Your Fitness Questions Answered
We always love hearing the answers to fitness questions from the health and wellness experts out there. Michal Okmianski is definitely in that category. She has a long list of accomplishments including being the Co-Founder of MD-Fitness and she also recently became a leading personal trainer for the smart workout system – HYGEAR.
Fitness questions answered
Ready to get started? Check out Michal’s answers to a few fitness questions below.
1. The hardest step is getting started – What is your tip to getting started with a workout? Your tip to maintain a continuous routine?
Plan it! Schedule a workout and stick to your schedule. If you need a motivational boost, grab a friend and work out together.
Even harder than getting started with the first few workouts, is maintaining a fitness routine over a long period of time. Plenty of people start and give up shortly after because they are not seeing physical results.
A mindset focused on visible physical results can be destructive to your motivation. These kinds of results take time and even if they still aren’t showing – you can feel the difference in your body!
Another thing to take into consideration, some people are afraid to work out after going through an injury or surgery, that concern is understandable, but it shouldn’t restrain you from working out.
Consult a professional about the right form and exercises that won’t interfere with the injured area and still help you maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle.
2. What are some household objects that can be used to upgrade your workout and how would you use them?
- Water jugs in different sizes and even food cans can be used as very handy weights for different exercises.
- A stool or chair can be used for a range of different core, balance, and posture exercises.
- Balls – soccer ball, basketball, really any kind of call can be used for strength training and flexibility.
- With HYGEAR, a door is one of the most useful anchor points! Door anchoring offers a super diverse range of exercises for just about all body parts.
3. What are the 5 top tips in your opinion to maintaining a healthy, high-energy, fitness lifestyle during Covid19 (quarantine, gyms closed…)
- I love working out outdoors. A run or a walk with my favorite music I always prefer choosing a location that keeps my energy and motivation high, the beach usually does that for me or any green location with a lot of plants.
- A healthy, balanced diet is crucial – I have 3 fully organized meals a day and I add plenty of veggies to every meal.
- I practice yoga and add a few minutes of meditation at the end of every practice. These workouts are extremely calming, they are very helpful for keeping focus during the day and making mindful decisions.
- Resistance training, I do these workouts to keep my muscles strong and keep my body toned.
- Treat yourself to a body massage – an amazing way to relax during these crazy times and really fills the body and soul.
4. What is your favorite HYGEAR at-home workout and why?
My favorite workouts are core, I connect to this field the most because it is the base to understanding the strengthening of the body…still – I love mixing up my workouts so fixating on one workout is less for me.
5. Why is HYGEAR a great solution for women?
Gear 1 is a fantastic solution for any woman who trains at home and seeks to make more efficient use of her time.
Whether she is busy raising kids or with a demanding job and her time is tight. HYGEAR offers 20-minute workout programs that will help you train every single muscle in your body. The programs are built with multiple variations the fit different difficulty levels.
There are specific workouts that are amazing for women, with focused exercises for abs, glutes, and core, there is also a unique program for weight loss.
These programs are short and customizable which is what makes them so great to see real results from time to time and reach your body goals.
6. What are the best foods to eat before a workout? How much time before?
The right food at the right time – the food you chose to consume before a workout is important to the performance during your workout.
A large meal right before your workout will cause your body to feel extra heavy, lead to stomach cramps and nausea, on the other hand, if you don’t “fuel” your body before starting a workout, you will feel weak and tired fast and your performance will decrease.
Before a workout, I recommend eating carbs with a small portion of protein in order for the muscles to have a good amount of energy.
Carbs are a main source of energy and are crucial for your muscles and for training. There are two kinds of carbohydrates; simple carbs and complex carbs.
Preference is too complex carbs because they burn slowly, and blood sugar stays steady which prevents energy falls throughout the workout. An ideal time frame would be to consume this meal three hours before your workout, a simple meal example is a whole wheat sandwich with chicken breast, or for a vegan option – quinoa and lentils.
For morning lovers who do their training early in the day – grab a simple carb for the energy boost like a date or a banana.
7. What are the best foods to eat after a workout? How much time after?
Post-workout nutrition is very important for the body’s recovery and building muscle, unfortunately, I see a lot of people who don’t eat after working out and this leads to muscle injuries.
It’s very important to refuel your body with energy about working out and eat within the hour prior to your workout (this is the best timeframe to build muscle) eat something light that combines carbs and protein like a salad with egg and a piece of whole wheat bread – and of course, hydrate, drink plenty of water.
Wrap-Up
Thanks, Michal for taking the time to provide these answers to these common fitness questions. Have some questions of your own? Drop us an email and we will get them answered for you!
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