How To Make Exercise Part of Your Daily Routine

Fitting a workout into your busy schedule can be a struggle, so it’s important to get the most out of each session and integrate your routine into your daily life. If you’re trying to make exercise a habit, try these four tips to make working out as automatic as your morning coffee.

Pre- or Post-Workout: Add Protein to Your Diet

Whatever your favorite workout is, it’s important to get enough protein to support your fitness goals, and shakes are a convenient way to make that happen. Experts agree that good nutrition is the best thing you can do to support your exercise routine, but there always seems to be plenty of discussion among exercisers about the best time for a shake.

Fortunately, it doesn’t matter as much as the arguments might have you think. Researchers split a group of gym goers into two sets; one set had protein before working out, the other after. Both groups did the same workout for the same period of time. But there was no significant difference in any of the metrics the experimenters studied, and they concluded that timing your protein is mostly a matter of personal preference. Whether you like a protein shake before, after, or during a workout, be sure to start with a quality isolate protein that suits your tastes.

Pre-Workout: Make Time for a Warmup

Your high school gym coach probably made a big deal out of pregame stretching, but many personal trainers have found that their clients, pressed for time and ready for results, have left this advice in the past. It turns out that warming up before a workout can boost your performance—as long as you do it right. Recent studies have demonstrated that the best warm ups are light, short, and related to your workout, and your goal should be to increase blood flow and break a sweat to prime your body for later, more intense efforts.

What should you avoid during a warmup? Static stretching. Stressing cold muscles can tire them out before you even start exercising. Dynamic stretches, which move your muscles through a full range of motion, are a better option for your pre-workout routine.

Post-Workout: Change Clothes Right Away

With the athleisure boom, the same stretchy, comfortable fabrics you want for a workout have become appropriate for almost every activity not deemed “business casual.” Does it really matter if your workout wear turns into post-workout wear? Unfortunately, the same tight clothes that make you feel supported during down dog are great at trapping sweat and dirt against your skin, and all that moisture is a perfect environment for growing odor-generating bacteria.

Combined with the potential for skin inflammation after a workout, since you’re generating a lot of heat, keeping your workout clothes on after your routine isn’t the best idea, especially if you’ve ever suffered from acne or folliculitis in the past. If you absolutely can’t shower right away, use a deodorant wipe for the sweatiest areas, change into a clean outfit, and stash your workout gear in a sealable bag to keep odors under wraps.

Post-Workout: Get Plenty of Sleep

Between working out, making healthy food, and everything else on your plate, sleep sometimes takes a back seat to the rest of life. However, recent research has proven that whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or improve performance, getting enough sleep is key to meeting your fitness goals.

That said, feeling a little groggy in the morning shouldn’t stop you from exercising; as long as you’ve slept seven or eight hours, you can make it through your workout with no ill effects. If, however, you haven’t slept at all or you haven’t slept for more than six hours the last several nights, your performance will start to suffer. Since chronic sleep deprivation is an obstacle to getting in shape, consider reorganizing your schedule if you find yourself justifiably hitting snooze several times a week.

The benefits of exercise don’t stop when you’re done working out, and neither should your efforts to stay healthy. Setting yourself up for success and taking care of yourself when you’re done is just as important as the workout itself.