Ward Off Fitness Fatigue With These Straightforward Tips
Don’t let fatigue slow your process. Explore several ways to restore your energy, boost your physical stamina, and give your muscles a rest.
Everybody’s been there before: some days, you fight an uphill battle with your body’s energy levels.
Your brain knows you should be working out, but your body doesn’t seem to want to comply. Your muscles feel tired, your eyes are heavy, and a wave of lethargy washes over you.
It’s normal to feel this way every so often. But if fatigue becomes a common occurrence, it can severely disrupt your fitness routine, creating a wedge between you and your goals.
In this article, let’s look at a few strategies for staying on track when your body feels fatigued.
How To Motivate Yourself And Overcome Fatigue
Through a mixture of natural interventions, shrewd meal planning, and flexible regimen-building, you can stave off fitness fatigue.
1. Incorporate Low-Intensity, Restorative Workouts
There’s a common misconception among some zealous fitness enthusiasts that every workout needs to be intense. That’s simply not true.
Fatigue can be your body telling you to take things easier. And, as any doctor will tell you, you should listen to your body.
If you’re struggling through a period of fatigue, consider incorporating some low-intensity, restorative workouts into your schedule.
Yoga and Pilates are particularly beneficial because they gently work for muscle groups without overtaxing your energy levels.
2. Choose Foods For Stamina
Often, you can trace a neat line from fatigue to diet. Intense workouts burn a lot of energy; if you aren’t accommodating that loss, your body starts drawing from its natural energy reserves, leaving you feeling exhausted.
On workout days, reach for foods rich in carbohydrates and protein. Carbs are the fuel that your body burns during periods of intense fitness, and protein has been shown to aid in muscle recovery and increase muscle performance. Together, they make a formidable pair for fighting fitness fatigue.
If you’re eating well in advance of a workout, eat a normal-to-large-sized portion. If you’re eating within two hours of a workout, make a smaller, snack-sized portion to give your body time to digest and absorb the macronutrients.
3. Try Energy-Boosting Supplements
When reaching for energy-boosting supplements, take a cue from ancient cultures. For centuries, ancient medicinal practitioners have used lion’s mane mushrooms and Rhodiola Rosea to improve mental and physical stamina.
More recently, top-tier athletes have embraced these natural nootropics to gain a competitive edge and ward off fatigue.
While it’s possible to buy these supplements separately and mix them yourself, the best lion’s mane supplement already has Rhodiola in it. All you have to do is stir a scoop into your morning smoothie to reap the potential anti-fatigue benefits.
4. Give Muscle Groups A Break
Contrary to popular belief, your muscles don’t strengthen or grow while you exercise. Instead, they grow in the interim periods between exercises.
In other words: you need to rest your muscles to see results.
If you experience fatigue localized in a specific muscle group, it’s probably your body telling you to take a rest. Experts recommend developing a schedule that allows for at least a full day’s rest between working for a muscle group.
For instance, if you work your chest and arms on a Monday, take Tuesday to focus on your legs. Here’s a great guide for scheduling fitness and downtime.
5. Hydrate Yourself Properly
When you perform strenuous workouts, your body needs a lot of water to sweat and regulate its temperature. So make sure to drink a few glasses of water during and especially after your workout session.
Sometimes, the feeling of tiredness is just a “side effect” of mild dehydration. A glass of water might help you boost your energy level.
6. Create A Healthy Sleep Schedule
Most of the time you are fatigued because you lack a healthy sleep schedule. You do not get the sleep you need to stay alert throughout the day.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. More than 65% of people suffer from sleep problems.
Here’s how to create a healthy sleep schedule:
- Go to bed early so you can get the recommended 8-9 hours of sleep every night;
- Try to get up in the morning at the same time every day;
- Avoid naps during the day;
- Have a warm bath to relax and destress before going to bed;
- Make your room as dark as possible when going to bed;
- Avoid electronics when trying to fall asleep; Instead, read a book if you find it hard to fall asleep;
- Alcohol and caffeine can disrupt your sleep, so avoid them as much as possible.
The Takeaway
Don’t let fatigue slow your fitness progress. Embrace restorative exercises, leverage energy-boosting supplements, and eat for fuel.
Also, craft a fitness routine that allows for muscle breaks, hydrate yourself throughout the day, and sleep well at night.
These tips will help you overcome fatigue and boost your energy levels so you’ll enjoy exercising every single day.