What are some simple things you all do to improve your fitness?
- Thread starter eyeq
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- female fitness
@eyeq I meal prep once a week, which includes making sure I have healthy stuff to snack on. I cut up carrots, celery, cucumbers, firm tofu, have either apples or clementines available, and make sure there's hummus (either storebought if on sale or homemade) each week.
Sometimes I end up having to work through lunch so I get home not having eaten anything since 8:00 a.m. I know I'll make bad decisions about what to eat for supper, so having cut vegetables and hummus means I can just grab them and eat them until I can make better food-related decisions about supper.
I also try to have the mentality of "adding" to my nutrition instead of "taking away". I think about the things I "have" to eat: protein intake, 4-8 servings of fruit and vegetables, water, electrolytes. Reframing it like that somehow makes it easier to keep on track. Like instead of reaching for the piece of chocolate after supper, I'll reach for an apple first.
Sometimes I end up having to work through lunch so I get home not having eaten anything since 8:00 a.m. I know I'll make bad decisions about what to eat for supper, so having cut vegetables and hummus means I can just grab them and eat them until I can make better food-related decisions about supper.
I also try to have the mentality of "adding" to my nutrition instead of "taking away". I think about the things I "have" to eat: protein intake, 4-8 servings of fruit and vegetables, water, electrolytes. Reframing it like that somehow makes it easier to keep on track. Like instead of reaching for the piece of chocolate after supper, I'll reach for an apple first.
@eyeq Stretching, adequate sleep and GETTING FRESH AIR!!!
I work an office job so exercise and movement is critical for me. It helps me manage my stress levels etc and has made a huge difference in my overall mood
Stretching/ foam rolling has helped a lot with my recovery after tough workouts and I wake up the next morning not feeling so broken up. Adequate sleep is a must! I get cranky off of no sleep anyway but sufficient sleep just helps you to function better overall and is something I've come to value in my twenties lol. I had no idea how critical sleep was until I became an adult. Fresh air- omg! Please do yourself a favor and ensure you're getting some. Being inside all the time is so suffocating (for me at least) and taking walks at the park literally turn my worst days into better ones!
I work an office job so exercise and movement is critical for me. It helps me manage my stress levels etc and has made a huge difference in my overall mood
Stretching/ foam rolling has helped a lot with my recovery after tough workouts and I wake up the next morning not feeling so broken up. Adequate sleep is a must! I get cranky off of no sleep anyway but sufficient sleep just helps you to function better overall and is something I've come to value in my twenties lol. I had no idea how critical sleep was until I became an adult. Fresh air- omg! Please do yourself a favor and ensure you're getting some. Being inside all the time is so suffocating (for me at least) and taking walks at the park literally turn my worst days into better ones!
@eyeq I do push-ups to help my posture which helps with my core activation. This helps with everything else. I pushed through a whole year of running without resistance training. I restarted a running program after doing resistance training. The difference is night and day. Some goes for everything things like working in front of a screen all day - all of a sudden, no more pain. Also carrying two totes of groceries on a 10 minute walk home no felt like I was going to give myself a stroke. I was still able to stand up straight with proper posture.
benjamindean
New member
@eyeq For wfh I sit on chairs with no back support (a kneeling style chair or exercise ball). It gets me engaging my core balance muscles all day. I got the idea after listening to a podcast with an exercise scientist who did research with tribes of indigenous hunter/gatherer people and saw that they spent much of the day sitting and were extremely healthy, but they generally did not have back support while seated.
ledinh121189
New member
@ledinh121189 This is my favorite one so far!!! 
@ledinh121189 Wholesome loll, good for you
twallacejolly
New member
@eyeq 100% hands down the thing that made the biggest difference was following a strength program.
Prior to following a program, I was attending small group strength classes at my gym. While I loved it, I did find once I compared it to a program that it wasn’t focused enough, if that makes sense. I loved the trainer who ran the class, but I did feel like her goal was just to make everyone sore and see how many calories she could get people’s watches to say they burned.
When I switched to a program with a focus on actual muscle building, it was hard to let go of that “balls to the wall” feeling and I was worried I would gain weight at first…but I found the opposite to be true. I started building muscle at a faster rate and workouts were much more enjoyable. I started dropping fat at a decent rate, too.
This also beats showing up to the gym and just doing my own thing. I like knowing that a program is structured to take me from point a to b if I do what it says.
The next thing is working to increase NEAT. Made a huge difference in body comp. It’s another motivation to get me working on house chores, too, because I get that added bonus of contributing to NEAT.
Prior to following a program, I was attending small group strength classes at my gym. While I loved it, I did find once I compared it to a program that it wasn’t focused enough, if that makes sense. I loved the trainer who ran the class, but I did feel like her goal was just to make everyone sore and see how many calories she could get people’s watches to say they burned.
When I switched to a program with a focus on actual muscle building, it was hard to let go of that “balls to the wall” feeling and I was worried I would gain weight at first…but I found the opposite to be true. I started building muscle at a faster rate and workouts were much more enjoyable. I started dropping fat at a decent rate, too.
This also beats showing up to the gym and just doing my own thing. I like knowing that a program is structured to take me from point a to b if I do what it says.
The next thing is working to increase NEAT. Made a huge difference in body comp. It’s another motivation to get me working on house chores, too, because I get that added bonus of contributing to NEAT.
@robcallow I have done several from the guys at Mind Pump. Their programs are called MAPS. I have done MAPS Anabolic (this one is their flagship muscle building program), MAPS Performance (athletic & functional exercise), MAPS Aesthetic (body building style workout), and am now doing MAPS Symmetry (unilateral training program to work on muscle imbalances). I’ve had great results with each one. Anabolic is a great place to start, and a great program to go back to now and then because it’s not just for beginners.
For people where Anabolic is too much to start with, they have a program called MAPS Starter but I haven’t done that one.
If you decide to buy a program from them, don’t do it full price. They have frequent sales and will certainly have a Black Friday code, so sign up for emails.
For people where Anabolic is too much to start with, they have a program called MAPS Starter but I haven’t done that one.
If you decide to buy a program from them, don’t do it full price. They have frequent sales and will certainly have a Black Friday code, so sign up for emails.