Shaivy Choubey

Hello Ziddis! On this fitness journey, we often face choices between best practices and presumably best choices. Today we will understand more about whether you eat anything 30 minutes before your workout. While your body needs to fuel up before your workout sessions, there are some rules around what is supposed to be the source of that fuel. If you haven’t heard about pre workout nutrition here is all you need and more. Let’s dive deep into the world of your ideal fuel to have 30 minutes before your workout to help you through. In this blog we are discussing about homemade pre workout drink recipe’s.

Pre Workout Foods

If you want to fuel up before your intense workout make sure to include these to eat 30 minutes before your workout: 

Low Carb Foods

• Oats
• Museli
• Bananas
• Beetroot
• Caffeine
• Mangoes
• Pineapple
• Pre Workout Supplements

Benefits of Pre Workout Supplements

Pre workout supplements are your best bet at nutrition before a workout session. Here are some benefits of pre workout supplements that make it the best choice to consume 30 minutes before your workout to power you up:

• Boosts energy
• Improves endurance
• The ones rich in creatine help you recover faster
• Supports muscle growth if you are trying to build muscles
• Helps you focus more
• It keeps you satiated throughout your session
• Increases your stamina and power

Can We Make Homemade Pre Workout Supplements?

Moving on to how to make the homemade pre workout drinks, pre workout supplements are made of nutrients like beta-alanine, caffeine, citrulline, tyrosine, taurine and creatine. Knowing this makes it easy for us to brew our own homemade pre workout supplements with ingredients rich in these elements.

Unlike the market-bought pre workout supplements, these would have exactly what you know of. You could control how much sugar or dairy you use for these making them much cleaner pre workout supplements.

If you want to make homemade pre workout supplements, you will need these ingredients:

• Citrulline: Gourds and melons
• Caffeine: Could be in the form of coffee or tea
• Tyrosine: Nuts and dairy as well as dairy replacements
• Taurine: Chickpeas, protein-rich ingredients
• Creatine: Nuts and seeds, leafy greens and plant proteins
• Electrolytes: Coconut water

How to Make a Homemade Pre Workout Drink

Here are quick ways to fix yourself a homemade pre workout drink:

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 glass of coconut water
• 1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
• 2-4 almonds and walnuts

Instructions:

• Blend all the ingredients until smooth and a little flowy
• Pour it into your shaker bottle
• Shake well to ensure there are no lumps
• This drink provides a perfect mix of carbs, electrolytes, and hydration for an intense workout session.

Advantages of Pre Workout Supplements Made at Home

Now that you know how to whip up a homemade pre workout drink, let us understand why you should be doing this. What are the advantages of homemade pre workout supplements? They have several benefits:

• Cost-effective
• Customizable making it accessible to those even with allergies
• Fresh
• Natural
• A quick fix
• You are aware of the ingredients
• Can make it completely sugar-free if needed.

While commercial supplements are convenient, homemade pre-workout options can provide the same benefits without compromising on quality or health.

Takeaway

Pre workouts are a necessity. Your body needs nutrition to pull through an intense workout to help keep your body healthy and fit. Pre workout supplements are perfect to have around half an hour before the workout so that you won’t feel tired and drained during the workout. Make sure to give homemade pre workout drinks a shot.

Keep it balanced, keep it healthy!

Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6083567

https://www.myprotein.co.in/blog/nutrition/vegan-pre-workout-foods/

Hello Ziddis! When you start your fitness journey you feel cardio is going to fix all your issues. As you progress you move on to strength training and disregard cardio. This is a trap we all fall into. The real fitness journey is not about moving on from your cardio stage but about moving with it. Let’s check out how doing cardio exercises can help retain and build muscles as opposed to the popular layman’s beliefs.

How Do Cardio Exercises Help Retain and Build Muscles?

Cardio exercises are expected to just reduce body fat but here are a few more things they do which in the bigger picture contribute to retaining and building muscles.

• Improve Blood Flow: This helps in improving circulation and delivering more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. This also helps in faster recovery after your workout.
• Utilizes Fats: Utilize fats which make it easier to convert them into muscles without affecting the body mass.
• Balances Hormones: Regular moderate like swimming or jogging have shown great effect on our hormonal health.
• Look Better: With more even distribution of your gains, you look better when you engage in cardio exercises
• Increased Stamina: Cardio helps boost stamina. 

Cardio exercises in itself are responsible for boosting weight loss but when combined with strength training this combo can work wonders to retain and build muscles.

Best Cardio Exercises

While not all cardio exercises help in reaching the same result, you must skim through what fits your goals and embrace some of these best cardio exercises.

• Rowing: This helps in chest, bicep and tricep muscle building as well.
• Cycling: Helps in building stronger quads and calves.
• Incline walking: To help burn more calories.
• Battle Ropes: Help tone your arms and shoulders.
• Swimming: to build endurance and overall fitness.

Cardio Exercises for Weight Loss

For all those who are looking to lose weight, meet Cardio Exercises- the king of weight loss. Till now we tried to understand how cardio helps retain and build muscles. Here are a few cardio exercises for weight loss:

• Skipping ropes
• High-Intensity Interval Training
• Circuit training
• Kickboxing
• Swimming
• Jogging

All of these cardio exercises are excellent for burning your fats and result in quicker weight loss.

Cardio Workouts at Home

No gym membership or time to go to the gym? No worries! These simple cardio workouts at home have you covered. These simple at-home cardio workouts do not need any fancy equipment and can help you get fit in no time. All you need is your willpower, comfy gym wear and a water bottle to stay hydrated.

• Burpees: Perfect combo of strength and cardio
• Mountain Climbers: Gets you trek ready
• Jumping Jacks: Classic fun workout
• High Knees: Warm up those joints as you get slimmer
• Dancing: Adding some grace to your cardio and voila you are now talented and fit!
• Pro tip: Always invest in a good pair of jogger pants even for your cardio workouts at home so that you can workout freely!

Takeaway

The myth that cardio makes you lose your gains is officially busted. It is time to get the benefits of cardio to help your body-building journey. Aim for at least 20 minutes of 2-3 cardio sessions per week to make sure your gains are more sculpted.

Remember to research your myths before making them your routine. Add cardio workouts to your fitness routine to make the most of it and gain holistic benefits.

Sources:

https://dr-muscle.com/cardio

https://mutantnation.com/blogs/news/the-surprising-reasons-why-cardio-helps-muscle-growth?srsltid=AfmBOor2JDRTMcCy8wPb9kVSGM1tEmw2n0t-5IVSEzvhN7M7IG0Mor0A

Hello Ziddis! If you are new to the fitness world and feel overwhelmed by the jargon, you have come to the right place. We hear a lot of terms being thrown around like ‘progressive load’, ‘sets’, ‘reps’, ‘overloading’. These terms are essential to understand so that you can catch up on your workout training. In this blog, we will dive into the two most common terms: ‘sets’ and ‘reps’

What Are Sets & Reps?

Reps is a short form of repetition. It refers to the number of times you repeat the same exercise. For example, if you do squats 10 times, that means 10 reps of squats A set is simply a group of consecutive reps without rest. For example, you do 10 reps of squats then rest for a bit and do 10 reps of squats again, you have just completed 1 set of squats. Sets & Reps give your workout a structure.

Is It Important to Count Workout Reps?

Yes, it is necessary that you count your workout . Counting reps not only ensures structure but also helps you stay consistent and track your progress. If you happen to do only 2 sets of 10 reps today and after a month you do 5 sets of 10 reps, that helps you see your progress.

How to Count Bench Press Sets

To count bench press sets, you have to ensure that you are doing it correctly for each progression.

• You can count your warm-up sets too where you begin with lighter weights
• When you use heavier weights, count how many reps and sets can you do without rest.
• Your rest for a couple of minutes doesn’t count.

What Is a Max Rep Calculator?

A max rep calculator is a tool to help you estimate the maximum weight you can lift for each rep. Knowing your 1 rep max or 1 RM is necessary to plan your workouts.

1 Rep Max Calculator for Bench Press

To calculate your 1RM for bench press:

Perform the exercise with a weight you can lift comfortably for several reps (e.g., 6 reps).
Using the Epley Formula:

1RM = Weight x (1 + Reps × 0.0333)

For example, if you lift 60 kg for 6 reps:

1RM = 60 x (1 + 6 x 0.0333) = 73.2 kg

You can use any other formulas as well as your 1 rep max calculator for bench press.

• Brzycki formula: Weight × (36 / (37 – number of reps))
• Lombardi formula: Weight × (number of reps ^ 0.1)
• O’Conner formula: Weight × (1 + (0.025 × number of reps))

How Many Gym Reps and Sets to Aim For?

Your goal of how many gym reps and sets to aim for is supposed to be suitable and aligned with what you want to achieve in your fitness journey.

• To build strength, aim for 4-6 reps of 3-5 sets with heavy weight
• To grow muscles, aim for 8-12 reps with 3-4 sets of moderate weights
• To improve endurance, aim for 12-20 reps of 2-3 sets with light weights.

Tip for Increasing Strength Training Reps and Sets

Progressive overload is the key to increasing strength training reps and sets. In this, you gradually increase the weight then increase the number. 

• Add 5 to 10% more weight each week.
• Increase reps as soon as you get comfortable with the weights.
• Increase sets and track your progress.

How to Make the Most in Fewer Workout Sets and Reps

If you want to wrap up your workout in a short time and still want to get the benefits of enough workout you can try,

• Using weights during exercises like squats, lunges and pull-ups.
• Pair two exercises back to back like push-ups with burpees.

Takeaway

Counting your sets and reps is important so that you can add more structure to your fitness journey. But make sure to wear comfortable gym wear. Investing in a trusted pair of jogger pants will take you a long way and keep you comfortable no matter how intense the workout gets. Make sure that you track as you lift because that is the only way you can figure out you are on the right path and utilizing your full potential.

Hello Ziddis! Most of our time is spent figuring out how to align our food with our fitness. This complex task can take a lot of time if you do not realize what needs to go in your tiffin. Meal prep becomes a part of our lifestyle if we are back at the office. So, let us talk about healthy lunch meals you can pack for work.

Healthy Lunch Meals

A healthy lunch sets the tone for your day. If you want long-lasting energy and sustained focus, make sure you pack yourself a healthy lunch meal. This would include:

• Complex Carbs
• Lean Proteins
• Healthy Fats
• Fibre-rich vegetables

Do not pack these because they will only bring your energy and focus down:

• Sugary snacks
• Trans fatty snacks
• Meal made using refined flour

A well-rounded lunch keeps you full and fulfil your daily nutritional requirement so that you can power through till your next big meal.

Ingredients for Healthy Lunch Options

When meal prepping what could help you is if you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to whip up some good healthy lunch options. Here are some ingredients you can stock up on so that you can make more healthy lunch options for your tiffin:

• Proteins: Eggs, fish, chicken paneer, besan, lentils, chickpeas and protein powder for smoothies.
• Veggies: Green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers.
• Whole grains: Millets, brown rice, quinoa, oats, barley.
• Snacking: peanut butter, protein bars, seed mix, nuts.

A friendly tip: Stock up more on protein and use proteins are your meal base instead of grains and carbs.

Healthy Lunch Ideas

If you are very busy and need a hand to whip up a healthy lunch, here are some healthy lunch ideas:

• Quinoa Salad Bowl: Toss some cooked quinoa and add some cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper or grilled paneer or chicken for protein and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
• Paneer/ Chicken Veggie Wrap: Take a wheat roti. Add some marinated paneer or roasted chicken. Stuff in some veggies and wrap it tightly.
• Lentil Soup: Having just some boiled lentils with spinach and adding some tadka could make it a hearty meal. You can keep the consistency a little thick and have it as palak dal over your rice too.

Healthy Lunch Ideas for Weight Loss

If weight loss is your goal we have some amazing healthy lunch ideas for weight loss up our sleeves. Here are some quick fixes to your healthy lunch for weight loss.

• Egg and Avocado Salad: Mix boiled eggs with mashed avocado, lemon juice, and spices. Serve with lettuce wraps for a low-carb meal.
• Grilled Fish and Steamed Veggies: Opt for fish like salmon with steamed veggies and a sprinkle of herbs.
• Vegetable Millet Upma: Cook millet with carrots, beans, and peas for a light yet satisfying lunch option.
• Greek Yogurt Bowl: Greek yogurt is an ace for weight loss so throw in some oats and make this a rather sweet treat with a drizzle of honey.

Takeaway

Healthy lunches are the backbone of a productive day. Make sure you pack yourself a lunch that is packed with protein to make it nutritious and packed with fibres to help you in your weight loss journey.

Keep your lunch game strong and creative so that your meals don’t feel like a task and you have a productive day ahead. 

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-meal-prep

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/meal_prep_lunch_recipes

Hello Ziddis! In our fitness journey, we have already concluded that everyone’s fitness journey and path looks different. Our goals vary and so do our choices to reach our goals. This ongoing debate about the best time to workout whether a morning workout is better or an evening workout, which workouts in the morning and evening yield more results has always been a gym locker room talk. So let us understand if either is better than the other and if so, how could you tweak your fitness journey?

What’s the Best Time to Workout?

The best time to workout is when you start to. Starting to work out is half done; the rest can be done by being consistent. Both the timings each have their benefits. During the morning you embrace freshness to start the day and if you work out in the evening you make sure you end the day on a high note with some relief from stress. The right time to work out depends on your schedule, energy levels, sleep cycle, types of exercises and goals.

Best Time to Work Out for Weight Loss

If weight loss is your goal then the timing of your workout plays a part in making you reach your goal sooner. The best time to work out for weight loss based on research is morning. But studies show that working out between 7 am to 9 am could help lose more weight.  Working out in the morning, especially before breakfast helps maximize fat burning. This is due to lower glycogen levels during this time. This makes morning the best time to work out for weight loss. However, doing a light workout in the evening like taking a walk post dinner could help pave the way for even faster weight loss.

Whichever time you choose, know that staying consistent in your workout schedule is what makes it a successful weight loss journey

Benefits of Morning Workout

Morning workouts have loads of benefits which you should grab with both hands. Like:

• Boosting metabolism
• Burning more calories
• Helps improve mental clarity and remove mental blocks
• Start your day fresh
• Supports fat burning
• Improves disciplines
• Helps align the sleep cycle.

Make sure to rise early to get the benefits of the morning workout.

Best Morning Workout

To reap these benefits, make sure you opt for or at least include some of these exercises. These are the best morning workouts:

• Cardio: Running, cycling, HIIT
• Yoga or Pilates
• Core training

To get more benefits of the best morning workout, pair it with mindfulness practice such as meditation during the cool-down sessions. Make sure to have a quick, nutritious breakfast like oats protein, omelette or besan chila to help gain energy for the rest of the day. If you are trying

Benefits of Evening Workout

Evening workouts are not far behind in the benefits. They are better suited for people who lead a fast life and want to feel more accomplished before ending the day. Here are the benefits of an evening workout:

• Optimizes body temperature
• Stress relief
• Helps faster recovery
• Better sleep quality
• Improves stamina
• Optimizes sleep schedule

These benefits of evening workouts can come through even if you start with low-intensity workouts.

Best Evening Workout

Make sure to include some of these best evening workouts to help you in your fitness journey.

• Weight training
• Walk or swim
• Outdoor sports like basketball, football, cricket
• Yoga

Depending on your workout have a meal or grab some snacks before going to bed. If you are trying to build muscles make sure to have some bodybuilding supplements for your weight training workout.

Takeaway

We circle back to what we started with. The timing of the workout matters for what you want to do but more than that what matters is the consistency. Not just in showing up but also in what time you work out. To sum it up, choose morning workouts if you want to discipline yourself and start your day on a fresh power-packed note but opt for evening workouts if you are aiming for peak performance and need a stress buster after a long busy day.

Show up every day and you will be far ahead from where you started.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/evening-exercise-best-obesity-overweight

https://www.planetfitness.com/community/articles/6-benefits-late-night-workout

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/does-exercising-at-night-affect-sleep