As we approach the Spring season, many of us may have lost the momentum we gained from our New Year's resolution to pay closer attention to our fitness. Now's not the time to give up, so let's explore five ways we can "spring back" into a productive fitness routine.
A great fitness plan involves much more than an exercise routine. What you put into your body can greatly affect your performance, motivation and ability to achieve your fitness goals. Start by clearing out junk food full of unnecessary sugars, trans fats and other ingredients that may counteract your workout efforts.
Artificial ingredients can also sap your motivation and hinder your mental state when it comes to focusing on your routine. Even if the foods in your pantry are low-calorie, zero-sugar or claim to be fat free, be aware that they may have preservatives or additives that can slow down your metabolism and bring down your fitness results.
Energy drinks and sports performance beverages may be a culprit if you're struggling with your fitness goals and motivation. Caffeinated beverages may give you a false burst of energy at first, but there may be the inevitable crash that prevents success at the end of your work out, and many sports drinks don't contain the minerals and vitamins necessary for focus and optimal hydration.
TapouT sports drinks are formulated to aid your body in the production of natural energy, use the fluids you consume more efficiently and replenish electrolytes and vitamins used during the most intense training sessions.
Achieving your fitness or weight loss goals isn't something that happens overnight, you have to work up to the standard you want to set. Exercise plans that are too challenging fail because they're just too impossible to achieve, and each workout seems like a failure.
When beginning a new Spring workout routine, make sure you are choosing something that is accessible and achievable while being challenging at the same time. You'll gain more motivation by completing a hard workout that is within your capabilities then you will by not being able to finish your routine day after day. Start with slow, but challenging, workouts and increase the challenge slowly to ensure better results.
Simply saying, "I'm going to work out five hours this week," isn't going to put you in the mental state for success. If you know exactly what you'll be doing and when, your brain will be prepared for those activities.
Take the time to schedule specific activities around your personal schedule so you'll have a time, place and purpose. Indecisiveness will inevitably lead to skipped workouts and lack of motivation to find training opportunities. Add your workouts to your calendar as if they were appointments and be specific when planning your training sessions to lock it into your routine.
Sometimes at-home or gym training sessions can become monotonous and working out in the same environment can sap some of your motivation.
Taking your workouts outside offers a variety of surroundings, fresh air and plenty of vitamin D. Whether it's a hike in the mountains, a run at the local park or yoga in the back yard, outdoor workouts can improve your mood and experience. Vitamin D has plenty of health benefits such as improving mood and motivation, building bones and muscle as well as boosting your immunity.
All of these factors will lead to improved training gains and will have you looking forward to your next outdoor fitness session, just remember to pack along a TapouT sports drink to rehydrate and replace minerals lost in sweat on warm spring days.
Mountain climbers don't attempt to scale Everest the first time out, and you shouldn't attempt to complete all of your fitness goals during your first workout. If you're attempting to spring back into a fitness routine after being out of practice for a while, you should realize that you may not be able to perform the same number of reps at the gym, run your favorite route in the same time or complete a super intense training session the first time back out.
It's ok to have a ultimate goal, but make sure you set reasonable goals along the way in order to gain momentum and reduce frustration if your initial workout standards are set too high.
TapouT is a sports performance beverage designed to activate energy, perform better and recover faster than other workout drinks and sports beverages. TapouT drinks come in three tasty flavors:
- Citrus
- Cherry Lemonade
- Orange
Our Citrus flavor contains 120 calories that allow your body to activate energy reserves for intense workouts, but if you're looking for a low-calorie, zero-sugar option, our Cherry Lemonade and Orange flavors contain only 10 calories.
Regardless of which flavor you choose, every bottle of TapouT contains no artificial flavors or colors for authentic flavor and results. Each bottle also contains natural sodium to aid in hydration and a scientifically formulated blend of vitamins and electrolytes to boost performance and recovery.
