I’ve been working out habitually for over a year now.  As a way of marking the occasion, after a workout I would post photos of my bowl of fresh fruit, yoghurt and seeds (what I would like to call my goodness or wellness bowl) on my Instagram.

After every workout I needed to re-fuel and would keep my essentials at the ready on the kitchen counter –  just in case after my session I fell flat on the floor and couldn’t muster up the energy to get all my ingredients together!  Post-workout I would make my smoothie, a cup of matcha tea or my wellness bowl that raised my energy levels and make me feel good. I remember now that I seemed to document more on the happenings after I worked out and not showcase what I did to prep before my workout. I recall keeping a fitness journal and would scribble a few things down before a workout – “my little preparations” –  which I thought I’d share for the interested amongst you.

Listen To Your Body

This may sound fairly easy to do, but trust me, if you’re not feeling your best and either suffering a cold or muscle strains, it might be wise to stop the sweat session until your body is ready for the challenge. I have learned from experience that it is perfectly okay to give yourself a rest day.

    Pick A Playlist

This is my favourite of the list! I have found that listening to the right music while you’re working out is fun and not only that, but studies have shown that listening to music helps improve performance. I would advise before your workout sessions create a playlist of uplifting, mood-enhancing, high-tempo music or sounds to keep you motivated.

  Plan Your Gym Kit

When I first started working out I was advised by my fitness instructor to ensure that I had comfortable and cool activewear packed in my gym bag at the ready the night before, this motivated me to get up every morning, get ready quickly with no qualms about getting my gym kit ready.  I was always ever ready, rather like the energizer bunny!! Take it from me, plan properly and you’ll feel so much better!

  The Right Fuel

I understand everybody has their own way of what fuel works for them, I’m just sharing what has worked for me over the past year.  Now, I like my HIIT sessions and I’ve learnt that having a high-carbohydrate snack or meal (especially before high-intensity sessions) will help you push harder and faster. I would say consume protein within 30 minutes of completing your session to help aid muscle repair.

  Hydration

Hydration – this is very obvious, right?!? Whichever way you take your H20 whether it’s mineral, sparkling, turmeric, lemon, vitamin, coconut water…make sure your body is well hydrated before, during and after your workout session.

    Make A Plan

On occasion I opted to do workouts on my own. I would devise a plan of what workouts I wanted to do – there would be times I would focus on specific body parts, divide time doing some cardio or beating my time on a machine  I would advise that if you’re not going to head to the gym, make a plan of what workouts you want to do, stick to the plan, make it fun because if you don’t have structure, you’ll quit and get sad very quickly – and life is too short to be sad!

  Set Goals

Have you ever watched those marathon runners or athletes who never seem to quit – you see them doing the same thing every year and you wonder how do they do it?  Well, they set goals for themselves. I set a goal for myself last year that I was going to keep fit and healthy within my lifestyle. So far, I have never felt drastically ill, caught a cold that dragged on or felt muscle pains (except for those times attributed to those delicate days! Sorry TMI)

Having fixed fitness goals will keep you motivated and help you stay on track, so I would advise taking a moment to think about your personal aims and keep them in mind.

  Warm Up

Warming up before a session is so important – actually, it’s critical. Please make sure you take a few minutes to get your heart pumping with dynamic movements to ensure your body is properly prepped and don’t forget to stretch with static moves post-session. This will avoid any risk or injury.

    Bring a Friend

A chance to workout with a friend is a great source of motivation and you’re less likely to cancel a gym session or let your friend down.  Having a friend to workout with peps you up and what’s more, when your workout session is over you can both head outside and have a delicious smoothie at your favourite hangout!

    ♦ ♦ ♦

    I hope this information has been useful and provided some inspiration in how to prepare for your workout.

Happy prepping!