Working It

I've been in and out of the gym and running around the park for about a year now. Now I'm finally trying to commit to it and I've learned I've become a gym rat already since January 11 when I started this journey. I have a wonderful, athletic, crossfittin' coworker, Ashley, who has become a great mentor to me and my other coworkers. Here's a few things I've learned recently and over the past year about being physically active and working out...

1. Drink Protein shakes! I don't care if every other girly girl in their skin tight shorts and string tank isn't doing it. DO IT! Here's why.You would be amazed how much better your muscles feel in the morning when you replenish your protein after you work out. Most women don't want to drink or eat a lot of protein because they think it will bulk them up or make the "fat", I'm here to tell you that it WILL NOT MAKE YOU FAT if you are working out while drinking it. Now mind you, you can't drink a protein shake and sit on the couch and have a netflix marathon and expect results.
2. Focus on one muscle group each work out along with cardio. I'm here to tell you I've been there and done that. You get into the gym and you do you one muscle group and you feel like you have done nothing.  The next thing you know you're still there 2 hours later having a full body work out.  The next day you wake up, your body is killing you but you go at it again. This is hurting you more than helping you! By not giving you muscles time to recover you are tearing your muscles fibers beyond repair. How do muscles grow you ask? It's a very delicate process, but to sum it up in simplest terms, by working you muscle you create tiny tears in your muscle fibers, when these fibers mend themselves, they grown back slightly larger, hence building muscle.
3. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch! remember to stretch before you work out, and even after if you feel it's needed. Every time you go to the gym you see people jump on the treadmill and go full blast or go 0 to 60 on weights. Just don't do it!  It's a terrible feeling to cramp up or feel yourself pull a muscle in the middle of a work out. Stretching is a very important part of exercise!