Want A Home Gym? These 3 Tips Are All You Need!

November 17, 2021 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Working out at home has a lot of great benefits. It’s very convenient, it saves time, you can stay comfortable, saves money, and you’re staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are other benefits such as dealing with your chronic uveitis treatments when you need one, plus home being a pressure-free zone as well. Gyms are fairly intimidating, all the grunts, smell of sweat, and fit body types can make you question what you’re doing. So if you’re new to fitness, then a home gym has its perks. However, there are some downsides to a home gym such as minimal space and the fact that exercise equipment comes with a steep price tag.

While there are some negative aspects to a home gym, in the end, more people are opting for home workouts thanks to all their benefits. If you’re looking to create your own, then continue reading on to learn about how you can create your very home gym without the hefty price tag!

Think of the location

Where in your home would you like to have your home gym? Location matters as this needs to be a spot in your home that you’re completely comfortable with. It should also be a room that has enough space to move around freely. If you plan to buy exercise equipment such as a stationary bike or a machine, then it’s best to have a designated room in your home for that. However, if you plan to purchase small items such as a yoga mat or dumbbells, then those are small enough to where they can be stored anywhere. The location and the amount of space is the first thing that you need to keep in mind.

Get yourself a mirror

You’ll want to buy a full-length mirror, you may already have one at home. Mirrors aren’t just for primping yourself up, as they’re also helpful for keeping an eye on your form. One IKEA hack that a lot of home gym builders use is to purchase mirror tiles from IKEA and cover one wall with them.

Look into smaller items

Sure, gyms have all the glitz and the glam of those fancy machines. They do help with your fitness journey, but those fancy machines aren’t exactly necessary. If you are someone who wants to focus on getting pumped, then it may be best to go to the gym. But if you’re looking to lose weight, get toned, and gain some muscle (unlike a bodybuilder), then this can be easily achieved at home.

Small items for your home gym are excellent as they are just as effective and you can easily store them in a closet if you’d like. Plus smaller exercise items can be found at so many different shops so you don’t even need to special order them. Some examples include:

A yoga mat (or some type of exercise mat)
Resistance band
Jump rope
Hula hoop
Dumbbells
Kettlebell
Stability ball
Gliding discs

These are just a few items that can be found in a lot of different shops for very affordable prices. Whatever you choose, just make sure it’s what will make you feel your best!

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

4 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Workout

November 13, 2021 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

There are many ways to get the most out of your workout. Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or just find some time for yourself. There is a workout plan that can suit your needs. You need to commit and put in the time. It’s easy for motivation to wane after a few days or weeks, but there are ways that you can stay motivated and keep going.

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Workout Plan

The first step to getting the most out of your workout is creating a plan. You will never know what results you can get if you don’t have some sort of goal in mind before starting. Start by figuring out why exactly you want to work out, and write down specific goals for yourself. For example, “I would like to lose weight” isn’t an actual goal. But saying something more along the lines of “I want to burn 500 calories per day through exercise” or” I’d like my clothes size to be smaller” or “I want increased energy levels.” These are all very specific things that may be able to help someone with their fitness journey.

Pick A Workout

Once you have decided what your goals are, pick a workout plan and stick with it. It can be very easy to get distracted and switch plans when starting out on working out, but giving up too soon will never help anyone reach their fitness goals. The best way to find the right combination for yourself is by trial and error. For example, you may need more or less cardio than someone else to lose weight properly. So finding which workouts work best for YOU is key.

Piece It Together

If you want to get the most out of your workouts and reach ALL of your health goals, then it’s important to mix things up a bit. If you constantly do cardio only every week for an hour to lose weight, then yes, this may help someone achieve their fitness goal, and they can call it quits there. However, what about muscle building? What about toning? The best way for anyone working on any part of their fitness journey is to mix up your workout plan and change it up. For example, suppose you did a week of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) cardio followed by strength training the next. In that case, this will burn fat while building muscle. It can be difficult at first to figure out what works best for yourself. But once found, it’s easy enough to piece together all of these different workouts quickly and get results faster than ever before.

Fluids

No matter your fitness goal, drinking plenty of water the day will help your body stay hydrated throughout the day so that you don’t get dehydrated while working out. This will also help flush toxins and other junk in your bodies, leading to weight gain over time without proper detoxing. Drinking caffeine before a workout may give someone an extra energy boost, but it’s important not to go overboard with this. Too much caffeine is actually bad for health. Instead, try drinking no more than two cups per day or less, depending on how sensitive you are. Or better yet, switch the caffeine for a pre-workout smoothie.

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Thank you for reading!

Fitness

3 Tips For Training For A Marathon

October 26, 2021 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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There are many reasons you might look to run a marathon. It might be because you want to raise money for a specific cause or charity, it could be because you are looking to get fit, or it could just be something on your bucket list that you have always wanted to tick off. No matter the reason, training for a marathon is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding yet also most challenging things that you will ever do in your life. It will involve a lot of dedication, hours of training and a high level of fitness, but it will be something you will remember forever. Here we have put together a few tips to help you when it comes to training for a marathon.

Give yourself plenty of time to train

Once you have secured yourself a place in a marathon, it is important that you give yourself plenty of time to train. You will need to get yourself up to a good level of fitness in order to complete it and don’t want to leave it too late as this will be stressful and much harder to do. By giving yourself a lot of time you can start with building up your fitness gradually, mentally and physically preparing yourself with a lot less pressure.

Make sure you have rest days

While you can get really into the fitness aspect of training for a marathon, it is important you give yourself a rest day and take care of yourself too. For example, you might want to wear compression socks, in which case look up compression sock side effects to make sure they’re right for you, to aid with healing. You will also need time to let your muscles rest as well as your mind. If you are out every single day going on runs it can soon become both mentally and physically draining. Put your health first as you won’t be in any fit state to run if you don’t.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself

These are just a few top tips for helping you to train for a marathon. By following these you will find that the journey from 0-26 miles is a lot easier. Remember the reason why you are doing the marathon and try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Even just completing it is an incredible achievement and you will have many people extremely proud of you. Have you ever done a marathon? What are some top tips you liked to follow? Let us know!

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

All You Need To Know About Taking Up Running

October 22, 2021 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Running is one of the very best forms of exercise there are. A regular running habit is always going to be one of the best things you can do to keep yourself in peak physical condition, maintain a healthy body weight, and keep your mood elevated as much as possible too. But if you have not been running for a while and you are thinking of trying to get back into it and back into a bigger part of your life, that can be tough, and it can take a while to do it.

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In this post, we are going to take a look at all that you need to know about taking up running. As long as you bear the following points in mind, you should find that you can become a proficient runner in no time at all.

You Can Do It

First of all, you need to make sure that you are starting off with the right motivation. One of the best ways to get motivated is to fight any sense that you might have that running is beyond you. The fact is that anyone can do it as long as they have two working legs (or even just one). With programs like Couch to 5K being a great example, you can see how pretty much anyone can get into running, whatever kind of position they might happen to start out from, so that is something that you might want to bear in mind. Keep that in mind and you should be able to make much more of a success of your running journey.

Get Medical Clearance

That being said, it is a good idea to make sure that you are physically capable of doing a lot of running, before you start doing it. The best way to do that is to get medical clearance that you are fit to run. That is a simple case of visiting your doctor and telling them that you are thinking about getting into running. They should be able to put you under various tests to ensure that you are strong enough to do it, including checking that your heart is okay and other things of that nature. This is important, as a lot of hardcore running can be dangerous if you are not careful, or if you have underlying conditions such as heart disease. Either way, this is an important way to be careful.

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Invest In Good Quality Clothing

What you wear when you are running is really very important indeed. Not only does it allow you to be safer and in a better state of mind while running, it improves comfort levels too, and on the whole this means that you are going to have a much better time of it. In particular, you need to make sure that you are wearing appropriate shoes, as these are going to really help you to be comfortable and avoid sustaining any injuries to the foot or ankle. Make sure that you spend a good amount of time shopping around for the right shoes. Take into account what your feet are actually like – if you have wide feet, find the best running shoes for wide feet, and so on. This is one of the best things you can do to ensure that you are able to run comfortably and safely.

A Schedule Will Be Your Friend

If you are keen to watch your progress and see how you are improving, then you might want to think about drawing up some kind of schedule that you can follow along. This can be as gentle or as full-on as you like, but the point is that it will help you in being able to watch your progress and achieve more and more each and every day. This can be great for spurring you on, so it’s something that you are really going to want to think about. Often, having a schedule is the main thing you can do to ensure that you are able to keep it up for a good duration, which is the most important thing for most people.

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Stretch!

Finally, make sure that you are always doing the warm-up and cool-down necessary before and after every run. Even if you feel like you don’t need it, it is something that you should absolutely do. Stretching helps to keep your body limber and supple and ensures that you are not going to sustain injuries, so it’s vital that you are doing this every time.

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

3 Ways To Turn Your Commute Into Daily Exercise

September 17, 2021 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

The biggest reason that people give for not exercising is that they don’t have time. Sometimes, it’s just an excuse and if they really wanted to, they could find the time. However, some people that have a busy work and family life really don’t have any time to exercise. If you find yourself in that situation, you need to double up on your time and find ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. One of the best ways to do that is to turn your commute into an opportunity to exercise.

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Your commute is dead time in the day anyway, but it’s easy to make it more active so you’re getting more out of it. These are some of the best ways to turn your commute into an opportunity for exercise.

Running and Walking

This is probably the most obvious answer. The best way to turn your commute into an opportunity for exercise is to run or walk while you’re commuting. You can wear your headphones and listen to music or an audiobook or podcast while you do it, but there’s something special about having that time where your mind can just wander. You’ll get some great exercise every single day and you’ll arrive at work feeling refreshed.

If you live close to work, walking is a great option and it’s better exercise than people realize. Running is an option sometimes, but if you live too far away, you might have to look into other options. If you are going to run, you will need facilities for showering and changing at work, so it all depends on your workplace.

Cycling

If you live close to work, cycling is another great option for turning your commute into an exercise opportunity. It’s one of the best ways to get in a lot of exercise each day and you can cover a much longer distance. You won’t get as sweaty as you will when you run either, so it’s better if there are no facilities at work. If you are concerned about the distance, you should look for some electric bikes for sale and use one of those instead. You still get good exercise but you have a bit of extra assistance if your commute is longer or there are a few big hills you need to tackle.

Scooters

You might think that scooters are just a kid’s toy, but they’re actually quite a popular option for commuters, especially in big cities, and they’re great exercise. They’re easy to use and they’re very maneuverable, so you can ride on the pavements in busy areas. They are also much more compact and easy to store than a bicycle, making them a good choice for smaller workplaces. You could use an electric scooter too if you need a bit of help on your commute. However, this won’t give you much exercise because the scooter does most of the work for you.

If you use these simple methods to incorporate exercise into your commute, you can stay healthy even if you are short on time.

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

4 Ways To Optimize Your Fitness To Get The Most Out Of Each Workout

September 12, 2021 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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Spending a lot of time working out can be a great way to make yourself healthy. Many people dedicate substantial portions of their lives to this sort of work, putting loads of effort into exercising each day. Of course, though, no matter what you do to keep fit, it will always be worth taking steps to optimize your workouts to get the most out of them. To help you out with this, this article will be exploring some of the best ways to improve your workouts without having to put more effort into them.

Your Diet

Maintaining a good diet is notoriously difficult, with many people finding it extremely hard to keep up with eating healthily. Of course, this will be easier when you are also working out, as you will feel more motivated to ensure that you have a good diet. It’s important to make sure that you are eating the right food before and after going to the gym. High-energy meals will be great before your workouts, but you will need something to help you recover afterward.

Sleep & Rest

Sleep is crucial to your fitness goals, though many people don’t realize this. Your body needs to spend a certain amount of time sleeping each night to ensure that it can recover properly from your workouts. Your sleep is also tied heavily to your metabolism, and this means that proper sleep can help you to lose weight. There are loads of guides and resources available around the web that can help you to get better sleep.

Additional Equipment

Most gyms come loaded with different types of equipment. This gives you the chance to try a range of different exercises, while also giving you an opportunity to find something you really like. Of course, though, you can supplement your regular exercises with additional equipment that will make it even better for your body. Weights are a good example of this, with wrist and ankle weights providing a heavier workout. Likewise, tools like an electric belly fat burning belt can also provide more from your workouts.

Your Approach

It can be all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that getting fit involves working as hard as humanly possible. In reality, though, you can often work smart rather than working hard, and your fitness goals can be easier to achieve than you expect. Working too hard can be bad for those with defined goals, as you are likely to spend more time recovering than you will if you take it a little bit easier. Light exercise each day is always better than heavy exercise once each week.

As you can see, making sure that you get the most out of each workout is a challenge that can be hard to balance. There are a lot of tools and resources available to help you with this, but you should also work to be creative and try new things. Your body is different to everyone else’s, and this means that you need to find options that work for you.

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

Exercise: What Is It Good For?

September 4, 2021 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Working out can be challenging, but it’s worth it. Of course, we all know that exercise is essential for our physical health, but did you know how many other benefits there are to getting moving?

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These Are 5 Reasons Why You Should Start Exercising Today!

Benefits For The Soul:

Mood, Energy And Conditions

Increased energy levels, elevated mood, and better quality sleep are just a few of the numerous physical benefits that regular exercise can bring about in your life.

In addition, exercise also reduces the risk factors for chronic conditions such as type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various types of cancer, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancers, which have also been linked with inactivity, where you might need a skilled mesothelioma attorney.

In addition to this, people who are physically active on a daily basis tend not only to live longer but also experience an improved quality of life during their golden years, too, due to healthier bodies being able to maintain their independence for longer.

Benefits for the Mind:

Mental Health

Several studies show that regular exercise also improves mental well-being because it stimulates growth hormones in muscle tissue. So even though the brain isn’t actually moving, it receives a boost in energy, and moods are improved.

Stress Relief

Furthermore, it is an effective treatment option for people suffering from depression or anxiety disorders, which significantly contributes to one’s well-being on a daily basis.

In addition to this, by exercising regularly, you will be able to reduce stress levels as well as release endorphins – chemicals produced naturally within the human body that induce feelings of happiness leading up to what is commonly termed “the runner’s high.”

Regular physical activity reduces fatigue levels allowing you to feel like yourself again after long periods of inactivity while also helping those suffering from chronic illnesses such as depression or anxiety to improve their overall mood and well-being.

In addition, exercise has also been shown to significantly lower blood pressure levels which is extremely important in the context of reducing stress and preventing heart disease – something that can occur when our arteries become clogged with plaque leading up to high cholesterol, a condition known as atherosclerosis.

Memory and Cognitive Improvement

An active lifestyle can improve your memory and cognitive functioning, leading you to think more clearly throughout the day. Furthermore, exercising regularly has been proven to slow down age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, significantly increasing your chances of living an independent life well into old age!

As people get older, their bodies tend to become less capable. As a result, they require a lot more rest, which is why regular exercise can be highly beneficial in this respect, by keeping people feeling rejuvenated while simultaneously affording them ample opportunities for sleep whenever required.

Benefits for the Body:

Muscle, Joint and Bone Strengthening

Regular exercise increases your chances of living longer by improving cardiovascular health while simultaneously strengthening bones, protecting them from subsequent weakness later on down the line.

Furthermore, people who regularly engage in physical activity tend not only to live healthier lives, but they are also able to maintain independence for longer, too, due to stronger muscles allowing them to carry out everyday tasks easier than someone less active would be able to.

As we get older, muscle mass will naturally diminish, resulting in a less capable body which is why it’s crucial to stay as active as possible by exercising on a regular basis.

Find What Works For You

It’s important to note that there are so many different forms of exercises out there for everyone to choose from! But, of course, the best type of workout would be one you enjoy doing every day because then it becomes easier for you to continue exercising over time.

You should also find an activity or routine that works well with your personal schedule since the point here isn’t just about being active but rather staying active on a constant basis to get results.

If running doesn’t feel right, perhaps try something like yoga instead? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with trying different forms of activity. In fact, it’s advised by doctors.

Regular exercise has countless benefits for both physical and mental health. So whether you are looking to lose weight, improve your heart health, or you simply want something fun to add more activity into your life, getting moving will not only help with these goals, but it will also leave you feeling happier about yourself in general.

It might be difficult breaking out of an old habit, so start slowly if need be but stick with it as long as possible because once you find that healthy groove, there’s no going back!

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

Boost energy

After a long day working, you can feel too tired to exercise, which is one of the main excuses people give for not working out. However, exercising can make you feel more energized; it’s a paradox. Exercise improves your blood flow and promotes the release of natural endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine for enhanced energy. When you feel tired, the solution is to begin with moderate workouts and explore the benefits of caffeine. Also, ensure you get enough quality sleep and exercise during your most energetic time of the day, like in the morning before you leave for work.

Workout from home

Lack of enough funds to secure a gym membership is notably one of many people’s excuses for failing to work out. However, you don’t need an expensive gym membership to keep up with fitness; you can exercise from home. The pandemic proved that you could do many things from home, working out being among them. Watch YouTube videos for exercise, get essential equipment, find a suitable space, and develop a sustainable routine.

Fight boredom

When you’re bored, it’s challenging to look forward to working out. Fight the boredom by engaging in exercise that uplifts you; for example, skating, biking, or dancing, switch up your routine every once in a while and keep challenging yourself whenever you reach particular goals. Suppose you don’t enjoy working out alone, get a partner or sign up for group sessions.

Motivate yourself

Exercising is not an exciting activity compared to watching movies and going out with friends, but you can make it fun. Determine your reason for working out and establish workable goals; this way, you can find daily motivators to keep you going. Create an exercise chart or use online tools to track your progress and reward yourself whenever you reach a goal.

Create time

Life responsibilities, such as commuting to work, tending to the family, and running errands, can leave you feeling like there’s no time left for exercise. Just as rest is essential and part of your routine, so should exercise. Instead of making the excuse that you can’t find time to work out, create time; all you need is thirty minutes to an hour of exercise, and you can boost your health significantly. Find tricks, such as cycling, walking to work or as you run errands, using the stairs often, exercising while watching TV, or walking on a phone call.

Achieve your fitness goals by doing away with the excuses. Exercise is essential and should be part of your daily routine for optimal health. Boost your energy, work out from home, create time, and find the motivation to keep you going with your fitness journey.

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

Supporting an Ankle Injury As You Restart Exercising

July 15, 2021 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Sustaining any injury that limits how much you can exercise is crushing. No one likes to sustain an injury, and one that could potentially undo all of your hard-earned gains is a pretty tough pill to swallow.

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Ensuring you rest to allow your injury to recuperate is vital, especially if you sustain an ankle injury. Your ankle needs to support your weight, and by not giving it time to heal, you could be opening yourself up to a whole host of related problems and even making it worse than the original injury.

Once your physician gives you the all-clear to start working out again post ankle injury, you must pay attention to the cues your body is giving you regarding what type of exercise it can sustain and what could potentially cause more damage. Pain is your giveaway that something isn’t right and your body needs some attention, and ignoring the pain could be disastrous.

Supporting your ankle before and during workouts by wearing an ankle brace to help give you extra stability, or applying kt tape to an ankle before exercise can help you reduce the impact and help you avoid doing further damage. As can make sure you are alternating what exercise you are doing and when you are doing them to maximise your recovery times.

What type of exercise is good for ankle injuries?

Stationary Bike

Riding a stationary bike can allow you to exert as much or as little pressure as you need to effectively. The cycling movement can provide your ankle with a low impact workout and allow you to rebuild any loss of fitness while you are still recovering. Pay attention to time limits and try to go at a speed that doesn’t aggravate the injury and allows you to exercise as pain-free as possible.

Swimming

Swimming is the ultimate low impact exercise and allows the water to take the full weight of your body and support you as you swim. As your feet won’t sustain an impact from the motion and are supported, swimming is a great exercise for most injuries and ankle and feet related conditions.

Resistance Workouts

Resistance workouts can help you to regain the full motion of your ankle as it is healing. Follow your doctor’s advice regarding the right type of resistance workouts for your body to really gain the maximum benefits without doing any more damage to the original injury site.

Yoga or Pilates

Strengthening your core is vital to allow you to undertake more vigorous exercise and push your body to its limits. Yoga and Pilates are core training workouts and can allow you to work on your core strength and flexibility in a more low impact way. It will also include a full range of motion for your ankle, allowing you to exercise still while healing without putting too much pressure on your ankle.

Remember to make sure you are listening to your body and paying attention to increased pain levels or movements that are causing you more pain. Any sudden changes in your injury should be noted and brought to the attention of your primary care doctor to allow for further investigation.

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

3 Reasons You Feel Incredibly Tired After Working Out (And How To Fix This!)

June 22, 2021 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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Tiredness is somewhat normal after working out, but it shouldn’t be a case of you crashing on your sofa and feeling like you need to sleep. Obviously, working your body will tire it out, but you should still have enough energy to get on with the rest of your day. So, why are you so incredibly tired following your workouts? Here are three reasons this could be the case, along with some solutions to help you stop feeling so drained:

You didn’t have enough fuel in your body beforehand

Fueling your workouts is critical to make them more effective and intense. You need to have energy in your body to burn while working out, but the problem is that too many of us work out with a lack of energy to burn. This happens when you skip meals before working out, so your body is essentially running on empty. You burn calories while exercising, but you have no fuel left to sustain you after the workout. So, you start feeling faint, lightheaded, and exhausted.

Addressing this problem is a simple case of fueling properly before working out. Eat a carb-heavy meal or snack before exercising, leaving at least 30 mins after you eat. This will make you feel more energetic during and after the workout. Oh, and refuel after as well (definitely with protein)!

You’re dehydrated

Dehydration is super common since you sweat a lot during your workouts (meaning you lose a lot of fluids). It’s important to be hydrated before working out. You want to feel hydrated during the workout, and of course don’t forget to hydrate after the workout, as well (especially drink something with electrolytes)! This will stop the feelings of exhaustion that you tend to feel.

A couple of ways you can achieve hydration are by bringing a reusable water bottle to the gym (and constantly filling it), or you could even try IV therapy. A water bottle encourages you to drink while exercising, replacing lost fluids along the way. You can use it after the workout as well to keep your hydration levels high. The average IV therapy costs have become more affordable in modern times, and this basically provides instant hydration to your body – along with the benefit of replacing lost electrolytes. Whichever method you choose, just make sure you stay hydrated to avoid extreme tiredness.

You drank caffeine before working out

A common way to approach workouts is to have coffee or another caffeinated beverage beforehand. Certainly, if you take any pre-workout supplement, it’ll be packed full of caffeine. While it gives you a burst of energy for the workout, you tend to crash later on as the caffeine wears off. So, you’re sitting at your desk slumping over struggling to keep your eyes open!

You could fix this by avoiding caffeine before working out, or perhaps have another caffeinated beverage after to keep you going for a bit longer. At least this means you don’t fall asleep at your desk while working!

You shouldn’t struggle to work or go about your daily tasks following bouts of exercise. If you’re absolutely exhausted, it’s likely because of one of the problems above.

Thank you for reading!