How to Stay Motivated During the Holidays

Did you know that the average person usually gains about eight to twelve pounds during the holiday season? I know that this is definitely one present we do not want to be receiving this year. The holiday season can be a hectic and stressful time, which can cause us to become less motivated and more stationary, and then you put an enticing spread of food out in front of us. I mean, what else is there for us to do except eat ourselves through the season? Well, for starters, we need to remember our fitness and weight loss goals and hang in there. I know it can be tough, but we really want to accomplish our goals, right? The more active we become, the more we can relieve our holiday season stress and find more energy to complete everything we need to do for the holidays. So, how can we stay motivated throughout the holidays? Here are just a few tricks you can try.

• Stick with your schedule. You have your fitness routine pretty much nailed down, and you should try not to deter from it too much during the holiday season. I know that there is so much more you are responsible for and so many parties you have to go to, but you can not allow that to interfere with your fitness routine. The more you stick to your regular schedule, the easier it will be to hit the gym.

• Write down everything you eat and drink. During the holidays, it is easy to forget what you ate. You may find yourself overindulging at parties and not knowing exactly how many calories or how much fat you have just consumed. You may also tend to eat out more, so you have to be extra careful of what you are putting into your body. Most women tend to load up on most of their calories when they go out through drinking. You have to watch out for alcoholic beverages, sodas and specialty coffee drinks. They can really do a number on your caloric and fat intake for the day.

• Find an exercise buddy or online community. Many people need the help of others to keep them going, and that is where an exercise buddy comes in handy. They can push you and challenge you to stay with your routine. However, if you feel the need to be alone when you workout, there are many online communities that can be of use. These communities can help you track your goals and keep you in touch with others who are trying to power through their regular fitness routine. It can be a boost to have someone on your side either in real life or online.

• Spend some quality time with family. Holidays are the time for families to come together and celebrate. So, why not spend some quality time together being active? You could play a nice game of touch football or head to the park or nature trails for a nice run or hike. There are so many things that your family can do together that can get them moving, and I am sure the kids will be super excited to burn off some excess energy.

• Ask for a gym membership for Christmas. This is one of the best ways to ensure that you stick with your fitness routine. You can choose your favorite gym or activity and have one of your family or friends give you the best gift of all, fitness and health. You should feel more than obliged to go, especially since your friend spent money on you to help you maintain your fitness routine. They do not want to see you fail and are offering the best support, so go out there and get fit.

• Never give up. I know that there will be times when the holidays get you down or seem too hectic, but you can not let that get to you. If you really want to achieve your goals, you will find a way to stick with it. However, if you have been searching for an excuse to quit your fitness routine, you will surely find it during the holidays. If you do find yourself slipping, do not be too hard on yourself. You need to get right back in there and find your groove before it is too late.

The holidays can be a hard time for many of us, and even though, some people just love the holidays, there are some of us who can not wait for them to be over. If you happen to be one of the ones who are so stressed and feeling as if you are at your ropes end, do not give up on your fitness routine. Stay motivated, and you may just find that your fitness routine is the best way to release some of that pent up stress.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-stay-motivated-during-the-holidays/

How to Succeed in Your Weight Loss Routine

Achieving your fitness and weight loss goals require a lot of hard work and dedication. Many of us experience difficulty trying to lose weight, while we notice others can’t stop shedding those pounds. How do they do it? We like to think that they have those perfect genes that allow them to eat whatever they want and only exercise a little but still stay slim, or maybe they have found out some long lost secret to losing weight. Well, this may be true for a very small number of them. Most of them know there are certain habits that successful dieters have to follow and follow them to a tee. This means that in order to turn your weight loss nightmare into a success story, all you need to do is incorporate these habits into your daily routine.

1. Set small, attainable goals. Most of us focus on losing weight and unfortunately a lot of it. We set a goal to lose thirty pounds in a month. However, these bigger, more spread out goals that only focus on our weight may be doing more damage than good. You should try setting smaller goals over a shorter period of time. This should get you moving, especially when you begin to notice that you are accomplishing these goals throughout your fitness routine. You could set goals such as eating more vegetable, increasing your daily water intake, lifting a few more pounds or adding some extra distance to your run. The more attributes of your routine that you can focus on, the more you can celebrate. This should have you motivated and ready to rock your fitness routine in no time.

2. Allow yourself a few breaks. We all think that in order to achieve our weight loss goals, we have to stick to a strict schedule. We think we have to workout for hours on end to get the body we want. However, when you start out too hard on yourself, it is hard to slow down. You will only push yourself past your breaking point. By being too strict on yourself, you will only set yourself up for failure. Allow yourself some time to rest and relax from your fitness routine and give yourself enough rest days (2-3 a week) and you may be surprised at how much you can achieve.

3. All work and no play. Most of us believe that diet and exercise can’t be fun. It is a chore to us that has to be done. This attitude can put you down the right path. You need to make your fitness routine fun, and it can easily be done. You can look for new and exciting recipes to learn. Your taste buds can have the chance to experience new flavors and tastes. Just because your food is not full of calories or fat, does not mean it has to be tasteless. So, dive into those cookbooks and find something new and interesting. As far as the physical part of your routine goes, you can seek out new things in that area too. You can look into taking different types of fitness classes. There are so many out there that appeal to different types of people. You could learn a martial art like kickboxing, karate or tae kwon do. You could take a dance class like jazz, ballroom or modern. You could take yoga, a spin class, aerobics, whatever keeps you interested and motivated.

It can be frustrating trying to lose weight and feeling as if you are going nowhere. You put in all this hard work, and it just does not seem to pay off. It may be time to switch up your routine or add something new and exciting. You could reach out to others for ideas or help. You may need to take a step back and reevaluate your routine or your goals, but the main thing is to never give up. If you keep trying, you are bound to come up with a routine that works for you.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-succeed-in-your-weight-loss-routine/

How to Get Your Fitness Groove Back

You have been on the fast track to achieving your goals. You workout regularly, you are only eating the best foods, and your goals are within arm’s reach. You feel as if you are on top of the world, and nothing can stop you. But, then it happens. Something comes up and throws your routine off track. Then we find ourselves skipping a few workouts and hitting the drive thrus for lunch and dinner. We have become a coach potato mindlessly flipping through the tv channels and telling ourselves tomorrow we will get things back together. We will stop eating junk and hit the gym, but tomorrow never seems to come. This has happened to most of us. We fall off the wagon and just need to find the right thing that will help us get back up. So, what can you do to get your fitness groove back? I am glad you asked. Here are a few things that can help you get off the couch and back into the gym.

• Revisit your goals. The whole reason you started working out was to accomplish something. You need to look back on what you wanted to achieve and stick with it. You need to wake up with the mindset that you are going to get one step closer to your goal today and act on it. You can write down a timeline for your goals on your calendar, set reminders on your phone or leave post it notes on your mirror. Anything you can do that keeps your goals fresh in your mind and helps you to stay motivated will help keep your fitness routine from stalling once again.

• Evaluate yourself. If there was a personal reason behind your fitness routine stalling, then you need to pinpoint the exact reason and put an end to it. You need to try to keep your personal affairs out of the gym, or they will just revisit you once again and continuously wreak havoc on your fitness routine. So, do not let the stress of other parts of your life interfere with you achieving your fitness goals. Besides if you are stressed in your personal life or at your workplace, the best place for you to be is in the gym working off that stress in a healthy way instead of feeding those feelings while drinking wine on your couch staring blankly at your tv. So, get up and get motivated because you have goals to achieve.

• Reassess your peers. What type of people are you associating with? Are they a good influence on you and your goals? If not, you may need to start hanging out with different people. The saying like attracts like applies here. If you hang out with inactive people, you are more likely to be inactive, but if you hang out with athletic people, then you will be more likely to get active and achieve your fitness goals. You may want to deny that others affect you, but a study performed by the University of California-Davis grouped college students with thirty randomly selected students and discovered that these students actually adopted the diet and exercise patterns of the least fit person in their groupings. This means that the company you keep can affect how you approach your fitness goals.

• Mix it up a little. It can become boring doing the same thing over and over for days on end, and your fitness routine is no different. It is easy to lose focus when you are not excited about going to the gym or entirely engaged in your fitness routine. You need to look back and determine if this was the deciding factor in quitting your fitness routine. If it was, then it is time to seek out new things. Try a new fitness class, research a different type of fitness routine, buy a new fitness dvd or look for some different scenery. You may be surprised at how much adding a little something different to your routine can get you back into your groove and looking forward to working out.

This scenario has happened to most of us. In fact, a huge majority of us have fallen off the fitness wagon at some point in our lives. However, we have to remember that there are always going to be bumps along the road, and we will have to work hard to come up with creative ways to get over these bumps.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-get-your-fitness-groove-back/

Three Benefits to Working Out in Cold Weather

It is that time of year again. We can say goodbye to the sun and warm weather and hello to the cold breeze of winter. This downright chilly season can have a lot of us wondering what we can do about our outdoor fitness routine. Many of us long for that nice long morning run, but we seem to scamper away from the outside as if it is poison once the temperatures start to dip. However, there is no reason why you have to take your workout indoors. You can actually benefit from exercising in cooler weather. It helps you become more energized, burn more calories and can improve your mood, so instead of hiding from the cold, you should embrace it.

Increased energy

Fresh air can do a lot of good for your body. It can empower you and give you that little boost you may be needing to get over certain hurdles in your fitness routine. Most of us do not know that the summer heat and humidity can seem to drag our bodies down. You may notice that during your summer runs, you seem to tire out quickly, but those winter runs have a totally different effect. The cold air most likely will have an invigorating effect on you and stimulate you to work harder. You feel as if you could run longer than before. That is right; nothing can stand in your way, especially not the cold.

Burn more calories

Did you know that researchers have discovered that race times are actually faster in cooler weather than in warmer weather? These quicker run times add up to more calories burnt for you. Your body is actually making itself work harder in the colder temperatures, so you can reap the maximum benefits from your everyday fitness routine. This means you will achieve the results that you have been craving in a shorter amount of time. These winter workouts can do wonders when it comes to shaping your body and achieving your fitness goals, which can be a real deciding factor when you are trying to pull yourself out of bed at five in the morning.

Improve your mood

We all know that our bodies release endorphins as we workout. However, the harder your body works out, the more endorphins are released. And, as we stated before, your body tends to work harder in cooler temperatures. This means more feel good hormones are released, and you benefit by an even bigger boost to your mood. Winter is the time that many of us will need this mood boost. Many people become depressed or sad because of the shorter days and longer nights. It has been proven that people need to have some exposure to sunlight to feel happier, and winter may make it difficult for us to get the recommended amount of sunlight. So, why not go for a run or take a walk in the park on those days that you feel kind of down? It just might help you achieve a better state of mind.

You do not have to allow the cold weather trap you inside. You can still go out and enjoy the outdoors. However, you need to be prepared for the chill in the air. Try to take the necessary precautions in order to stay safe. If it is too dark, raining heavily or snowing, you may want to stay inside, but if it is a pretty day, then take advantage of it. You can go a little stir crazy or become depressed if you try to lock yourself in all winter, so get out there and have some fun.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/three-benefits-to-working-out-in-cold-weather/

How to Relieve Sore Muscles

It is normal to experience a little soreness after working out, especially if you have added a few changes to your fitness routine. It can be fun to mix it up every now and then, but muscle soreness is something you should be expecting when you do this. If you up the intensity, lengthen your workout time or perform new moves, your body has to have the time to get use to it. This all adds up to a higher risk of experiencing some body aches. So, how do you cope with these aches and still continue your fitness routine? Here are a few tips to help you get through these times and back to your fitness routine as soon as possible.

• Indirectly ice it. Most experts recommend wrapping an ice pack in a thin towel and applying it to the affected area. This should give you instant relief, help lessen the damage done and speed healing. While a heat pack may feel great while it is on, it will not lessen the damage done or help your aches go away sooner. So, you should put ice on the sore area, and if you feel the need to add heat later, it will not hurt. In fact, heat will help to increase your circulation and ease your joint pain when applied after your ice pack.

• Take a bath. Many people love the feeling of a nice bath on their sore and achy muscles. It can enhance your circulation and give you some temporary relief from the pain. Also, if you add epsom salts to your bath, you can get an added boost to relieving your sore muscles. You can even find epsom salts that are specifically geared towards relieving those sore and achy muscles. You could even splurge on some nicely scented ones that will help you relax after your long, hard workout.

• Drink plenty of water. We all know that water is a main component of our workouts. We have to stay hydrated. If you do happen to become dehydrated, it will only make your sore muscles feel worse. Therefore, you should always drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout to try to prevent the onset of sore muscles and to help ease the pain just in case you happen to overdo it.

• Stretch. Stretching is an important part of every fitness routine. Before you cool all the way down, you need to stretch your muscles. You do not want to allow them to stiffen before you get the chance to stretch them. By stretching, you are helping your muscles become more flexible and increasing the flow of oxygen to them. This increased oxygen will help your muscles relax and recover. So, you need to remember to stretch at the end of every workout to reduce your chances of being sore and achy.

• Rest. You need to get plenty of sleep and relaxation. Sleep is the time your body uses to repair itself, so by denying yourself sleep, you are denying your body the chance to repair itself. You also need to take it easy until your muscles have completely healed. This means cutting back on your workout and enjoying a little bit of down time. You do not have to quit your fitness routine entirely, but you need to pay attention to your body and try not push yourself too hard while your body is trying to recover. Play it safe and take it easy for a few days, and then see how your body feels before jumping back into your normal fitness routine.

It is normal to experience muscle soreness every now and then from your fitness routine, but if you are experiencing it more and more or if the pain is more intense, then you need to seek the advice of your doctor. You do not want to have an injury and push through it because you will only end up making the injury much worse and taking a longer break from your fitness routine than you planned. Therefore, you need to play it safe and take the time needed to repair your sore muscles.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-relieve-sore-muscles/

4 Diet Myths We Need to Toss

There are many misunderstandings when it comes to dieting. There are a lot of rumors floating around out there that any of us take for truths. Whether we know the real facts or not can cause major havoc in our diets. If we believe these false truths, we could end up sabotaging our weight loss goals. Here we have gathered four of the most common diet myths and help you find different ways to go about dieting that can get you those results you have been craving.

1. If your aim is to lose weight, then you have to cut back on food. This is often not true. You should never starve yourself to lose weight. Instead we need to learn about portion control and eating healthy foods. If you try to eat less, it could cause you to be in a very bad mood and make you eat more unhealthy foods at the end of your day. However, when you eat properly throughout the day, you will feel more satisfied and more eager to follow this type of nutritious meal plan.

2. Fat in any form is bad. A lot of us think that we have to eliminate all fat from our diets. This is not actually true, as many of us can’t seem to believe. There are different types of fat, and some of them are bad for us, (think fried chicken or doughnuts) while others happen to be essential for us. So, if you are opting for fat free items because you think it will fast track your weight loss, then you’re missing the mark. Your body has to have a certain amount of fat to process certain vitamins antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin D, and vitamin E. So, do not be afraid to allow the proper amount of healthy fats in your diet. Nut butters, lite cheeses, oils and avocado are great examples. Fats should be 20-30% of your diet daily.

3. Meals low in fat and salt have no flavor. There are multiple ways to incorporate different flavors and tastes into your meal. You do not have to rely on fat and salt to bring you flavor. You could try some new spices, experiment with different herbs and look for healthy types of condiments. You never know how much they can take your food to the next level without adding fat or sodium to your diet, until you try them. However, if you are buying ready made spice mixtures, you should check the label for its sodium content just to be sure. Many pre made seasoning kits come with salt already added.

4. You have to bake or steam your food to lose weight. Many of us believe that in order to eat healthy and lose weight, we have to cook all our food by baking or steaming it. This is not true and can get pretty boring eating the same thing over and over. You need to branch out and realize there are other healthy ways to cook your food. However, you could try grilling, roasting, sauteing or broiling your food. This way you could get a little more variety in your meals, and you would still be eating a healthy and nutritious meal that is full of flavor and still supports your weight loss goals.

It can be a long hard struggle trying to lose weight, and we do not need to be following false truths trying to reach our ideal weight. This will only lead to failure and disappointment. So, do the proper research before you believe any weight loss gossip that happens to be floating around. Healthy living is fun when you do it right!

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/4-diet-myths-we-need-to-toss/

5 Motivational Techniques to Help You Through Your Fitness Routine

Losing weight is not an easy task. You have to remain consistent with your efforts and give it your all if you want to be able to see any type of results. This is a lot easier said than done for most of us. We have a hectic schedule that is not fitness friendly, we want immediate results and do not put in as much effort as we should. So, how can we get back on track and give our fitness routines all the effort and energy it needs to be successful? We have to stay motivated, and we need to find that one thing that gives us the push we need when we need it. So, here are just a few techniques you can try to help you stay motivated during your weight loss journey.

1. Take it one day at a time. This means you should not overwhelm yourself. You only have to get through today, so eat as you should today and workout as you should today. Do not worry about tomorrow because you will get to that tomorrow and rock it, of course. So, get on with today and forget about the worries of tomorrow.

2. Make proper goals. Some of us expect to lose a lot of weight instantly, and this is not usually realistic. It will take a while to see results. It would be unhealthy and hurt us in the long run if this were to happen. So, you need to set realistic goals that you can achieve with a little hard work. There is nothing more devastating than not achieving our goals. You could take a huge blow to your motivation and confidence if you were to set an unachievable goal, and this may cause an abrupt end to your fitness routine.

3. Believe in yourself. You need to be your biggest cheerleader. You need to stay positive and surround yourself with positivity. If you believe that you can do it, then you will do it. However, if you do not think you can do it, then you will fail. So, stay positive and push yourself to get the results that you want. Remember, with a little hard work you can do it!

4. Reward yourself. You have to take notice of the little things. Every accomplishment is progress and should be treated as such. Just because you have not reached your weight loss goal, does not mean other things should not be celebrated. If you were able to run an extra lap, added five more pounds to your normal strength training routine or added ten more reps to your usual workout, then you should acknowledge it and reward yourself. You can buy some new clothes, get together with friends or take some quality time for you.

5. Try not to compare your progress to other’s progress. It is hard to do this when you are at the gym. You may see others around you that you think are easily achieving their goals. However, you are doing yourself a huge disservice by comparing yourself to others. We are all different and our bodies react differently to different stimuli. The people you are comparing yourself to may have been working out much longer than you, have different goals or be at a different fitness level than you. You do not know what their story is, so focus on you and your progress. You need to be proud of the accomplishments you are making and not being jealous of the progress of others.

It can be a long, hard road when it comes to trying to lose weight, but if you stick with it  and put in the time and effort needed, you will achieve your goals. So, get out there, get motivated and get the body that you want.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/5-motivational-techniques-to-help-you-through-your-fitness-routine/

4 Tips to Easily Schedule Your Fitness Routine

Today’s world is hectic for many of us. We have so much to do and so little time to do it in. When you look at the time you spend at your job, running household errands, taking care of the kids, spending time with your spouse and trying to fit in some quality you time, it is no wonder that most of us can not find the time to schedule in a consistent and regular fitness routine. However, we know we need to have a consistent fitness routine in order to stay fit and healthy. So, how can we schedule our fitness routines in these hectic times? We have compiled a list of tips that should make it a little easier for you to schedule and stick to a consistent fitness routine.

1. Use a planner. It is your choice to use an online planner or a handwritten planner, whichever one you feel more comfortable with and are more likely to never lose. You should use this planner to keep your day planned out as much as possible. Your planner needs to be extremely detailed. You want to include everything you are doing by the hour and stick to it.

2. Be specific with your workout times. You need to have a specific time written in your planner of when you are going to workout. If your planner says to be at the gym at 7 AM, then you need to do everything in your power to be at the gym at 7 AM. It is unavoidable that some days life will happen and throw off your planner, but you need to be prepared for this to happen. It never hurts to schedule in some extra workout time during the week just in case something comes up and you miss your normal workout time.

3. Stay consistent. You should try to schedule the same time and same days each week to workout. Your body will become use to this schedule, and you will eventually find yourself on the way to the gym without having to put much thought into it. It will become a habit, and when fitness becomes a habit, you will be on your way to achieving the body of your dreams in no time.

4. Remember your goals. There will be days when it is going to be harder to stick to your fitness routine. You may feel tired after a long day, feeling as if there is something more pressing you need to do at this time or feel too stressed to focus on your workout right now. However, you have to keep in mind the reasons why you started in the first place. There were certain goals you wished to accomplish by starting your fitness routine, and by keeping these goals in mind, you should be able to find your motivation and stick with your fitness routine.

It can be difficult trying to fit everything we need to do into our days; however, we need to remember our goals and how important our fitness routines are in our lives. And, who knows? With a little hard work and focus on all the little details, we may just be able to make our days a little bit more organized and productive.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/4-tips-to-easily-schedule-your-fitness-routine/

Don’t Fear the Gym

Most of us know we need to have a consistent fitness routine to stay fit and healthy these days. But, what do you do if you are a gym-a-phobe, otherwise known as someone who is afraid of the gym? There are many people who go out of their way to purchase a gym membership but never use it. This can sound crazy to some of us. I mean why would you spend money on something you are not going to use? Most likely these people keep on having the best of intentions to finally get in and start their fitness journey. There are many reasons and excuses people can come up with for being afraid of the gym, but our goal should be trying to understand these reasons and helping them overcome their fears. So, here are a few ways you can overcome these fears or help your friends overcome them.

 

• Do some research. The first thing you need to do is have a plan. You have to know ahead of time what type of exercises you will be doing and how to properly perform these exercises. There is an abundance of information available online to help you discover fitness routines that can fit your needs and goals. You can even look at pictures, diagrams and videos to see the proper way to perform these routines. If you are a fitness newbie or struggling in this area, you should have a trainer map out your routine and correct your form as you exercise. You do not want to injure yourself by making a mistake in your form.

• Do not panic. A lot of us feel as if everyone’s eyes are on us. They are watching every move we make and waiting to laugh at us when we make a stupid mistake. This is not true. Everyone else is too busy doing their own workouts or thinking that everyone else is watching them. So, try to calm down and go with the flow. If you happen to make a mistake, so what? Move on to your next set or take a breather. Remember the only thing that matters is that you are working on achieving your fitness goals.

• Bring a friend. Some of us may have a problem relaxing in an environment where we do not know anyone. So, the best option for us would be to bring a buddy. You will have some support with you and a familiar face to help calm your fears. Some of us feel that we are stronger united, so why not invite some friends along? As an added plus, many researchers have found that using the buddy system helps people stick with their fitness routines.

• Put on your headphones. Music can help ease our anxiety, get our heart pumping and help us escape into our own little world. Most people can focus on the music blaring in their ears and forget the others around them in the gym. So, if you want to get super motivated and forget about those around you supposedly judging you, then bringing your own music to the gym may be the way to go.

• Do not be afraid to ask for help. The people that work at the gym are there to help you. They can help you find the proper equipment and find the answers to any questions or concerns you may have. They are employed by the gym to make your workouts the best experience they can be. So, never be afraid to ask for help if you need it. You never know they may prevent you from injuring yourself, or they could help you reach your goals a little bit faster.

It can be scary trying new things. I get it, but you can not succumb to your fears. Once you go to your local gym and try it out, you will see that it is truly not that scary. In fact, most of the gyms I have been to have been a lot of fun. So, take a chance and do not let your fears stop you from getting the body that you want.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/dont-fear-the-gym/

How to Decipher Your Body’s Signals

Many of us believe that to get the results that we want fast, we have to feel some pain and then push ourselves past that level of pain. However, exercise can be uncomfortable at times. We all know that it is a lot of hard work, and we have to keep working a little bit harder and a little bit longer to achieve the best results. However, it should never be painful. So, how do you know when you have surpassed the discomfort and are in true pain? As most people say, you have to listen to your body, but this can be hard for a lot of us, especially for those new to fitness or ones trying a new exercise routine. So, here we have a list of common injuries that may occur when you push yourself too hard, too fast, and the signals your body may be sending you to prevent them.

• Over training. This happens when you go into your workout like you could conquer the world. You think you not need breaks, and you have to be in the gym everyday to feel the burn. This kind of thinking will only wreck your body and put an abrupt end to your fitness routine. You need to allow yourself some down time to allow your body to adjust to your routine and repair itself after all that hard work. Your body will send you signals that you are working too hard. You just have to know what to look for. If you have experienced continuous amounts of fatigue, insomnia, soreness that just won’t go away or a cold that you can not get over, then it is probably time for you to take a break from your routine. You should get some down time with plenty of sleep and nutritious meals to allow your body the chance to rest and repair itself.

• Working out with an injury. You have experienced an injury, but you do not want to put an end to your fitness routine. So, you think that the best option for you is to push through the pain and continue as normal. However, you have to realize your body is not ‘normal’ during an injury. Your body is sending you signals that you can not exercise as you have before. If you notice a certain area of your body having a constant and persistent type of pain or continuous dull aches and a smaller range of mobility, then you are on your way to doing some serious damage. So, stop eating ibuprofen like candy or wrapping whichever area of your body hurts and take a break. It would also be wise to visit your doctor if the pain persists and to help speed up your recovery time.

• Not getting enough sleep. Your body has to repair itself after a grueling workout, and sleep gives your body the chance to relax and repair itself. Therefore, we need to ensure that we are getting enough sleep to allow our bodies the required downtime. The worst part is that our lack of sleep can affect more than just our fitness routines such as our attitudes, our eating habits and increasing the levels of certain stress hormones. Sleepless nights can wreck your entire day, so you should be aware of the warning signals your body will send you. You may notice your energy levels crashing throughout the day, unusual hunger, an increased number of mood swings, a lack in motor functions and problems concentrating if you are sleep deprived. You will also have problems staying alert and awake even after ingesting caffeine and other energy drinks. You may need to start scheduling a time to go to bed or visit a sleep specialist if your sleep problem persists.

It may sound so easy to listen to our bodies to avoid fitness injuries, but a lot of us may know the saying but not know the signals to look for. It can be difficult trying to decipher all the pain signals from our regular everyday discomfort. However, with a few of the descriptions above, you may be well on your way to understanding your body’s warning signals.

– See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-decipher-your-bodys-signals/