WHY YOU NEED TO WASH YOUR FACE POST-WORKOUT
A lot of us don’t have the opportunity to go home from the gym to take a shower before we zoom off to work or class, and while it’s tricky to do, your skin should not have to suffer for your schedule!
Sometimes if you’re running short on time, or need 5 extra minutes to give to your beautiful mane or killer OOTD, it can be super tempting to just give your t-zone a once-over with a wipe or splash some water onto your face and then move on to makeup.
That would be great if that worked, but one of the difficult things about keeping your skin glowing is that pesky (and invisible) little thing known as bacteria. Throughout the day, and particularly when you work out, sweat can cause oils and bacteria to collect on your face, and if left there it can cause inflammation and breakouts.
As if the bacteria you’re introduced to in the gym isn’t bad enough, it’s also important to make sure that as you move on from the gym to the rest of your day, you’ve gotten off any makeup you had on before your workout also. Having a full face of makeup might make you feel super confident while you’re working out next to that hot guy lifting weights, but any makeup you have on creates a layer on your skin that can trap all of that yucky stuff in your pores and worsens the situation.
Anyone else out there busy? Yeah, I thought so. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like my schedule gets fuller every. single. month. And even though it’s all super fun stuff (like traveling to Europe!), it’s definitely a challenge when it comes to eating. You already know the struggle. The fastest, easiest stuff is usually prepackaged, totally processed junk that’s full of sodium and sugars and other ingredients our bodies just don’t need.
And I know when you’re in a rush, it’s tempting to be like: no biggie! I’ll just grab this meal real quick and then I’ll make better food choices when I have more time. But, babes, I’ve gotta let you in on what I’ve learned. When I’m eating garbage, I feel like garbage. Then, my busy schedule leaves me totally stressed out and frazzled. But when I’m eating right, I feel energized and excited about all the cool stuff I have going on!
Eating right — even in a hurry
So here’s my takeaway. The secret to making good food choices even when I’m rocking a jam-packed schedule just comes down to some planning. That way, I don’t even have to even think about my next meal. My fridge is stocked, I can whip up meals in a few mins, and I’m on my way, super nutritious meal in tow.
Let’s talk real-life examples. I start my day with an upgraded coffee. Yes, black coffee is the easiest and fastest. But by taking seriously like sixty seconds to add some other ingredients (shootout to adaptions!), my morning cup keeps me balanced and feeling great.
For lunch I usually make some type of easy salad that I can seriously throw together. As long as my fridge is stocked (and you have to go to the grocery store anyway, busy or not!), it’s a total breeze.
For dinner, grilling up a turkey burger is a total snap. And to make sure I don’t get bored, I whip up a little LSF spicy yogurt sauce to take the meal totally next level.
See! Eating right can be just as fast as eating junk, but I feel about a million times better. And I don’t get in the way of my body goals. Remember, babes, abs are ABSolutely made in the kitchen!
Want the full scoop on what I eat in a day? Check out this printable!
STAY DISCIPLINED:
Using the LSF app everyday is the perfect way to continue to push yourself in a fun and organized way! Set a micro goal for yourself to find time for the Daily 10 at least 5 times a week and journal your workouts. Or decide to track your hydration every day and see how much better you feel!
STAY FRESH:
Make sure that in the weeks after a challenge, you’re mixing things up! Revisit some old YouTube videos and do some workouts that you haven’t done in a long time! Go try a new level in the app you’ve never done before, or mix up the days in your routine! Doing this will help you avoid chances of hitting a plateau and will keep you moving onward and upward before the next challenge!
STAY SOCIAL:
Keep using those hashtags and checking in with a daily on Insta so that you can stay up to date on the LSF community. After all, it’s the people checking in everyday who make the challenges so amazing, so why not keep yourself posted? There’s always mini-challenges and giveaways happening that will help keep you pressing forward!
STAY CREATIVE:
STAY CREATIVE:
Community-wide challenges are so much fun, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a challenge for yourself while you wait for the next one! Now that you’ve been connected with all of these LSF babes, grab a cyber-buddy and come up with a challenge of your own!
STAY TUNED:
Almost as soon as one big challenge is over, we’re working hard to plan the next amazing one! Our goal for LSF is to push you towards lasting results rather than finding fitness in phases. So rather than slip into a pattern of crushing a challenge and then backsliding before the next one, try to use the challenges as a way to set a new bar, and then level up every time a new challenge hits your inbox! You’ll not only see consistent results, but the results will only get better and better!
Different Types of Self Care
Fuel Your Mind and Body
Start to rewire your brain to think of the food you eat as fuel for your body because that’s what it is! Pay attention to how certain foods affect your mood, energy, and motivation. Then start to incorporate more of what makes you feel great. Seriously, consuming what makes you feel your best is the ultimate form of self-care.
Take Time to Decompress & Connect With Yourself
Setting time aside to relax whether it be a visit to the spa, reading a book, going on a walk, taking a digital break, writing in your journal, or whatever works for you to give you time to reflect. Being able to decompress is caring for yourself in the present to help benefit yourself in the future.
This section discusses how each macro nutrient — protein, carbs and fat — is involved in your body's post-workout recovery process.
Protein Helps Repair and Build Muscle
As explained above, exercise triggers the breakdown of muscle protein.
The rate at which this happens depends on the exercise and your level of training, but even well-trained athletes experience muscle protein breakdown .
Consuming an adequate amount of protein after a workout gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair and rebuild these proteins. It also gives you the building blocks required to build new muscle tissue.
It's recommended that you consume 0.14–0.23 grams of protein per pound of body weight (0.3–0.5 grams/kg) very soon after a workout .
Studies have shown that ingesting 20–40 grams of protein seems to maximize the body's ability to recover after exercise .
Carbs Help With Recovery
Your body's glycogen stores are used as fuel during exercise, and consuming carbs after your workout helps replenish them.
The rate at which your glycogen stores are used depends on the activity. For example, endurance sports cause your body to use more glycogen than resistance training.
For this reason, if you participate in endurance sports (running, swimming, etc.), you might need to consume more carbs than a bodybuilder.
Consuming 0.5–0.7 grams of carbs per pound (1.1–1.5 grams/kg) of body weight within 30 minutes after training results in proper glycogen re synthesis .
Furthermore, insulin secretion, which promotes glycogen synthesis, is better stimulated when carbs and protein are consumed at the same time .
Therefore, consuming both carbs and protein after exercise can maximize protein and glycogen synthesis .
Try consuming the two in a ratio of 3:1 (carbs to protein). For example, 40 grams of protein and 120 grams of carbs .
Eating plenty of carbs to rebuild glycogen stores is most important for people who exercise often, such as twice in the same day. If you have 1 or 2 days to rest between workouts then this becomes less important.
Fat Is Not That Bad
Many people think that eating fat after a workout slows down digestion and inhibits the absorption of nutrients.
While fat might slow down the absorption of your post-workout meal, it will not reduce its benefits.
For example, a study showed that whole milk was more effective at promoting muscle growth after a workout than skim milk
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Moreover, another study showed that even when ingesting a high-fat meal (45% energy from fat) after working out, muscle glycogen synthesis was not affected
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It might be a good idea to limit the amount of fat you eat after exercise, but having some fat in your post-workout meal will not affect your recovery.