because they work.
Intricate motions are fantastic for gaining Instagram followers, but they don’t do anything to challenge and strengthen your muscles. Simple doesn’t mean ineffective, so don’t succumb to the pressure of looking like you’re doing a lot. Just focus on yourself and your workout.
Trends aren’t all bad, but they should be taken with a grain of salt and some research of your own before being adopted as truth. We hope these four questionable fitness trends make their leave in 2022, and everyone puts their focus on listening to their bodies and exercising according to tried and tested knowledge, as well as their own personal goals, rather than whatever trend is making the rounds this week.
If you’re unsure of where to start, consider a personal trainer or attend some fitness classes (such as the ones we offer at all of our Buzzfit locations) until you feel sure enough to exercise by yourself. There’s no shame in needing some guidance; at the end of the day, it’s best to do what works for you.
A marathon represents a personal challenge for many runners and is the ultimate test of endurance. Running a marathon can feel like the most difficult thing ever. But if you’ve been training for it and have a goal in mind, there are a few indicators that show you might be ready to take on the challenge.
Maybe a friend persuaded you to do it. Perhaps your goals are to get healthy, lose weight, or promote a good cause. Whatever your reason for running, you may wonder if you’re ready to run a marathon. Here are a few indicators that will tell you if you’re ready to go the distance.
In theory, you don’t need any preparation to get up and run a marathon, but in reality, it’s definitely advisable that you don’t go straight from the couch to the starting line. This strategy is not likely to get you to the finish line but very likely to get you more than a few sore joints.
Your musculoskeletal system, as well as the rest of your body, is put under a lot of stress while you run. A novice runner needs time to adjust to the effects of jogging. You run a very high risk of injury if you try to increase your mileage too quickly during that time span. You should move more slowly rather than launching straight into the marathon after having never run before.
Before beginning your first marathon training, it is ideal to run for at least six months, if not a full year. Start off with lower mileage and give your body time to adjust. You’ll be more fit when you actually begin your marathon training after that!
A marathon is approximately 42 kilometres, so it’s safe to say that being able to run at least 10 kilometres prior to making a marathon attempt is sound advice. Long runs are essential to your training because of the significant distance of a full marathon. Depending on a runner’s abilities, long runs during marathon training might range from 18 to 22 kilometres. That’s still a long way to run, even though it’s not the entire marathon distance!
Most training programmes for marathons take 16 to 20 weeks. However, you should gradually increase the length of your long runs because your body requires time to acclimatize. You should be able to run larger distances already in order to start doing this.
Training for a marathon entails more than just long runs. Most training programs call for you to run more frequently during the week. For instance, when preparing for a marathon, you might run 10 kilometres on your weekday runs and 30 kilometres on your long run.
You should be able to run at least 30 kilometres each week without feeling uncomfortable in order to handle the higher weekly mileage. Before beginning your marathon training, steadily increase your weekly mileage if you are not already at this point.
A marathon typically takes three to six hours to finish – about 4.5 hours on average for most casual runners. Running for so long puts a lot of stress on the body. Therefore, you need to be properly prepared. Thus, weekly training sessions. We have some advice on training for a marathon over on the Buzzfit Blog!
Depending on the level of expertise a marathoner has, the weekly training load varies. For a novice, the majority of regimens will get you up to jogging at least 30-40 kilometres per week, while more seasoned runners may go closer to 40–50 kilometres each week.
Your schedule should allow you enough time to complete all of those kilometres without skimping on sleep. Sleep is when your body heals from that exercise, after all! You might not be prepared to run a marathon if you don’t have the time or energy to train effectively beforehand. Consider a shorter race, like a half marathon, so you can still enjoy long-distance running without having to spend a lot of time.
Although it may seem like every runner completes a marathon a week as a testament to their dedication, it’s not the reality, and it’s not necessary to prove your health and fitness.
The most important way to know if you’re ready to run a marathon is knowing if you genuinely want to run one for yourself, not for your friends or because you feel obligated to. Running a marathon is difficult, and the preparation takes a lot of time and effort. You are not fully prepared to run a marathon until you’re properly motivated to accomplish it.
Running a marathon is not easy, but it’s worth it. It can be one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have. The best way to prepare for your first marathon is to start gradually and then increase your running distance gradually over time. With these tips, you’ll be ready to run a marathon in no time! Head over to Buzzfit to begin your training.
Our bodies need food for energy for basic functions like breathing, keeping our hearts beating, growing and repairing muscles, and just staying healthy. Naturally, you’ll need food to fuel your workouts and ensure your body is able to properly recover from them. It will also help you gain strength and endurance both from and during your workout. Every person’s body is different. There is no “one size fits all” solution to what to eat, but we’re bringing you a few best practices to be aware of while you work out your body’s exact needs.
You need to eat before your workout to give your body the energy it needs for movement, endurance, and muscle-building. However, the closer to your workout you eat, the simpler the meal should be to help your body digest it before your workout starts.
The ideal practice is eating 2 to 3 hours before a workout. You should have a full meal of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fat.
If you’re unable to eat a full meal or don’t have that much time before hitting the gym, it’s still important to have a decent meal. If you eat 45–60 minutes before working out, easy-to-digest foods – primarily composed of carbohydrates and a small amount of protein – are your best bet.
If you’re having a quick workout early in the morning, it’s okay to have something small like fruit, yogurt, or a protein bar – just be wary of processed bars with excess sugar.
When you work out, your body’s glycogen stores are depleted and proteins within your body can degrade and be harmed. It’s important to eat adequately after a workout to support your body in restoring its energy levels (glycogen) and assist in protein synthesis to repair and restore muscles.
A sufficient amount of protein post-workout will help your body repair and build muscle. Glycogen is your body’s main source of energy and consuming complex carbohydrates after a workout is the best way to rebuild your glycogen levels.
Fat is not ideal to consume after a workout because there is some speculation it may slow digestion and inhibit nutrient absorption. However, a little bit of fat in your post-workout meal shouldn’t affect your recovery.
Another important thing to consider with your post-workout meals is timing. Your body’s ability to restore glycogen levels and rebuild protein is at its highest after a workout, so consuming sufficient amounts of carbohydrates and protein soon after your workout is ideal.
Water is always essential for us to keep ourselves feeling healthy and our bodies functioning properly. It’s especially important to stay hydrated during a workout as we lose water when we sweat. The higher-intensity your workout is, the more water you should drink, but small frequent sips of water are recommended for everyone – no matter the type of workout.
Your body requires electrolytes, which are vital minerals, to assist in maintaining blood pressure, neuronal signaling, muscle contraction (including heart contraction), and many other essential bodily processes.
Additionally, they help your body retain fluid when you are exercising vigorously and perspiring, which helps to keep joints lubricated and maintain your vitality, preventing exhaustion from dehydration.
It’s advisable to drink both electrolytes before and after exercising to accommodate the healing and restoration process and keep your body feeling healthy.
There are specific foods especially good for you after a workout when it comes to soothing sore muscles and supporting the body’s recovery. Some examples are fatty fish, which have many of the nutrients your body needs for muscle recovery, and pomegranate juice, which has a high concentration of polyphenols with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Conversely, there are certain foods you may want to avoid for a few hours after a workout. Muscle pain comes with inflammation, so inflammatory high-sugar foods are best kept for when your muscles are recovered. The same can be said for things that dehydrate you, such as alcohol, as maintaining water levels after a workout aids muscle recovery.
Working out is excellent for us in many ways. It can help us lose fat, gain muscle, and build endurance, on top of being excellent for our mental health. However, it can be strenuous and energy-consuming, so it’s important to support our bodies in performing these functions and healing properly afterwards. Check out our blog at buzzfitdev.wpengine.com for more health tips and exercise tricks.
Working a desk job is hard on your body. You spend hours sitting in one place and making repetitive motions, which can lead to muscle pain and fatigue. To combat these health problems and prevent back pain, it’s important to incorporate exercise into your daily routine—even if that means just hopping out of your chair for a few minutes at a time. Instead of spending an hour at the gym every day after work, try these six simple exercises that you can easily do at your desk.
To get a good upper back stretch, use a door frame. Place your palms on the door frame with your elbows bent, and make sure that you are close enough so that your forearms rest on the door frame and your elbows are roughly at a right angle. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then take a deep breath in and slowly push your chest forward as your arms put pressure on the door frame. This will allow for more muscle activation in the upper back, which can help prevent neck pain and headaches from sitting at your desk all day long! Hold this position for 30 seconds, then release it by leaning back into a standing position. Repeat this exercise 3 times throughout the day; even if it’s just for 5 seconds each time, it’ll make all of the difference!
This exercise is a great way to work your arms, chest, and core in one simple motion.
To do a desk push-up, stand up straight with your feet together and hands on your hips.
Slowly bend at the knees and place your palms flat on the desk, roughly shoulder width apart, then slowly walk your feet backward. Keep your arms straight, and back up until your arms are roughly at a right angle with your body.
Slowly bend your elbows as your body lowers toward the desk, then press back up to straighten your arms. Repeat 10 times for 2 sets total per day or as many times as needed throughout the day to help relieve stress from sitting at a computer all day long!
Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor.
Cross one leg over the other, and clasp your hands behind you at the small of your back.
Gently pull yourself forward until you feel a stretch in one hip, then hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute before switching legs.
Sitting twists are great for your core and upper body. To do them, sit up straight and make sure your feet are planted on the floor. Bend both knees so that they’re at right angles to the ground. Cross one leg over the other, then reach your arms overhead and pull on a bar or use an elastic resistance band if you have one handy. Alternate sides by bringing one arm down while bringing the other arm up—this will help you work out both sides of your waist in this move!
Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then hold for a few seconds before returning to the starting position.
Repeat 10 times, then do this exercise every hour or so (if you can).
You can do this stretch while sitting at your desk. You can also do it while standing, walking or lying down on the floor. You can even try it while sitting on a chair or couch—the possibilities are endless!
Here’s how: Sit tall in a high-backed chair with feet flat on the floor. Place one hand behind your lower back and raise up slightly so you can feel a stretch in your thighs by exhaling through your open mouth as you hold for 15 seconds and repeat three times on each side.
We all know that we should move more and sit less. But when you’re stuck at your desk all day, it can be difficult to find time for physical activity.
There are plenty of ways to stay active without leaving the office—even if you don’t have access to a gym or other fitness equipment. You can improve your health by incorporating movement into your daily routine and breaking up long periods of sitting with short bursts of exercise throughout the day.
And that’s it! We hope these exercises will help you get your blood flowing while you’re sitting at your desk. Remember that they’re not meant to replace the gym or even all of your other exercise routines—they’re just a way to get in some quick, easy stretches while at work.
If you’re looking to join a community of fitness-focused individuals, sign up for Buzzfit now!
This question will have different answers, depending on who you ask, and how you intend to speed up recovery. If you’re an enthusiastic bodybuilder or a veteran athlete, you have probably answered this question for yourself already.
For those who are newer to exercise, fitness, or sports, and especially for people in less formal training contexts, there are many factors in everyday life that could slow your recovery down and cause frustration, or speed up recovery and improve motivation.
So, to answer the first question: Can you speed up exercise recovery? Yes.
To answer the second: Should you? Probably, but it depends on how you go about it.
Let’s look at some simple, natural methods that you should be using to speed up recovery itself, and a few ways to help deal with sore and stiff muscles.
Numerous studies over the decades have shown that most people don’t get enough sleep, and this can seriously limit your recovery speed. During a good night’s sleep, your pituitary gland secretes growth hormone, which tells your muscles to start rebuilding.
Lack of sleep can prevent this process from happening to the required extent, which will lead to fatigue, and will definitely slow down your recovery. Conversely, getting a really deep, restful night of sleep is recognized as one of the best ways to speed up your recovery naturally.
Eating and drinking correctly will have a huge impact on your recovery after a workout, and on your performance in general.
Hydration is a big concern when you’re training, as your body will need more water to build strength and to deal with the added hormones and metabolic waste from a hard workout.
It’s possible to lose several litres of water per hour on a hot day, so it’s vital to replace the water lost to exercising.
Alcohol can also impair recovery by dehydrating parts of your body. It has also been proven to lower testosterone levels, which makes recovering and gaining muscle harder.
So, on the whole, keeping good hydration levels is recommended for speeding up recovery.
When it comes to food, quality really does matter. Fresh, whole foods will provide the right molecular compounds for muscles to rebuild, while cheap, processed foods will make you feel full, but that’s about it. Consuming protein within 20 to 30 minutes of training has been proven to help with recovery. The same is true for protein before bedtime if you’ve worked hard.
Energy used must be replaced, so it’s vital to make sure you’re getting the right amount of calories per day.
Supplements play a role in recovery, but they should be used in addition to a well-balanced diet and with the guidance of an experienced coach/trainer or nutritionist.
These are ways in which you can and should be speeding up your recovery process.
Your workout should be planned to give you enough time to rest and recover between sessions to avoid overtraining. Overtraining is when your body works hard but does not get a chance to rebuild itself and becomes weaker as a result.
Active recovery can play a big role as well. Active recovery is when your rest day is not simply sitting on the couch, but rather a more gentle workout. For example, a heavy leg day could be followed by a low to medium intensity cycle the next day. This helps to deal with lactic acid buildup and provides an opportunity for cardio training at the same time.
Making time to rest is another way you should be speeding up your recovery.
Proper diet, sleep, and rest will go a long way, but sometimes it is great to leave the gym behind and just enjoy a real rest day, without the second day’s stiffness. There are a number of external or mechanical methods to help speed up your recovery, and this is where you have to decide for yourself what is best for your body and your goals.
Massage of some sort usually helps to reduce the stiffness by working the muscles externally, and it’s relaxing.
Myofascial release is a technique that increases blood flow to the fascia that encases muscles, tendons, and ligaments and can help to deal with more persistent pains.
If you’re brave enough, cold exposure, like a cold shower/bath or an ice bath, can remove some of the immediate pains by forcing freshly-oxygenated blood to the extremities, thus squeezing away the lactic acid which causes stiffness.
There are also a number of therapies using electrical stimuli to remove lactic acid in the same way.
Serious athletes will agree that the process of post-training recovery can and should be sped up. It’s up to you to decide what methods you should use to achieve this, and you should never be shy to ask for help.
Exercise is about more than just lifting weights or running on the treadmill – intentional movement, stretching, and resting are necessary components of a well-rounded fitness routine. Yoga is a great way to incorporate some of the pieces your routine may be missing. If you’re a passionate lifter or runner, you know just how important active rest days are, and restorative yoga can be an amazing activity for days when you need to reduce impact. Not only that, but yoga is a great way to get back in touch with your body and improve your mental health. Restorative yoga poses can help you recover from a workout by promoting deep relaxation and increasing flexibility in your muscles.
Restorative yoga is a technique designed to help you relax and recover from the stresses of your day. It’s also a perfect recovery tool for athletes, as it helps to relieve sore muscles, improves blood circulation, and relieves tension in tight or overworked muscles.
This type of yoga is great for relaxing your mind and body after working out, or just as a way to wind down after a long day at work. It also helps you fall asleep faster and sleep better because it promotes relaxation in your body and mind.
Restorative yoga uses props like blankets, blocks, and straps to create the right kind of support for each pose so that you don’t have to do any strenuous lifting yourself. This support allows your body to fully relax into the postures without having to focus on balancing or holding yourself up against gravity – freeing up mental energy that can then be put toward relaxing your mind.
Poses are held for several minutes and allow you to shift the balance away from your fight-or-flight response (sympathetic nervous system) toward the more relaxing parasympathetic nervous system (the relaxation response). This shift promotes deep release in muscles and joints and feelings of calmness throughout your entire being.
Child’s Pose is one of the most relaxing and restorative poses in yoga. It’s a great pose for beginners, as well as those who suffer from lower back pain or stress. In this version of Child’s Pose, you’ll extend your legs out in front of you to create a deeper stretch through your hips and thighs.
As you sink into the pose, let go of any tension that may be lingering in your body. Make sure to take deep breaths throughout this practice! You can also try placing a pillow or towel under each knee if they do not reach the floor easily—this will allow a little more support and give them time to relax into the position before stretching deeper into it as you progress.
Legs Up the Wall is an inverted pose that can be used to help you relax after a long day. This pose is also good for reducing stress, anxiety and fatigue. In addition, it can help relieve menstrual discomfort.
Sit toward the edge of a wall or bed with your legs straight out in front of you and heels close to the wall. Place a pillow on the floor between your feet if necessary for support. Lie back onto this pillow so that your torso is supported by it and just before your head touches down on it, clasp one or both hands behind your back (as pictured).
Pulling strongly through each leg will help lift them off the ground if needed—keeping them suspended as much as possible helps maintain circulation throughout this downtime pose!
To get into this pose, lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. If you’re new to yoga or are looking for ways to make it a little easier, use a bolster or rolled-up blanket under your knees. Place another folded blanket or pillow under your head if that feels more comfortable for you. Gently lift your chest and head into the air, then place both hands by your sides in a relaxed position.
Lie on your back and place a yoga block or bolster underneath the lower half of your spine, just above the tailbone.
Bend your knees, bringing them towards your chest and feet flat on the floor. Place hands under shoulders, palms down.
Lift hips off the ground by pressing into blocks or pillows under legs as needed to release any tension in hamstrings and quadriceps.
Engage core muscles, gently drawing the navel towards the spine while still holding onto blocks or pillows if necessary for support in this pose (this will help protect the lower back).
The reclining twist is a great pose for those who want to build strength and flexibility in the spine. In addition to improving your posture, it also improves digestion and helps with lower back pain.
You’ll start on your back with both legs straight out in front of you. Bend one knee at a time so that your legs are bent and your knees are stacked on top of each other. Bring both arms out by the sides of your body, palms facing up towards the ceiling. Slowly begin to bend forward as far as you can while keeping both shoulders on the ground, working past 90 degrees if possible (you may have to adjust this based on flexibility). Once there, take deep breaths and continue breathing throughout the rest of the pose until you’re ready to come up again. As always, listen carefully to what your body is telling you!
Shavasana, or corpse pose, is the final resting pose in yoga practice. It can be practiced at any time but is especially useful on your rest day when you need to relax and let go of all the stressors of the day.
Restorative Yoga is a great way to recover from workouts. It’s important to know that rest days are a crucial part of the recovery process, especially if you’re training hard. Restorative poses are designed to help you relax your body and mind so that you can feel better when it comes time for another workout or race!
If you’re looking for a friendly but professional gym in Montreal and its surrounding areas, Buzzfit offers the best value for money. We’re more than a fitness centre—we’re your second home!
So you want to get in shape. That’s fantastic news! By clicking on this blog, you’ve already completed the first step in your fitness journey: deciding to make a change.
If you’re a fitness newbie intimidated by gyms, fitness regimens, and lifestyle changes, you are not alone. Even Olympic athletes had to start from somewhere, and no matter how out-of-shape you are, it can only get better from here.
Before you commit to a routine or diet, you need to first understand what you’re physically capable of right now, and where you’d like to be. If you have a goal of running a marathon, for example, a good place to start would be to assess your current level of cardiovascular fitness. How quickly can you run 5 kilometers? How long can you run continuously in minutes and in kilometers?
It’s also important to assess your muscles: even if you don’t have explicit strength goals, properly conditioning your muscles ensures that they function properly. As a runner, your glutes, hip flexors, and Tibialis Anterior (front of the shin muscle) are crucial for a proper stride. Strengthening your muscles will not only help improve endurance but also helps prevents injury, so you can enjoy good health, longer.
Lastly, assess your diet. Are you a volume eater, who enjoys large quantities of food, or are you more of a snacker? What kind of foods do you typically enjoy, and in what ways? Understanding your current habits is key to developing a sustainable and enjoyable nutrition plan. You also need to concretely define your goals so you can focus on proper macronutrient distribution. If muscle gain is not your primary goal, you won’t need to consume as much protein as a bodybuilder, for example, while powerlifters and bodybuilders would eat fewer carbohydrates than runners.
Going to the gym for the first time can be scary! There are so many people who all seem to be in better shape than you, tons of equipment that looks almost alien, and the fear of messing up and hurting yourself are all factors that could potentially halt your progress. If this all seems confusing and overwhelming to you, don’t worry, there are fitness professionals who are dedicated to helping you get started. Hiring a personal trainer to help you with diet and exercise can be of great benefit to you. They will instruct you on proper form to prevent injury, help you complete physical assessments to track progress, and encourage you along the way.
If a personal trainer is out of your budget, group fitness classes are another great way to get started. Being part of a community will not only provide you with examples and support but can help you make lifelong friends that share your goal of health and wellness.
Incorporating simple movements into your daily life is another easy way to get started. Something as easy as choosing to walk more can make a huge difference in your personal fitness.
The key to a good workout is to have fun and to enjoy daily movement. If you’re not enjoying your exercise routine, you won’t be consistent, no matter how motivated you think you may be. Something that worked for your friend, partner, or colleague may not work for you, and if you feel discouraged, it’s a lot easier to quit. So it’s important to make sure that you’re totally loving your regime!
If you absolutely hate running, don’t run! You can have an equally effective cardiovascular workout by biking, walking on an incline, or taking a HITT class. If you love lifting heavy weights but find stretching boring, consider adding weighted mobility exercises to your routine – you’d be surprised how much of a challenge you can bring to your workout with just a few tweaks.
No matter what your workout routine shapes up to be, it has to work for you, not the other way around. Exercise is an amazing mood booster: the endorphins (aka happy chemicals) you get from a good workout will leave you feeling amazing for the rest of the day. Exercise also helps you improve your sleep quality, bone health, and brain function, so it’s an important part of your daily routine.
As with any journey, there will always be roadblocks as you pursue fitness. Whether you get sick or injured, or become so busy with work you forget about the gym, your reasons for falling behind are yours and yours alone. You do not have to justify time off to anyone, and rest is just as crucial to health as exercise is.
Setbacks are normal, and everyone experiences them! See the buff guy with the tank top deadlift 700lbs? He has faced setbacks. The woman running a 20-minute 5k has experienced pauses in her training as well. It’s essential to forgive yourself for falling off the wagon, and then get back on! The only time breaks will hurt your progress is when they stop you from trying altogether. Your biggest hindrance, in this case, is yourself, but as soon as you find the motivation to get up and get moving, you’ll be back and better than ever.
Achieving a healthier lifestyle is within reach! Incorporating simple movements into your daily routine and gradually progressing at the gym will have you in tip-top shape and enjoying it at the same time! When choosing a gym, it’s important to make sure you’re in an environment that is supportive of your fitness goals. Having a good amount of equipment, group courses, and friendly staff are some of the reasons why Buzzfit gyms are rated the friendliest in Quebec. Whether you’re a total newbie or a certified gym bro, Buzzfit facilities are equipped for you. So what are you waiting for? Your fitness journey starts now!
Imagine Yoga – but intensified and levelled up to a 100. Hot Yoga is a new trend taking over – a vigorous form of yoga done in a hot and humid studio. There are various types of Hot Yoga – like the popular Bikram. Let’s take a look at how getting your sweat on can elevate your yoga game.
Hot Yoga combines demanding poses with raised heat and humidity. It increases your heart rate and exercises the muscles. A regular Yoga routine is intensified by providing a heated room, giving your heart and lungs a more intense workout. Stretching while your muscles are hot improves flexibility.
Switching to a Hot Yoga class also allows you to burn more calories since you work much harder and sweat more. This will enable you to achieve your goal in a shorter period. Getting your heart rate up also ensures better heart health – an excellent benefit for over-stressed participants.
Well, hot yoga can also improve skin health. The increased blood circulation improves the delivery of oxygen to your skin cells. No wonder that post-yoga glow is so hyped!
Hot Yoga simply means that Yoga is performed in a room heated to about 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (26 to 38 degrees Celsius). The instructor then implements a range of poses depending on the level of expertise – and can also use music as a tool during the class.
Bikram is often used interchangeably as Hot Yoga – with one key difference. Bikram only uses a specific set of poses that will be used repeatedly during the lesson. In contrast, yoga generally encompasses a broader range of poses and other elements.
Due to its very intense nature – Hot Yoga might be very demanding on people with certain conditions or constraints. It is not recommended when you suffer from any heart disease as it will put extra strain on your vascular system. The excessive sweating involved in the Hot Yoga routines might be problematic if you have any problems or sensitivity to dehydration. And of course – a history of heat stroke or heat intolerance is a red flag, and Hot Yoga must be avoided if you have experienced any of these regularly in the past.
Despite not having any health concerns and you are considering Hot Yoga – be sure to hydrate, Drink water before, during and after the session and listen when your body tells you to slow down.
Taking up Hot Yoga might be your answer to an overall boost to your physical and mental abilities – but it does come with certain constraints. Ensure you always visit a reputable Yoga instructor and listen to what your body needs. It might be an enlightening and excellent addition to your Yoga journey if used and implemented correctly.
