One hour in the gym does not an athlete make. To truly thrive, succeed, and become physically fit, we cannot neglect the other twenty-three hours of the day. Yes, our workout time is special, and some people even consider it to be sacred. The workout hour precipitates all of the physiological changes which occur after, and only after, leaving the gym. If we don’t nurture and support the body in the other hours after the workout, we may never fully realize its gains and benefits.
If you train for one hour, every day of the week, you will be left with 161 hours to either unravel or enhance your fitness. Proper sleep and nutrition also are critical for impacting how you feel and perform. If after a tough workout you nourish the body with nutritious, whole foods and get ample sleep, you can expect to see your performance almost continually improve. Do this consistently for weeks and months, and your body composition will also transform. On the other hand, you can’t out train bad nutrition or sleep habits. Everyday we see people who train like mad who then stay up too late and eat junk food. They may be healthier for the exercise, but they are far from completely fit. Their bodies never change, and they struggle to reach their goals.
To take your training and overall fitness to the next level, our recommendation is to place a higher emphasis on the other twenty-three hours of the day. Keep a log of your food intake and hours of sleep. Adjust your habits to give you enough time to shop for healthy food and to get a good night’s sleep. Certainly everyone deserves a cheat meal or cheat day, but in order to cheat, the rest of the days should be healthy. Exercise plus diet and sleep will give you the results you desire.
