The trend of fitness has always been an appealing one for most individuals. The idea of staying in shape, flaunting a well built physique has ignited the pillars of attraction for some, been a status symbol for some and for others worked as a boon in general health and well being. However, with many false claims, beliefs, hoaxes and improper guidance surrounding the industry, many aspiring fitness freaks have been deprived of the goals that they had set for themselves. Here are a few things all fitness enthusiasts and models do, but obviously you don’t know them. Even if you do, you are far from putting them into practice. Read on :
1. They are regular and consistent in their approach
So you think you don’t have the time to hit the gym five days a week for one hour? Well then sadly, you won’t make much progress, especially if you are in the beginning phase and struggling to get results. Motivating yourself constantly and staying dedicated to your goals is the way to go. Change is hard to get and you will always find difficulties coming your way.
On some days you would feel busy, whilst on other days you will be pained and procrastinating. Fight it! The newer fitter and healthier you is waiting months down the lane.
2. They take their diet very seriously
The saying “you are what you eat” holds true here. A well planned diet with the right amount of calories and a good macro and micro nutrient split to support your goals plays a big role in determining the progress you will make to your goals. If facts are taken into consideration, out of the 24 hours we have in one day, we just spend 1-2 hours working out, that is if we workout at all (pun intended!) and more time is spend fuelling our body and with the foods we eat.
So your favorite fitness models supporting ‘eye-candy’ physiques all year have many sacrifices to make when it comes to the kitchen. However, this doesn’t mean that they don’t enjoy themselves and satisfy their cravings. (This subject is open for advanced discussion). Anyhow when it comes to fitness, diet is the key.
3. They exercise smart!
Many of us are fooled by our so called ‘Gym Bros’ and trainers that the more you exercise, or rather the more intense your workouts are, the better are your results. Surely, progressive overload (to expose our targeted muscle groups to their limit, for them to emerge stronger) is necessary for maximizing muscle growth BUT this doesn’t quite mean that you work out 4 hours a day and drain out your muscle growth even before it starts. That is doing more harm than good.
For general fitness too, training and growing gradually is the key. A workout by no means should last longer than 2 hours (unless you are Arnold Schwarzenegger) and should contain exercises targeting one muscle group at a time so that its potential can be maximized.
4. They respect the word ‘rest’ and give it its due importance
Many people believe that if they are working out hard and eating well, they are through. This is in my opinion, an invitation to catastrophe. You are working out hard, which means that you are exposing your body to triumph and difficulty .Your muscles are breaking down and they need to recover. Moreover, you are eating a healthy and well balanced diet so you need it to digest well in order to give you the best results.
This is only possible if your body receives enough rest to cope up with your strenuous workouts. As an estimate, for those who work out regularly, require at least 6-8 hours of rest to maximize their growth and to equip themselves for more intense workouts gradually. So next time you look for loopholes in your fitness routine, keep your midnight texting number one on the culprit list.
5. They follow a top notch nutrition and supplementation plan
As stated earlier, a diet with the right amount of calories and nutrients sorted, works wonders in helping us achieve our desired results better and faster. Along with a healthy diet, many fitness freaks use supplements to overcome loopholes in nutrition. The supplement industry, especially in our country has been a subject of heated debate because of the black marketing involved in the industry. Also, many myths and taboos formed by people (who have never even been to a gym) have contributed to the negativity involved.
Hence, people consider supplements as harmful and unnatural muscle boosters which obviously, is not true. Supplements, if used alongside a solid diet and exercise routine, contribute to lasting muscle growth. Research has shown that, not only supplements help us reach our goals faster but also contribute to equip us with the right nutrition and general well being, which alone diet cannot do (Considering how processed and chemically prepared our foods are, lacking nutrition).
If you get a firm hold of all these basic guidelines, you are in for some great results. Work hard, keep progressing!
Amitoj Singh for DU Beat.
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