Hi Team:
I just want to remind you of a few things that could help you get the most from your training, recover faster, and perform more efficiently.
JILL'S TOP 10 ITEMS OF IMPORTANCE:
1. Mental State of Mind:
Be prepared to work. You'll never know what you'll be asked to do, so prepare for anything. Visualize, and realize failure and success are both determined in the mind before you ever begin your training. Decide who you are. Who you want to become. Look at what you have to work with, and get to it. Be in the moment. Learn the art of both concentration and focus. Breathe. Become one with your environment. Don't look forward to 'the end', for it will only be prolonged. Embrace the opportunity to strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.
2. Be Well Rested:
I know you are busy. We are all busy. Prepare. Do the best you can, where you're at, with what you have. Shoot for minimum eight hours a night each night, catch a power nap if you can during the day (15-20 minutes), and look for opportunities to catch some extra Zzz’s on the weekend. Meditation cannot be overemphasized here. Realize studies show across the board that deep meditation is healing on all levels, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. In other words, deep meditation helps you recover faster, think with clarity, enhances physical performance, and increases your spirituality.
3. Hydrate:
Take your bodyweight, divide it in half, then divide that number by 32. This number is the number of quarts minimum you need to drink each day. If you tend to sweat a lot then increase water intake. If you're and endurance athlete drink plenty more. Now, most people believe drinking water is what 'hydrates' them, it does, to a point, however, this is where electrolytes step in. Electrolytes provide the keys to electrolyte balance meaning.... allows the water proper entrance and exit of the cell as well as, proper ratio's thereof. So, to properly hydrate one needs both water and electrolytes. Our bodies our indeed electric, energy, and needs conductive material to meet various supplies and demands.
4. Eat Clean, Healthy, Live Food:
Stay away from processed, refined garbage, it fails to build a healthy, strong body. Eat fresh fruits in the morning, with lean, clean proteins, and healthy fats. Eat fresh vegetables after 12:00 p.m. with your lean proteins and healthy carbs. Fill each plate you eat with 1/2 plate vegetables, dark, leafy is great, but go for variety of color as well. A quarter of your plate lean protein, and the other quarter of your plate complex carbs. This is a general rule for most athletes and common folk looking to improve their health, build muscle, and burn fat.
5. Cardio:
Learn to breathe with the exercise you're doing. Pace your breathe with your activity, learn to slow it down, hence, less panting. Perform cardio three to five times a week. Your lungs and heart appreciate an uptick each day to move waste material along, burn it up, and detoxify. Cardio also gives your mental faculties a boost, and you finish with a sense of feeling renewed, alive and alert. If you're doing HIIT I recommend three times a week. If you're performing more of a steady state I recommend five times a week. If you're endurance, just once or twice a week.
6. Weight Training:
Weight train five days a week. Make one day heavy weights, low reps, the other day higher reps, lighter weight. Mix it up on the other three days, be creative. Work your chest, back, tri's, bi's, legs (quads, hamstrings, and calves), glutes, and ab's. This is what I call Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Now, if you're one of my Extreme athletes you know this is but a warm-up for you.
7. Power Breathe.
Breathe as though you’re telling someone to shush up “Ssshhhhh” on the exhale, force the abdominal muscles to respond. A Russian comrade taught me about Power Breathing. I saw how much he was able to take physically both in combative ways and in output through the implementation of Power Breathing. This type of breathing oxygenates your blood. The more clean oxygen in your blood, the better you feel, think, perform, and stave off dis-ease. Power Breathing can be likened to moving an engine for normal into Turbo. This is FREE stuff folks, you breathe everyday, all day long. Why not start concentrating on some of those breathes and oxygenate your blood. Your body and brain will thank you for it. Note: most people are 'shallow breathers', and know it not. Diseases thrive in a low oxygenated body.
8. Post-Workout Nutrition:
Be sure to hit up your post-workout meal somewhere between 15 minutes and 1 hour max, ideally. This is the window of opportunity. Generally for EXTREME workouts: Males 35-45 grams protein (depending on your size and output during session), 40-70 grams carbs, no fat. Females: 30-40 grams protein, 35-45 grams carb, no fat. Immediately after training your cells receptor sites are wide open looking for nourishment to store for the day's output. The longer you wait, the less responsive the cells are.
9. Post-Workout Hydration:
The only way to know exactly how much fluid needs to be replaced is to weigh yourself pre-workout, then weigh again post-workout. For every pound you lost during training, drink 16 oz. of water. For example: If you weighed 190 before, and 187 after, you would need to drink 48 oz. or 1 quart 16 oz. Some people need less, that's okay. Find the amount that works for you.
10. Cleanliness:
Shower/bathe as soon as possible after your workout to keep your pores open and clean, so your skin an breathe and detoxify. The sweat is easily washed off the sooner you bathe. The longer it sits, the stickier it becomes, clogging pores, and causing irritation. I carry wipes with me for times I cannot get bathed soon after and it makes a world of difference. Be sure to pay close attention to your feet if you've been in moist shoes for several hours (or longer). Let your feet 'air out', and feel natural surfaces in bare feet. Apply foot powder to feet before training.
OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Illness
If you are ill DO NOT train. Call it a rest day. Make it active recovery, if you can safely. Stretch. Read a book or something and educate yourself in the process. Far too many people become OCD thinking they 'can't miss a workout'. This is a myth. The body needs to heal, besides no one wants to train with a partner who's coughing relentlessly, sounds like Rudolph, or is dragging their ass around. Do yourself and others a favor and rest, hydrate, and recover.
2. Injury:
If you become injured think through the injury. Yes, listen to what the doctor says, and use your common sense. It’s your body. With most situations, you can still do something. Do not try to rush healing. It will not work. Healing is like love and education, you simply cannot rush it. Utilize time wisely and keep your spirit up.
I greatly desire for all my Teams to achieve their goals regardless of size, strength, gender, location, etc. It’s all about attitude, my friends. Work it. Enjoy it. You will grow from the experience in every aspect of your life. No joke.
Go to jillnix.com for all your Health and Fitness needs.
I’d love to be of service.
Health!
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