(Part 2)
In last week’s column, I gave some useful tips to ensure that when the lockdown is finally over, you can come out of it looking and feeling almost as good as before. This included keeping as much on track with training, maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and avoiding stress as some key factors.
The current partial lockdown situation has probably got you worried and thinking that you are going to lose all your hard-earned fitness gains. And while losing some strength and muscle is perhaps inevitable, there are lots of things you can do to keep these losses to a minimum.
Here are a few more tips to help you hold on to those hard-earned gains.
Get enough rest
The current lockdown situation can have a significant impact on your regular sleep cycles, and lack of physical and mental activity may mean you are unable to sleep at night, but then feel tired and sluggish during the day. Too little sleep, like stress, will spike your cortisol levels, and that’s the last thing you need if you want to preserve your lean muscle.
Similarly, not getting enough sleep can increase insulin resistance, which makes it much harder for your body to burn fat and primes it for increased fat storage.
Use these strategies to make sure you get enough sleep every night:
● Go to bed and get up at the same time each day – e.g. 11 pm and
7 am, to get eight hours of sleep
● Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the lead up to bedtime
● Relax before trying to go to sleep, maybe with a warm bath or
shower
● Ban all screens from your bedroom to avoid distractions and blue
light, which can disrupt your normal sleep cycle
● Use blackout blinds to block extraneous light
● Use a fan or noise cancelling devices to keep out distracting
sounds
● Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature
● Try a sleep-enhancing supplement.
Consume enough protein
Consuming adequate protein ensures your body has all the amino acids it needs without having to cannibalise your hard-built muscle. Your body needs protein for muscle repair and maintenance. Consuming too little protein will tip your metabolic balance away from anabolism and toward catabolism.
Your body uses protein, and the amino acids it contains like a builder uses bricks. If you fail to consume adequate amounts of protein (one gramme per pound or about two grammes per kilo of body weight), your body will start to break down your muscles.
Whole foods like eggs, fish, poultry, dairy, and meat, as well as beans, nuts, and legumes, all contain protein. If you’re struggling to get enough protein, a protein supplement will make getting enough of the good stuff much easier.
Protein supplements, either whey or plant-based protein contain all the amino acids you need in a very easy to use, highly digestible, and delicious formulation. For an easy protein hit on the go, try protein bars.
It’s easy to become despondent and think that lockdown is going to steal all your hard-earned fitness gains. And while not being able to go to the gym could lead to lost muscle and strength, it doesn’t have to. In fact, there are lots of things you can do to preserve your gains during this challenging period.
Make preserving your gains your new obsession. Put all the tips in this article into practice and, when the lockdown is finally over, you’ll look and feel better than all those people who just waved the white flag of submission and didn’t take steps to stay in shape.
