How to Get Instant Gratification While Exercising

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY FRANCOISE CHAPTAL A woman lifts weight during a crossfit training in a gym in Paris on January 16, 2015. AFP PHOTO / BERTRAND GUAY (Photo credit should read BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images)

We are constantly looking for instant gratification. In a world surrounded with crash diets, extreme makeovers, extreme workouts like insanity and P90X. We want immediate results. Let’s not forget the foods that are brought at the drive thru and fast food places,  and pills that take pain away in an instant.

When it comes to fitness, we want to undo years of bad habits in a matter of weeks or months to look good for a wedding or reunion.  Your body does not lose weight because you did the most recent workout from Muscle magazine. Fat doesn’t just disappear overnight because you ate asparagus with an apple and swallowed a bottle of XYZ  fat burner supplement .

Getting results comes by way of doing little changes, day-in and day-out, over time. Perhaps instead of trying to manipulate your carbohydrates or sodium, you should put in the consistent work needed to drop your body fat down to the level that is required of your physique goals. Perhaps instead of changing resistance training plans haphazardly every week, stick to a science founded training program to maximize long term results. Now or Later with Red Marker

Seeing physical results takes some time, right? While that’s true for outward, aesthetic changes, each workout also has immediate benefits, some within minutes of your workout. And if you focus on those immediate benefits, it makes starting each workout, and sticking to it, that much easier.

Exercise boosts metabolism almost instantaneously. When you raise your heart rate you tell your brain that you’re working, so it starts producing neurochemicals. These neurochemicals boost your mood (more on that later) and they also improve your metabolism, meaning you burn calories even after your workout is over. The effects can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, but it does wear off, so you need to keep exercising for that metabolism spike to stick (although the more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism is around the clock — so strength train!).

Improve mood

Those same neurochemicals that increase your metabolism also improve mood. Exercise floods your body with feel-good endorphins, and the harder you work the more you get, which is often referred to as a runner’s high, making exercise a great way to battle depression, fatigue, insomnia or a regular case of the “blahs.” Studies have also shown people feel more energetic and have lower stress levels after even one workout.

Lower blood pressureneurochemicals

Moderate cardiovascular training can lower blood pressure for 24-48 hours after each workout. With age (as well as poor diet, smoking or hereditary reasons), the blood vessels harden, which raises blood pressure. The hormones that are released during exercise make blood vessels more flexible, lessening the pressure, similar to the effects of blood-pressure prescriptions. By no means should you exercise instead of taking your prescriptions, but if you do take medication to lower your blood pressure, talk with your doctor about using cardio exercise to supplement or lower your dosage.

Regulate blood sugar

When we exercise, our body first uses our blood sugar, or glucose, for fuel. Insulin is the hormone we produce that regulates the amount of glucose that is in our bloodstream. Diabetics have trouble regulating their own insulin, so regular exercise can be helpful and can even lower the amount of medications some diabetics need to take (again, only in consultation with a physician). That’s great if you’re a diabetic — or if you’re not, your blood sugar also regulates your appetite, which means it is suppressed for a significant amount of time after exercise.

Looking to start a fitness program with long term results? Call us TODAY at (917) 432-9418 to set you up with a success session to get you started.    https://highdefinitiontraining.com/contact-us/


One Response

  1. Melanie

    Melanie February 2, 2016 at 11:41 pm | | Reply

    Awesome article…
    I also heard 30 min of running within 4 hrs of stregnth training is a plus! Thanks angel.


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