Having healthy muscles is essential for overall health and well-being. Good, healthy muscles provide us with strength, mobility, and balance. When maintaining good muscle health, it eliminates the possibility of issues affecting your function. Muscles help us to perform everyday activities such as walking, lifting, and carrying heavy objects.
When we’re taking care of our muscles, we’re taking care of ourselves.
Unfortunately, many of us don’t take the time to properly care for our muscles. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how you can improve your muscle health and keep your body in top shape – a great way to prioritize your health and feel good.
Exercise
The first step to improving your muscle health is by getting enough exercise and moving your body. Regular physical activity helps to build and maintain muscle mass, as well as improve strength and flexibility. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week, if possible. Start by focusing on cardio exercises like walking, running, and swimming. You can also work on strength training exercises like weightlifting, resistance bands, and body weight exercises. Find ways to easily implement these exercises into your daily routine and you will see and feel the benefits of doing so.
Balanced Diet
Eating a balanced diet is also important for maintaining healthy muscles. Make sure to include plenty of lean proteins like fish, chicken, eggs, nuts, and seeds in your diet as these are essential for building muscle mass. Additionally, complex carbs like whole grains provide energy for workouts while fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals that are necessary for proper muscle function. And don’t forget about healthy fats from sources like avocados and olive oil which can help reduce inflammation in the body and promote muscle recovery (which is equally important!) after exercise. At the start of every week, plan ahead your meals and see if that helps make it more convenient for you to maintain a balanced diet!
Rest
Get plenty of rest and take breaks from exercising when needed. Your body will tell you when it needs a break — all you have to do is listen! Also, make sure you’re getting enough sleep. During sleep, our bodies repair themselves from the wear and tear of our daily activities so it’s essential that we get enough rest each night (7-9 hours) so we can continue to perform at our very best. Without it, the next day you could feel drained, running on low energy, and not be able to stay productive or as active as you’d wish. Not only will getting enough sleep help you feel more energized during the day, but it will also give your muscles time to recover from workouts so they can be stronger when you wake up in the morning!
Warming Up and Cooling Down
Here it is again! If you have missed all my other blogs on warming up, this is a small synopsis of warming up. Warming up helps the muscles to begin to simulate to the activity and intensity level you will be asking of them. It provides elasticity to the soft tissues to be able to move with ease and with less restrictions. For instance, if walking- start at a slower pace, walk sideways, walk backwards, do some squats, then you can get into your walk or hike. Cooling down gives the muscles a chance to de-intensify and recover from the exercise you just performed. This prevents stiffness and unusual soreness to occur.
In conclusion, when you work these four tips into your daily routine – exercising regularly, maintaining a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and warming up – your muscles will thank you for prioritizing your health. Maintaining good muscle health is not only good for working out but keeps YOU healthy. Taking the time to prioritize yourself and your body is ALWAYS a good idea.
If you are injured or in pain and don’t know where to begin to help yourself, contact us by clicking here to schedule a Free 20 minute call. In this call, we will discuss your issues and how we can help you on the journey to recovery and getting you back to being fully functional.
To Your Health,
Cynthia
