If you are someone who cares a lot about maintaining their health and leading an active lifestyle, then you are going to be someone who makes the most of their local gym. Going to the gym is a great way to keep fit all year long because even in the frosty weather of winter, you can still get in a run, a bike ride, or evening a rowing session all from the comfort of the gym complex.
However, while your gym might be the best one in the business, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything you can do to make your exercise sessions even better and achieve the best results possible.
To help you up your game and have you looking forward to your time at the gym, this handy guide will give you four top tips on how to make your next trip your best trip ever.
Having Your Outfit Sorted
What you wear to the gym will definitely have a natural change over time. If you are someone who is just starting out and unsure if you will stick to it, the chances are that you are turning up to the gym in old, oversized t-shirts and leggings. If you are someone who has been a fan of working out for many years, then you will more likely be in specially designed, streamlined sportswear that makes you look like a professional trainer. The point is, you should always wear what your comfortable on at the gym, but your choice of fabric is what will make the real difference.
You might not know this yet, but there are good fabrics to wear to the gym, and there are very bad fabrics, which you can read more about before you go an make your next sporting wear purchase. Some of the best ones to consider include:
- Spandex
- Poly-Dri
- Bamboo fiber
- Moisture Wicking cotton
You should look for the above materials when you next splash out on some gym gear as these will help your skin to breathe and be comfortable to move around in.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
One of the best-known ways to make a work out session successful is, of course, to stay hydrated and replenish the moisture you lose through sweat. This is not going to be new information to you but making sure that you have the right water bottle for your needs is an easy way to improve your experience at the gym, keep cool, and be more environmentally healthy by investing in a reusable water bottle.
You can find a break down of the best water bottles for sports online with lots of trusted reviews to help you to find the best one that suits your needs. To give you a helping hand in the meantime however, this article will let you know what you should be looking out for:
- Well-designed cap and valve to ensure that your water is not going to spill into your bag or over your when working out
- Silicone sleeve for enhanced grip when vigorously moving and building up a sweat
- Lightweight for easy transportation (you can even get collapsible water bottles now)
- Able to carry a large quantity of water
- Able to retain a cool temperature if left in the fridge for a while/able to be used with ice
An improved water?
It is very true that water is the best liquid to consume to stay hydrated and you need it in order to be healthy but there is actually something you can do to improve your water. You may have heard of infused water online before as the benefits of infused water are beginning to be noticed by lots of people in the health and fitness community. Infusing your water with fruit, for example, can help to boost your metabolism, clear your skin, and give your body a boost of nutrients and vitamins with every sip. This is incredibly easy to do and, if nothing else, will make the water more tasty and encourage you to keeping drinking when you are working out next time you are at the gym.
Avoid Giving Yourself A Shock
This guide has spoken a little bit about choosing the right fabrics for your workout clothes to help maximize your comfort and performance, but one of the things you also need to consider is the importance of shock absorbers when it comes to the footwear you choose for your trips.
If you are new to the gym scene, much like with the right clothes, you might not begin by buying an expensive pair of sports trainers in the fear that you will end up not using them but there is no better investment that you can make into your health. Without wearing the proper footwear, you will increase the stress and pressure that you are putting onto your knees and back, increasing the likelihood of aches and pains which will make you not want to come back to the gym in the future.
Take Down The Temperature
Finally, when you go to the gym, so much time is put into making sure your warm up your muscles correctly and use the machines in the right way but something that you cannot neglect when trying to get fit is learning how to effectively cool down after a workout.
If you don’t leave enough time between finishing your workout and when you need to leave to get home or to work, you will find that you then have to deal with aches and pains for days to come and this will have the knock-on effect of making your next workout session a nightmare.
Before you leave, take ten to fifteen minutes to stretch out all your limbs, even if you don’t feel like you need to, and allow your breathing to return to a normal pace and your heart rate to decrease before you hit the showers and head out.
