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For tons of fitness fanatics and gym goers out there, the main point of working out is to get as big and strong as possible.
Whether you’re into powerlifting, bodybuilding, or an advanced body weight training routine involving elements of gymnastics practice, there’s a good chance that there are two main things in your mind: looking jacked, and being able to lift more than you did last time.
While strength training, and muscle hypertrophy, are great reasons to work out, though, there are some real downsides to just leaving things there.
It turns out that all sorts of practises that could be called “holistic,” such as yoga and Pilates may be extremely beneficial, with regards to both your personal well-being and your physical performance. But the kinds of “holistic” practises that you should look into go above and beyond forms of movement and exercise altogether, and include things like everyday routines and lifestyle practises in the home.
Here are some suggestions for building a workout with holistic practises.
Stress management will improve your health, energy and gains
Stress is a major part of modern life for just about everyone, to varying degrees.
By all sorts of different metrics, and according to all sorts of different experts and commentators, the pace of life has massively sped up in recent times compared to even just a few decades ago – and one of the consequences of this is that virtually everyone finds themselves feeling more overworked, more distracted, and more agitated on a day-to-day basis.
If you throw an intense workout routine into the mix, and don’t add in the right counterbalancing practises and habits, it’s even more likely that you will find yourself feeling highly stressed on a routine basis.
Here’s the thing: stress is extremely detrimental if it goes on in a chronic way. It’s not only detrimental to your sense of well-being, but can also rob you of your gains, and can wreak havoc on your physical health.
The stress hormone, cortisol, is well known to be catabolic, for example, and to cause muscle breakdown to occur.
Incorporating effective stress management practises into your daily routine – including things like massage, aromatherapy, epsom salt baths, and potentially looking into things such as ashwagandha supplement benefits, can make a major difference.
Photo by Erik Brolin on Unsplash
Integrating yoga into your routine will help your body to perform smoothly, and will balance your mind
It’s one thing to build a set of impressive muscles, and to become stronger, but if you’re suffering from tight muscle groups, muscular imbalances, and poor flexibility, you simply won’t be able to make full use of your strength, or to perform physically in the way you would like – whether athletically, or just over the course of day-to-day life.
Yoga is an excellent practice that can help to massively enhance your flexibility, while also helping to soften and release tight muscles, meaning improved posture, and a greater ability to recruit the right muscle groups when performing various different movements.
At the same time, yoga can also promote mindfulness and can significantly improve your ability to feel more balanced on a day-to-day basis.
If you find out, despite your normal workout routine, that you can barely carry the groceries without feeling pain in your back or joints, or if you struggle with poor flexibility when trying to do things like martial arts, yoga is one piece of the puzzle that might help a lot of things to fall into place.
Good sleep is essential for progress in the gym, for wellbeing, and for health
Virtually everyone who is seriously into fitness understands that good sleep is essential for making consistent and optimal progress in the gym, and for recovering from workouts.
At the same time, though, chronic sleep deprivation is widespread, and many people consistently wake up feeling tired each morning, and never find that they get as much rest as they would like.
If this sounds familiar to you, it’s important to also consider the fact that insufficient sleep, and poor sleep quality, lead to impaired cognitive performance, immune dysfunction, and increased “perceived effort,” during strenuous physical activity.
Getting more sleep, and better sleep, can help you improve your life in just about every way, and can also help you to experience significantly better progress in your workouts, in addition to helping you to enjoy your workouts significantly more.