Pre-, Intra-, Post

Have you ever thought about how minor things can affect your workout?  Honestly, there's a million things that can affect it and how your body reacts to your workout.  Things that you do before, during, and after you exercise can make or break your progress.  

I was asked a few questions about certain things and I decided to answer them here for y'all.  

1. What foods do you eat pre-workout?

I prefer to workout in the mornings so, I usually eat a nice, hearty breakfast. Oatmeal, a banana, and some sort of protein. Normally, my protein is a shake or eggs. As I've talked about before, I have a serious obsession with pancakes. It's potentially an unhealthy obsession with pancakes. I found out a healthy, vegan way to eat my pancakes and not ruin my carbs.

Ingredients
.5 cup dry oatmeal
1 T chia seeds
.5-.66 cup water or non-dairy milk
1 mashed banana 
cinnamon

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together and let sit overnight (if you're in a rush you can let it sit for for 45 minutes)
2. Cook like you would a normal pancake

If I'm forced to push back my sweat session due to whatever reason, I try not to eat too close to going. Working out on a full stomach can be a not-so-nice feeling and can lead to a messy situation {if you catch my drift} But, I normally will do a kale protein shake for this meal. I prefer to use frozen berries in my smoothie so I don't have to use ice. It also gives it the same texture as a Wendy's Frosty.

Ingredients

60 grams raw kale

140 g frozen strawberries

1.5 c almond milk

1 scoop protein powder

1 T chia seeds

Directions

1. Blend until smooth

There are also some supplements that people take before their workout to help them. If you need something to give you a little boost then you should do a pre-workout. A pre-workout is an energy booster that you take 30-45 minutes before a workout. I've been hearing about a new one that I'm going to try. It's from the company ETB {Eat the Bear}. ETB's Uncaged 2.5 and 5.0 are healthy alternatives to the other brands. Click HERE to see their whole line of pre-workout products. You can also check out ETB's website for all their other products like protein, and multivitamins

The one thing I never forget to drink are my BCAA's. They help muscle soreness and help you grow, repair, and maintain lean muscle.

2. What do you listen to during your workouts?

I have a hard time at the gym without my music. Everything distracts me. With my headphones in and music playing I can tune out the world and concentrate on me, on bettering myself, reaching my goals, getting my hour of alone time where nothing else matters. {I know all you other stay at home moms can relate to that one}

I think that IheartRadio and Pandora are 2 of the greatest things since Napster. {I know, I just dated myself.} Free music is great. I have all of my favorite artists' songs without paying for them! My 2 favorite types of music fall on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I'm a country and hard rock girl. On my list of stations are:

• Caffeinated Country
• Disturbed
• Avenged Sevenfold
• Breaking Benjamin
• Korn
• Five Finger Death Punch

I love these stations because 97% of the songs that are played are fast. They keep my workout tempo going. And when the sad songs come on? Those totally get skipped! I've had one to many times where I've almost cried during my workout.

3. How do you switch up certain routines daily/weekly to stay motivated?

Okay, this isn't COMPLETELY true with me. I kinda have a routine. Ever since I stopped working with my trainer for the bikini competition I haven't followed a certain schedule for a long time.

Here what I DO:

*Workout 5-6 days a week. My split is normally
-Back
-Chest
-Glutes and Legs
- Shoulders/Abs
-Arms/Abs
-Cardio

*Make sure to hit each muscle group from atleast 2 different angles.
-Incline bench press and flat flyes
-Leg Press and squats

*Make sure my workouts are fun
-When you think your workouts are boring, normally you'll quit.

*Do atleast 1 unilateral exercise per muscle group
-unilateral exercises are exercises that train one side of the body at a time.  
-Single leg deadlifts
-One arm cable curls
-DB bicep curls

Normally I put together my workout either the nite before or morning of. 90% of the time I have a long-term goal in mind so, my workouts reflect my goal. Right now I'm training for something so, my workouts are tailored to meet my training needs. I will reveal what I'm training for in a post later this week.

4. What do you eat or do after your workout to make sure you got the most out of your workout?

I do 2 things. I drink LOTS of water, and eat something within an hour of working out. Normally I have a protein shake. Protein helps rebuild muscles. It's very important after a serious workout.


Okay, I've told you what I do before, during, and after my workouts. What do YOU do? Let me know in the comments!