Your workout doesn’t end with the last exercise. It is important to adhere to the correct regimen after exercise. Otherwise, there will be more harm than good from training. In this article, we will tell you about post-workout mistakes which you should avoid next time. This will help you get the maximum effect from extensive exercises.
Things You Should Not Do Right After Exercises
1- Not Drinking Water
During physical exertion, heavy sweating occurs, which leads to dehydration. Therefore, after completing a workout, it is important to restore water balance in the body. But many people forget about drinking water after they finish the regular workout.
To restore water balance, use ordinary clean water. You should not drink sweetened carbonated water after a good workout session. It is better to refuse sugary drinks, energy drinks, and coffee after exercising. Let the body relax and replenish it with water.
2- Forget To Stretch
Stretching for all muscle groups is imperative after a hard workout. Correct stretching allows your body and nervous system to relax. After intense exertion, the muscles are in a warmed state for about 40 minutes. You can help them cool down through stretching.
Moreover, this is the best time to work on flexibility. Stretching for half an hour is an excellent prevention of injuries, tears, and sprains. But stretching shouldn’t be too intense. When stretching, slight discomfort is permissible, but there should be no pain.
3- Drinking Alcohol
After a hardcore session of exercise, our muscles need to relax and recover from the workout tension. But if you consume alcohol right after spending hours in the gym, the muscle recovery process will slow down. Therefore, alcohol abuse is not healthy, especially not after working out.
If you think alcohol combined with exercise will help burn the calories quickly, you are at a big mistake. Moreover, if you continue with this habit, the signs of alcohol abuse will appear. These include excessive sweating, headaches, nausea, etc. And you won’t be able to continue with your workout regime.
4- Pouncing Onto Your Favorite Meal
Adherence to your diet is essential to a successful workout. Without proper nutrition, you will not be able to achieve your goals. If your goal is to lose weight, then it is better not to eat for at least 30 minutes after exercise. During sports, the body turns on an enhanced calorie-burning mode. If you eat immediately after training, this mode will stop.
The best option for losing weight is to pause for 2 hours before eating. After a couple of hours, you can eat eggs or a protein product. And if a strong feeling of hunger does not allow you to calmly do other things, then use a banana or a protein shake as an additional snack. But avoid fatty foods, especially fast food. Otherwise, all the efforts spent on workout will be in vain.
5- Sleeping Right Away
Intense training will only be effective if the body gets enough rest. Rest is essential to kick start the recovery process. But do not try to fall asleep immediately after class because the body’s general arousal will not allow you to rest properly.
The body needs a smooth transition to a resting state after exercise. Therefore, lying down and sleeping right after a smooth exercise session is not a great idea. The best time to sleep is a couple of hours after exercise.
6- Not Recording Your Progress
Another mistake many people make does not keep track of measurements. Whenever you go to start exercise, it is better to take measurements of your body. This will help you analyze the change and the progress you have made in a week’s time or so.
Without recording the progress and going on with the exercise sounds naïve. How would you know that the exercises are helping you lose weight or not? If there are no changes in the body even after months of workout, you are probably not doing it right. You need to look for another trainer.
7- Celebrating Little Progress
As mentioned in the previous point, it is important to monitor your progress but do not celebrate a little progress unhealthily. This happens with most people. When the scale is moving a little towards the left, they celebrate it by eating cupcakes or fast food. Do not fall for this! You have to stay motivated and not indulge in bad eating habits.
A little deviation can pull you back to the world of burgers and pizzas again. So be careful, you have to keep working until you reach your goal, which in most cases is losing weight. Then you can have a cheat day once the progress is evident in your physique.
8- Delaying To Take A Shower
Increased sweating leads to the proliferation of bacteria that cause unpleasant odors and can lead to skin diseases. To prevent this, be sure to take a shower. In addition, a cool shower speeds up the recovery process and invigorates you after exertion. If it is not possible to immediately resort to water procedures, then wipe the body with a damp towel and change clothes.
A sweaty body can lead to several health problems. Therefore, change clothes right after a workout session. It will help to prevent harmful microorganisms from multiplying on the skin.
Conclusion
Each workout is another step towards a perfect body. But it is important not only to properly organize the training but also to provide the necessary conditions for the full recovery of the body after exercise.
Follow these simple guidelines, and you can get the most out of your exercises. But if you fail to comply with these guidelines and continue repeating the same mistakes, you will not be able to get the most out of your workout sessions.
