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Hydration
Dehydration is when the body loses so much water via sweat and other natural processes, that it can't replenish what it has been losing.
When you aren't even exercising your body loses .3 L/hour! With exercise this adds up to about 2.0 L/hour. To compensate for this loss...
Males need to take in approximately 101 fluid oz or 12 cups
Females need to take in approximately 74 fluid oz or 9 cups
How about Gatorade?
First off, Gatorade is a fantastic product. It is full of electrolytes and replenishes dehydrated individuals. Most commonly it is used with athletes who have a high rate of exertion, as seen in football players. If you're planning on losing weight, Gatorade is probably not your better option. It is loaded with calories and helps to maintain weight. Water will work just fine for HIIT.
Protein Powder
When it comes to working out Protein Powder seems to be all the rage but is it really helping your workout?
Most individuals consume protein powder in order to increase their overall muscle mass, but do you really need to take it? Research shows that it cannot hurt you to consume protein powder but changing your diet may work just as well.
It's important to base your use of protein supplements on what you want from your workouts. Do you want to bulk up? If so then maybe you should look into a supplement. You want to slim down? Then maybe supplementation isn't the best option for you.
Maintaining Diet
Most of the time after a workout, we are inclined to stuff our faces and consume back all the calories we just burned. So what's the best options for snacks after a workout?
Well per usual try to focus on fresh vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Here are some healthy tips from the American College of Sports Medicine:
1. Avoid sugary drinks. Focus instead on water! If you need to sweeten up your water, try adding fresh slices of lemon, lime, or cucumber.
2. Watch your fats. It's so easy to add extra salad dressing to your blah lettuce or to coat your toast with butter, but try to lose these sparingly. If available, select low-fat options!
3. Instead of your typical packaged snacks, try healthier options. Substitute that Little Debby Cake
for a cup of air-popped popcorn or low-fat yogurt with almonds and blueberries.
Dehydration is when the body loses so much water via sweat and other natural processes, that it can't replenish what it has been losing.
When you aren't even exercising your body loses .3 L/hour! With exercise this adds up to about 2.0 L/hour. To compensate for this loss...
Males need to take in approximately 101 fluid oz or 12 cups
Females need to take in approximately 74 fluid oz or 9 cups
How about Gatorade?
First off, Gatorade is a fantastic product. It is full of electrolytes and replenishes dehydrated individuals. Most commonly it is used with athletes who have a high rate of exertion, as seen in football players. If you're planning on losing weight, Gatorade is probably not your better option. It is loaded with calories and helps to maintain weight. Water will work just fine for HIIT.
Protein Powder
When it comes to working out Protein Powder seems to be all the rage but is it really helping your workout?
Most individuals consume protein powder in order to increase their overall muscle mass, but do you really need to take it? Research shows that it cannot hurt you to consume protein powder but changing your diet may work just as well.
It's important to base your use of protein supplements on what you want from your workouts. Do you want to bulk up? If so then maybe you should look into a supplement. You want to slim down? Then maybe supplementation isn't the best option for you.
Maintaining Diet
Most of the time after a workout, we are inclined to stuff our faces and consume back all the calories we just burned. So what's the best options for snacks after a workout?
Well per usual try to focus on fresh vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Here are some healthy tips from the American College of Sports Medicine:
1. Avoid sugary drinks. Focus instead on water! If you need to sweeten up your water, try adding fresh slices of lemon, lime, or cucumber.
2. Watch your fats. It's so easy to add extra salad dressing to your blah lettuce or to coat your toast with butter, but try to lose these sparingly. If available, select low-fat options!
3. Instead of your typical packaged snacks, try healthier options. Substitute that Little Debby Cake
for a cup of air-popped popcorn or low-fat yogurt with almonds and blueberries.
![Picture](/uploads/4/2/4/0/42403383/1462140464.png)
Warming Up
As stated on the "Getting Started" tab, warming up before a workout is absolutely essential! It helps prepare the body for exercise and helps prevents injuries by raising the temperature of muscles and increasing the blood flow to them. Make sure you include all of the muscles that you will use in your work out routine! The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends making the warm up 5-10 minutes at 50% intensity.
You can get started by walking rapidly, jogging, cycling, or another cardio activity. A dynamic warm up is another excellent option. This can include arm swings, lunges, jumping jacks, butt kicks, and high knees, among other things. A dynamic warm up will get the blood flowing to muscles better than static stretching.
Cooling Down and Stretching
Following your HIIT workout, it is important to include a cool down. ACSM guidelines recommend spending 5-10 minutes performing a light cardiovascular activity (50% intensity) to bring your body down slowly to its normal state. These guidelines also say to stretch during your cool down routine. Stretching has gotten a bad reputation in recent years, but recent studies show that short bouts of stretching after exercise can help increase a joint's range of motion as well as reduce the stiffness of the muscle. Stretching will also aid in recovery and decrease muscle soreness.
Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds.