PFTL Update
We continue to wear masks in the studio, and we are still wiping down equipment and handing you wipes. Masks are not so bad; the following are actual humorous tweets about mask wearing.
- If you forget to brush your teeth, it is not such a calamity
- You actually look younger when most of your face is covered up.
- From now on I’m always going to wear a mask to the grocery store, I prefer a disguise when purchasing obscene amounts of junk food.
- COVID Parenting Tip: Train your children to loudly ask, “Why isn’t that person wearing a mask? Are we going to get sick?” when in public.
THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO BEFORE A WORKOUT (Excerpted from Livestrong.com Oct. 1, 2021)
1. Apply Lotion – Keeping your skin hydrated with a daily application of lotion is great — especially during drier winter months — but not before your workout. Transferring lotion to exercise equipment can make it slippery and unpleasant for others.
2. Drink Alcohol – Drinking alcohol before your workout will just make you less coordinated, more sluggish and less likely to give it your all.
3. Drink Too Much Caffeine – Watch your coffee, tea and pre-workout supplement intake to make sure you’re not overindulging. Although caffeine can be a great pick-me-up pre-workout, it can also dehydrate you, elevate your heart rate and cause dizziness.
4. Eat a Big Meal – Eating too much before a workout can be full of potential pitfalls. This can result in gastrointestinal distress and poor absorption of nutrients, both of which hinder performance.
5. Do Static Stretches – Certain stretches can be a great way to warm up your muscles. But the type of stretches you do really matter. Static stretches (ones you hold for an extended period of time) are great for relaxing your body and aiding in recovery, but that also makes them less-than-ideal for your pre-exercise routine.
6. Spend Lots of Time on the Foam Roller – In general, save the rolling for after your workout. If you have a major problem area — unusually tight IT bands, for instance — that you need to quickly address for mobility’s sake, that’s the only reason to break out the foam roller pre-workout.
7. Eat Foods with Common Allergens – If you do eat a meal or snack before you hit the gym, do your fellow gym-goers a favor and steer clear of foods with common allergens, like peanuts, as this can make the gym a dangerous place for others. Even trace amounts can be enough to cause someone with a severe allergy a considerable reaction.
THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO AFTER A WORKOUT (Excerpted from Livestrong.com)
1. Skip Stretching – If you don’t facilitate muscle recovery with stretching, injuries can occur due to overuse, leading to less optimal workouts and precipitating early fatigue. Your trainer can show you the best stretches to target what you need based on your body.
2. Run Errands in Your Workout Clothes – if your clothes are soaked from sweat, it is best to get out of them ASAP. Hanging around to chat while you’re dripping wet could potentially compromise your immune system. Regulating your core body temperature is critical. You’ll want to give your body the ability to get rid of excess heat, which is hard to do when everything is sticking to your skin.
Also, staying in your workout clothes could put you at risk of skin or fungal infections, particularly if you work out in a communal setting with shared equipment.
3. Eat a Big Meal -Your stomach will thank you for taking it easy after intense exercise. While you certainly will need to give your body nourishment to repair itself, the 30-minute window after your sweat session is not the ideal time for a big meal. Your digestive system takes a back seat during hard sessions and is still on high alert well after the workout is over.
Pack a light snack if you are hungry. Eat something unprocessed, like a piece of fruit, then have a larger meal two or three hours later when your digestive system is back to standard operating procedures.
4. Down Vitamins and Supplements –Some people take some form of supplement to help combat inflammation and even promote recovery, like vitamins C, E and A, CoQ10, NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen) or products that specifically tout exercise recovery. However, these supplements may do more harm than good. In large doses, these compounds can interfere with how much of an adaptation your body makes from the training.
7. Sit Around – When you sit or lie down for hours after exercising, your blood pools, making recovery more difficult. The result is more muscle soreness and delayed recovery time. Instead, try to keep your body moving in little ways after you work out, even if that means standing up every 30 minutes at work to take a lap around the office.
8. Sip a Cocktail – Drinking alcohol after hard exercise is one of the worst things you can do for your body. Drinking alcohol after a workout is going to immediately reduce muscle protein synthesis. It slows recovery, reduces the benefits of your workout and makes you feel even worse the next day.
9. Stop Drinking Water – Lots of people forget how important it is to keep drinking water after the effort is over. Being dehydrated will slow your recovery, reduce muscle protein synthesis and not provide your body with what it needs to help eliminate all of the waste products produced from the muscle damage of your workout.
Our favorite season is here…beautiful autumn. Get out and enjoy!