How to keep those New Year’s ‘Eat Better’ resolutions

It’s the time of the year where most of the gyms become full again, people who have paused their exercises or decided to start a new exercise routine as a New Year’s resolution fill the gyms. It is important to take the following notes into consideration whether you are resuming or newly joining:

1. Start slow; pushing too hard as a start might cause you injuries; so plan your comeback mindfully and slowly.
2. Lower your expectations; do not expect to have the same performance you had before your break. And if your newly joining, give yourself time to enhance your performance and see the results you opt for.
3. Set your target; know why you are exercising, is it just to maintain your weight and have a healthy lifestyle, or other goals like weight loss, bulking up, shredding etc.
4. Allow yourself to notice the small changes going on, whether they are body composition changes or improved performance; don’t think much about the number on the scale.
5. Fuel up; choose the right energy sources, as food and exercise both go hand in hand to achieve body composition changes and assist in achieving your target. Undereating line over-eating compromises your performance and limits your ability to burn calories.
6. Be mindful of the calories you are ingesting and decide on the best macro breakdown for your target. Usually, high protein food shows good results during body composition changes or weight loss.
7. Switch your carbs to complex, your protein to lean, and your fats to MUFA and PUFA (healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, peanut butter etc.)
8. Be consistent; plan your exercise routine wisely; and see which type of exercises suit you best.
9. Get enough rest; your body needs to get enough good sleep 7 to 9 hours to recharge.

Pre-exercise tips:

1. Drink plenty of water minimum 2 hours before your exercise.
2. Consume complex carbs and if you don’t have time, grab some fruit.
3. Avoid saturated fats and protein (they take longer time to be digested, hence they might compromise your energy levels during exercise).

Post-exercise tips:

1. Stretch well; a 10-minute stretching session could save you from a longer period of muscle soreness or injury.
2. Hydrate properly; it is very important to drink after workouts. Dehydration causes fatigue, headaches and weakens your performance. If you are an athlete or someone who exercises intensively, you might want to consider sports drinks or post-workout snacks to replenish the lost electrolytes during exercising. Electrolyte losses mainly show in muscle cramps and muscle fatigue.
3. Ingest good and healthy proteins; this helps repair muscles and avoid their excessive break down after exercising.
4. Aim to include complex carbs as this helps re-fuel your muscle’s glycogen stores.

At the end, aim to bring all your New Year’s resolutions to life.