10 Golden Rules of Fitness

When it comes to living a fit life, nutrition is key. To successfully power your workouts, it's important that you prioritize protein. Protein is a major building block for muscles, and it's important that you consume protein post-workout to ease your recovery. 

An easy rule of thumb is to aim for roughly a gram of protein per pound of body weight.

After all of the reps you did during your workout, your muscles are left shortened. Proper post-workout stretching helps reset your body. While stretching might not help with post-workout soreness, it can help with mobility and increase your range of motion—a payoff that could help ensure you're reaching the full-range of motion on each and every rep. Post-workout, make sure to hold static stretches for about 30 seconds each, and aim for a total of 15 to 20 minutes of cool-down.

If you're looking to make fitness a life-long commitment, it's important to listen to your body and take breathers when needed. Working out tears down muscle fibers. In order for them to rebuild, and for you to gain strength and endurance, you need to allow your body to rest.

To prevent over training and injury, allow for at least one rest day a week (more if you're a beginner). And don't worry about losing the results of your hard-earned effort. It takes the body nearly two weeks of inactivity before performance starts to dip.

As you develop a routine, make sure to track your progress over time, whether it's your best mile time, the weight you're lifting or even how often you're working out. It's guaranteed that your motivation will lag occasionally, but seeing your progress written down—and how far you've come—will remind you why you started in the first place. 

Before you know it, you'll be back on track and ready for more.