6 Ways to Make Your Movement Count
6 Ways to Make Your Movement Count


With our busy lifestyles, it can be challenging to find time to exercise. If you’re striving to incorporate more movement into your weekly routine, chances are that you need to do it in the most effective way possible. While increasing your physical activity at any capacity is commendable, there are a few tricks to make sure that you’re getting the most out of every workout session.

  1. Power up with protein. Protein plays an essential role in repairing and rebuilding muscles after exercise; however, research shows that it doesn’t matter whether it’s consumed before or after your workout – it will help recovery efforts either way. Enjoy protein-rich snacks before or after your workout like hard-cooked eggs, dates with nut butter, Greek yogurt with fruit, or a smoothie with protein powder, peanut butter and a banana.
     
  2. Try a higher intensity workout for a shorter amount of time. Also known as high-intensity interval training or HIIT, this workout involves short periods of intense exercise alternated with recovery periods. This workout style can boost metabolic rate, help with fat loss, retain muscle, improve oxygen consumption, and reduce heart rate and blood pressure.
     
  3. Focus on different muscle groups at the same time. Whether it’s a lunge with a curl or squats as you lift weights, hybrid exercises will not only help you burn more calories, but they’re also more time-efficient.
     
  4. Choose exercises you enjoy doing. Nothing’s less motivating than doing exercises you dislike. When you push yourself to partake in workouts you don’t enjoy, it’s likely you won’t keep it up for very long or maintain consistency with your efforts. Do your best to be intentional with how you want to exercise, and plan for activities and movements that you enjoy doing, whether it’s walking, running, swimming, biking or yoga.
     
  5. Mix things up. While creating consistent workout routines is often a good thing, you want to make sure you’re challenging yourself enough and preventing boredom. Once your body gets used to the stress level of an exercise, the exercise becomes less effective. It’s also good to allow specific muscles to rest while focusing on others.
     
  6. Stretch it out. Dynamic stretches warm your muscles and raise your temperature and heart rate, preparing your body for the activity. Performing a variety of stretches also boosts your range of motion, which can help you get deeper into your exercises and see more results. Partake in feel-good stretches before and after your workout to tend to your muscles and maximize your efforts.