There’s loads of tips and tricks out there that ‘experts’ claim will benefit your fitness. If you’re a little overwhelmed by it all, we’ve put together a list of five fitness tips that although might seem a little strange, should give you concrete results.
1. Chocolate milk as a recovery drink
It might not be the first thing that you would consider drinking after your workout, but chocolate milk is thought to be a great option to help you recover. Results of a study by Indiana University found that athletes who drank chocolate milk were not as tired in their second intense workout, compared to participants who took on board a sports drink.
Another study from researchers at the University of Texas backed up these findings. Athletes who were given chocolate milk in their study had faster race times compared to athletes who drank sports drinks. Chocolate milk is thought to be a good recovery drink as it contains protein, calcium and antioxidants.
2. Add ice to your water bottle
A simple yet effective fitness trick is to add ice to the water bottle you use during your workouts. One study undertaken by a Stanford University School of Medicine researcher found obese female participants exercised for a longer duration when they held a cooling device, in comparison to those who didn’t. The research proposed that the women holding something cold could exercise for a longer duration because their internal temperature was slower to increase.
The women didn’t hold as much heat and as a result were able to continue with their workout. Freeze your water bottle before or add some ice cubes to try to increase the amount of time you can exercise for.
3. Run barefoot
The topic of barefoot running has been one of much controversy in the running world since the book, Born To Run was published in 2009. Many people jumped onboard with the idea of ditching the running shoes, claiming that training barefoot can benefit your health and your training; especially for runners who are injury prone. However the debate surrounding this fitness tip remains ongoing and the research into barefoot running is somewhat limited.
Barefoot, a group based in Toronto who support the notion, claim that running without shoes can improve circulation, poor posture and give you stronger bones. Their claims are backed by another study which found that barefoot running resulted in a four per cent energy expenditure decrease. Therefore running without your shoes could potentially improve your race time and increase the length of time you can run for.
4. Caffeine
This is a great fitness tip for all of the coffee lovers out there. The University of Nebraska found that consuming caffeine before a workout before a workout can help you burn more fat during your training. This is because caffeine can increase your metabolism and black coffee before exercise can make the body burn fat as an energy source, as oppose to glycogen.
Another study from the University of Illinois found that those who consumed caffeine before their workout reported less muscle pain than those who didn’t take any on board. This quick fitness tip could help you workout for longer and at a higher intensity. Alongside all of this, caffeine can also help improve your focus so that you can really make the most of your workouts.
5. Get vocal
If you want to improve your fitness then it might be time you started to shout about it. One fitness program, IntenSati works on this principle, encouraging participants in their classes to get vocal and recite positive affirmations and phrases such as; ‘I am strong’ and ‘I can do this,’ while performing exercises such as interval training, dance, martial arts and yoga.
IntenSati claims to train the mind, body and spirit and concept behind the technique is that shouting words of encouragement helps to motivate the individual and change their mentality towards training. The vocal addition to the classes is also used as a way to distract participants from any tiredness or pain they may be feeling from the workout.
