#WestomaticWorkout: Home Fitness Tips and Nutrition Supplements Info from our In-House Personal Trainer
This week, our in-house Personal Trainer, Kat, shares some home workout tips and gives us the lowdown on the different types of nutrition supplements available on the market at the moment. Kat, who was also the Project Lead for the development of the EVOLVE nutrition drinks dispenser, shares her expert insight below…
The options for exercising at home are endless. You don’t need lots of equipment to get fit and stay in shape during Lockdown 3.0.
One of the most important things to remember when deciding to start exercising is to listen to your body! When you go out for a walk, make sure you walk at a pace that gets the blood flowing. There are loads of great apps out there that help you follow a plan. For running, the Couch to 5K app is a really great way to steadily build up.
And you don’t need lots of equipment to start working out – using your own body will deliver great results.
Home Workout Tips
Here are my top four exercises to get you moving:
- Squats – excellent for working that booty!
- Star Jumps – great for cardiovascular fitness
- Push Ups – keeping our arms, back and shoulders strong
- Sit Ups – the most important part of the body is the core as it supports the rest of your body.
You don’t even need a dedicated fitness regime to workout at home. Whether it’s making a cuppa or even watching TV, there are plenty of opportunities to get in a few squats or star jumps.
Try doing 20 squats in the shower in a morning and add in 20 star jumps as you are waiting for the kettle to boil. Then use the advert breaks on the TV to do 20 push ups and 20 sit-ups, and you will be making a big difference to your day.
The Lowdown on Nutritional Supplements
Many people assume that, to lose weight, you must do loads of exercise. The reality is that what you put into your mouth is 80% of the battle. Nutrition is key – and many people use supplements to add to their diet. Some give you a pre-workout hit of caffeine to help you work harder and smarter in the gym, others deliver essential nutrients that will help recovery and muscle repair.
Whether it’s at home or in the gym (when they reopen!), adding nutritional supplements into your diet can aid your fitness regime and achieve your goals. Here is a little lowdown on some of the key supplements currently available on the market:
Pre-Workout Supplements
Sometimes you turn up for a workout and feel tired – you may have had a long day at work, or a bad night’s sleep and feel particularly sluggish or unmotivated. Pre-Workout supplements may be the answer to still getting in a great workout. Taken 20 mins before exercise, it gives a buzz due to its caffeine content.
Many studies have reported increased focus and energy after taking it. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported that a combination of Pre-Workout and HIIT sessions resulted in significant increases in training volume and speeding up of the rate at which reasonably-fit athletes lost body fat.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an ‘electrical charge’ and are essential for the body’s health. In order for cells, muscles and organs to work properly we need fluid and electrolytes. The electrolytes help regulate the balance of fluid in the body. They also help the body produce energy and stimulate muscle contractions – including the heart beating.
When we sweat, we lose salt and minerals that need to be replaced. If they’re not replaced, we can end up dehydrated and feeling fatigued. In extreme cases we may feel faint, experience muscle cramping and feel dizzy. Electrolyte supplements taken during and after exercise help to replace and balance the body’s mineral, salt and hydration levels, ensuring we remain hydrated and able to function as normal.
BCAA (Branched-Chain Amino Acids)
Branched-Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs, are compounds that combine to form proteins, which are essential for the body to break down food, grow and repair. BCAAs taken as supplements are used before, during and after exercise. BCAAs are essential amino acids – meaning they can’t be made by the body, and so must be ingested through food or supplements.
Taken as a supplement within a fitness program, these BCAAs can delay fatigue during prolonged exercise and improve performance. They also help to protect and repair muscles, as well as reduce muscle soreness post-workout. They can also help with an improved immune response.
Protein Supplements
Protein is in every cell of the body. You can, therefore, assume that protein is an essential part of your daily diet. Protein plays an essential role in muscle growth, repair and normal function, forming enzymes and hormones, transmitting nerve impulses throughout the body and protecting immune function.
When you work a muscle (using resistance) it forms tiny little tears – which is completely normal, but it is important that your body has enough protein for repairing and building strong muscles.
Protein supplements can be made from animal or plant products and are usually taken post exercise or as a snack. Having a protein-rich diet helps you feel fuller for longer and can aid weight loss. Consuming protein helps to preserve muscle mass during weight loss and therefore can help maintain metabolism.
What’s the magic formula for getting it right?
Well, that’s a difficult question – everyone is different and each person requires a nutrition plan that is suited to their own activity levels, lifestyle and body composition. It’s important to remember that, in order to lose weight, what you consume must be less than what you burn.
How you achieve this can be important, too. Eating a protein-rich and balanced diet will help your body to do its daily tasks. And we all know the risks of eating too much sugar and fat…
The EVOLVE Nutrition Drinks Dispenser
How can the EVOLVE help? Well with four separate, contamination-free supplement options, you could offer one of each of the above drink choices for a range of options. What I would recommend is having a variety of flavour options, perhaps two Protein, a BCAA and a Pre-Workout in your EVOLVE.
Bank this up to a Hydration Station and a Snackpoint machine to offer a full range of options. Having the snack machine loaded with refillable shaker bottles and healthy snacks will help provide the ultimate nutrition solution.
Another great feature of the EVOLVE is the customisable media screen, meaning you can regularly update it – excellent for promotion and advertising products, but could also be used to share exercise tips, recipes and fitness class timetables. While this machine was designed with the gym market in mind, it would also be perfect for a hotel, commuter hub or leisure facility – any place where people might need nutrition on the move.
Find Your Own Groove
What works for one person doesn’t work for the next. Find your own groove! With that in mind, now more than ever, being healthy and fit could save your life. Staying fit and motivated during (yet another) lockdown can be mentally exhausting, but there are more resources than ever to help you.
And with all the extra time at weekends, staying active should be something we all prioritise. There are virtual challenges, tracking apps, plans to follow, YouTube videos to watch, Instagram Reels, TikTok dance routines and, of course, Joe Wicks and his PE lessons to guide you through this lockdown.
We at Westomatic have set ourselves the #Westomatic100 target – that’s 100kgs (220lbs) to lose before the end of the current lockdown. We’ve had some good results already with some big losses coming in!
We are here to help you keep moving, keep your business moving, and to help you EVOLVE your future.