Best Ways to Stay in Shape This Summer 

Summer 2021 is here. Throughout 2020, and all the challenges it brought, you were using exercise to combat stress and stay sane. Perhaps you built up your home gym and have no need to pay for a membership anymore. Maybe you are craving returning to the gym for access to all the cool machines that you will never have space for.  

While COVID-19 seems to be under control as more and more people get vaccinated, maintaining yourself is the best way to stay healthy. There are new variants popping up. So far, vaccinations are proving effective against the variants, but we do not know what the future holds. Continue to prioritize your health and wellness. And one of the best ways to do that is to exercise. 

For now, restaurants are opening up again; your social life is coming back to life, and you are finding it difficult to continue to carve out the time to maintain your rocking bod. Read on for some additional tips and tools to revamp your exercise routine. 

Wardrobe 

The number one reason to workout is to wear workout clothes. Athleisure is comfortable, stylish, and allows you to get in a workout anytime, anywhere. We all want to be comfortable, and athleisure allows you to go from the gym to the grocery store. Regardless of how intense your workout is, athleisure is designed to keep you cool and move with your body. It is the perfect clothing option even if your workout is chasing kids, yardwork, or house-cleaning. 

If you haven’t updated your workout wardrobe in a while, take the time to invest in some new pieces. Especially, considering people might actually start to see your outfits. Also, don’t forget to replace your shoes about every 6 months, depending on how hard and frequently you are working out. 

Workout Routines 

If you’ve been doing the same workouts, it might be time to shake it up. It is important to keep your body guessing, and the best way to do that is to move in new and exciting ways. Whether it’s a completely different style of workout or adding some new tools to your training, try to find ways to continue to challenge yourself. 

So you are re-activating your gym membership and looking forward to the camaraderie of group exercise classes. Expand your repertoire by trying classes you haven’t before.  

• Hot Yoga 
• Zumba 

• Barre 
• Crossfit 
• Kickboxing 

While none of these are new in the fitness world, perhaps you had avoided a specific type of workout. Each of these workouts are designed to challenge you in different ways. You can also often find hybrid workouts that bring together different elements of exercises. This means, even if you are a pro at yoga, when you blend it with pilates or barre movements, it adds a new challenge for your muscles. 

You can also explore workouts at the gym by using equipment that you haven’t tried before. Maybe you maxed out the weight you have at home and need to head to the gym to access heavier loads.  

Adding to Your Home Gym 

You’ve opted to forgo returning to the gym because during the pandemic, you built out your garage, basement, or guest bedroom as a sweet home gym.  But perhaps you are ready to up your game and looking for some new products to add into your workout rotation. 

If you have been relying on dumbbells for a while, try switching out to resistance bands. One of the benefits to resistance bands is the fact that they offer tension throughout the entire movement. It may take a little getting used to when you transition, but it requires a different mind-muscle connection to workout with resistance bands. You can also add resistance bands to your weight lifting and use them in conjunction with your dumbbells or barbell in the event that the weight you have on hand is getting too easy. 

Resistance bands are also great if you have to travel. They are small, light, and easy to pack, ensuring you can maintain your physique on the road. 

Take a note from Crossfit and try using battle rope for new ways to challenge your muscles. While we are all used to seeing people using rope to work their arms, there are a lot of ways to ensure you are getting a full-body workout with battle rope by doing compound movements. This makes it a diverse tool to add to your home gym. 

If your home gym is currently lacking in weight and you don’t want to go the dumbbell/barbell route, consider sandbags. They don’t take up much space and are extremely functional to use in a variety of ways similarly to weights or resistance bands.It is also easy to add more sand to the bags, making it fairly simple to increase weight when you are ready for more.

Do you have a medicine ball in your home gym? Perhaps you have been considering purchasing a weighted ball to enhance your workouts. TRX slam ball is made for all challenging and stress-relieving slam ball workouts. It can also be used in place of a medicine ball or other weighted ball. If you haven’t yet, try getting your significant other or a friend to join you in your workouts and throw a weighted ball back and forth for a different exercise. 

Recovery 

Now that you’ve busted a sweat and challenged your muscles in whole new ways, don’t forget how important recovery is. When you workout, you are causing microtears in your muscles, and they need time to heal to allow you to build more muscle. Active recovery is as important, if not more important, than your workout itself. 

Go for a walk, not a crazy power walk or a hike, just a walk. Do some stretching or yoga, ensure you are not further injuring yourself by pushing too hard. Utilize compression, ice, heat, electric stimulation, and massage to maximize your recovery. Add a foam roller to your stretching routine. Use a massage gun; some even have heated settings. Take a soak in the bath with some essential oils like lavender, frankincense, and/or spearmint. 

Recovery can also include some skin care while you are massaging. Use your favorite lotion or oil to enhance your massage. Put on a face mask while you soak. Your skin works hard during your workout, so take care of it along with your muscles. 

Whether before or after your workout, take some extra time cleansing with figure 1 beauty. Ensure you are cleansing and renewing your skin with quality products made with scientifically proven ingredients to keep your skin healthy. Before you workout outside, you want to ensure you are using an SPF. Then post-workout, you will want to cleanse all the sweat, grime, and SPF off before it clogs your pores and causes breakouts. 

Wherever you are in your fitness journey, you can continue it through the summer. Use the warmer weather to get outside. Or, if you live in an excessively hot climate, take your workout inside to the AC. Don’t make excuses, just get it done.