When you head to the gym for a workout or training session, you will want to give it your all so that you can get closer to beating your PBs. However, you might not always feel like giving 100 per cent. This is fine if your lack of energy is only every now and then, but if you are plagued with a feeling of tiredness and low energy levels every time, then it could start to affect your gains.
There are various reasons why fitness fans might start to feel their energy levels dip or trail off altogether. If you try a few of the following tips, you should hopefully start to feel a difference and will be able to get things back on track.
Eat Right
First of all, you need to make sure that you are always eating a healthy and well-balanced diet. Your body will get all of its energy from the food you eat, so if you are only eating poor-quality food, then you can expect your energy levels to be of a poor quality too. Ideally, you need to be eating plenty of wholegrain carbs, as your body uses these for instant energy when working out. Making sure you consume plenty of protein is also important as this can help with muscle recovery after all of your gym sessions.
Consider Taking Supplements
Some people who work out quite a bit can suffer from a vitamin or mineral deficit if they aren’t getting enough of a particular vitamin or mineral in their diet. If you think that this might be the case with you, and it’s causing your energy levels to suffer, then you should think about starting to take some daily supplements. There are loads of different supplements, from multivitamin to those that act as a testosterone booster. If you aren’t too sure which will be best for you, it could be worth speaking to your GP.
Give Yourself A Goal
You might not have much energy if you are no longer quite as motivated to hit the gym and do a training session. If this is the case, you should try giving yourself a goal. For instance, this might be something like entering a weightlifting contest or other fitness challenge. Having a goal will give you something to work towards which can help to stay motivated and on track with all your workouts. Make sure that this goal isn’t too challenging, though. If it is impossible to achieve, then you will only end up even more frustrated at the gym.
Limit Bad Habits
If you smoke, you should try to stop so that you can take advantage of all the health benefits that come with quitting. One of these benefits is more energy. Once you do kick this habit, you should find that you are a lot more motivated to give it your all in the gym. It could also be worth reducing your alcohol intake as well. After all, you won’t feel like working out with a hangover!
Get More Sleep
Are you getting plenty of sleep each night? If not, then you will be a lot more likely to feel lethargic before you even start working out in the gym. Generally speaking, you should be aiming for between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. It needs to be good quality sleep too, with as few disturbances as possible. If you do struggle falling asleep, then think about upgrading your mattress and trying to get into a relaxing routine before you head to bed each evening.
Drink Plenty
Even though water doesn’t have any calories, your body still relies on it for energy. If you don’t drink enough and end up dehydrated, then you will feel exhausted a lot quicker and probably won’t have a whole load of motivation either. So, be sure to drink plenty before you hit the gym and keep a bottle of water close to you while working out so that you can keep sipping on it to keep your fluid levels up.
Don’t Overtrain
You need to make sure that you are having enough rest days through the week so that your body has the chance to recover. If you don’t give yourself enough time to recover, then you could end up overtraining. Eventually, you will drain your energy levels and you won’t have enough to give it your all in the gym.
Make sure you follow the tips above to keep your energy levels as high as possible!
Image by Sebastian Šoška from Pixabay
