gym guide ideas

Believe it or not, this is a huge source of tension in gyms and health clubs everywhere. Welcome to the 21st century! We are SO plugged in as a society that many of us cant make it through an hour long workout without checking our smart phones at least 50 times.

For the love of all things, DO NOT TAKE PICTURES OF OTHER PEOPLE! I might chuckle if I see you taking a flexed selfie in the mirror, but the truth is you arent hurting anyone else. However, taking photos of other, unsuspecting people without their permission is absolutely intolerable. People are at the gym trying to better themselves, they dont want to have to worry about becoming the next feature on Awkward Gym Moments its like the People of Walmart, but for the gym.

Believe it or not, many simply dont allow them, specifically in places like the locker rooms. Im sure you arent a locker room creeper trying to take photos of unsuspecting people, but none the less, follow the rules and dont bring your phone where it isnt welcomed.

Lets get straight to the point here. Please dont be the smelly galguy. We all sweat, that is the point of the gym. But please wear deodorant, and dont overdo it on the cologne or perfume or strong lotion, aftershave, etc. Many people become hyper sensitive to scents when they are working hard. Try to keep your scent neutral as best as possible.

No one expects you to strut into the gym wearing hundreds of dollars worth of lululemon yoga clothes. But please be sure your clothing is gym appropriate. Clean, workout friendly attire and clean sneakers are ideal. Leave the jeans and workboots for the street please. If nothing else, these types of clothing can ruin equipment; buttons on jeans and workpants can tear the fabric on benches, and dirty street shoes can ruin cardio equipment and floors.

Simple enough, right? Watch your language, be polite, dont oogle or stare at others, and respect the fact that while some people are more than happy to be social at the gym, others are on fixed time schedules, or simply want alone time while they break a sweat. This isnt rocket science, this is simply being a good person with basic manners.
I hope this post didnt sound too pushy or condescending, my mom voice sometimes comes out when Im tending to the regulars that should know better than to leave their weights strewn about. The truth is, the gym really is not a scary place, it can actually be a wonderful community to be a part of.

Researchers at Loughborough University UK discovered that when athletes ate slow digesting carbs such as whole grains for breakfast and lunch, they had lower insulin levels and burned more fat during the day. The athletes also had more endurance and burned more fat during exercise compared to those who ate fast digesting carbs such as white bread or plain bagels. Be sure that all the meals you eat before your workout, including the one immediately before, include about 40 grams of slow digesting carbs such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, fruit, buckwheat see tip No. 4 or whole wheat bread.

A University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore study reported that a high fat meal blunts the ability of nitric oxide NO to dilate blood vessels for up to four hours. That means less blood flow to muscles and less of a muscle pump, which is even more costly if you ve invested in an NO supplement. In the four hours before your workout, avoid eating large amounts of fats, such as the obvious fast food fare and packaged foods even if you re in a mass gaining phase.

The same University of Maryland researchers also discovered that consuming a small green salad with a high fat meal prevented the adverse effects on blood vessel dilation, likely by enhancing NO. About two hours before you hit the gym, include a green salad with low fat dressing with your meal.

Buckwheat, found in buckwheat pancakes and soba noodles, is a fruit seed that s often used as a substitute for grains. It digests slowly, which helps increase endurance and fat burning. Buckwheat also contains a flavonoid called chiroinositol, which mimics insulin. A cup of cooked soba noodles before workouts can help get more preworkout creatine see tip No. 5 into your muscle cells without blunting fat loss, which can occur from high insulin spikes.