September 2020 - Starmark

Identifying the Benefits of Stretching After Workout

If you are not paying attention to stretching after workout, then your exercise is not complete. Learn from us as to why it is important.

One of the most underrated aspects of the workout regime is the post-exercise routine. Most of us are extremely negligent and even ignorant of the actions that need to be taken after finishing our workout routine. Stretching after exercise not only decreases muscle tension, but it also improves your overall flexibility.

This is why fitness trainers around the globe recommend their clients to include stretching in their workout routine. It makes the workout regime well-balanced. No matter what type of training you are under – strength-based or cardiovascular – stretching is an absolute must.

To help you understand the apparent as well as the subtle benefits of stretching after exercise, we bring before you a comprehensive list of the same. In addition, we will also talk to you about the different types of stretching that you can do. So, it is time to stretch it out…

7 Benefits of Stretching After Workout

We all know how important it is to stretch before a workout session since it helps in stimulating your movements, warming up your body, and preparing it for the exercises you are about to perform safely. But the benefits of stretching after exercise are also plentiful.

Most people feel the necessity to take a short nap or hop in the shower or nibble in some snack immediately after they finish their workout session. However, that is not the smartest choice. There is a process to everything and they need to be performed properly so that you can reap the most benefits out of the efforts you are putting in working out.

Now, we do understand that all of us have a tight schedule and we probably can’t devote more time to our workout regime than we already do. Don’t worry! You don’t have to stretch for a long time after workout. In fact, you can stretch several muscles groups at once, thereby saving more time of yours.

Alright, without any further ado, let us get into the benefits of stretching after workout now.

Improves Flexibility

The biggest advantage of stretching after workout is that it improves your flexibility. You may not notice the difference immediately, but after a few weeks, you would find yourself to be more flexible than you were before.

When you hold static and deep stretch poses at the end of your workout routine, you will have more access to the length in various parts of your body. You will be able to move around easily and will experience a better range of motion.

Lowers Muscle Tension

Almost of us experience tension in our muscles after exercising and it can get overwhelming quite soon. In addition, stress can also contribute to the tension in your muscles.

Stretching after exercise can help relax the tension in your muscles. In the process, your stress level goes down and you, in turn, feel calmer. Furthermore, stretching plays a great role in lowering back pain. This is why we recommend you to stretch your hip flexors, hamstrings, and the muscles attached to your pelvis.

Not to mention, stretching would also give your muscles tone and help them look slender.

Protects Joints

Your joints play a vital role in supporting and moving your body. They are made of connective tissues and have various muscle attachments. Your shoulders, hips, and knees need to be taken care of if you want to better mobilise your body.

You would end up losing tension in your joints and there won’t be any stiffness in those areas. To put it simply, stretching help in taking care of every sore muscles and joints.

Improves Posture

When your muscles are tensed and tight, it results in you having a poor posture. Moreover, every time you sit or stand incorrectly, you end up putting additional strain and pressure on your muscles.

As per a study conducted in the year 2015, it was seen that if you combine a strength-based training routine with stretching exercises, then you would be able to avoid any sort of shoulder or back pain.

Stretching would help in proper alignment, which ultimately would improve your posture. You would also be in better control of avoiding any potential back injuries in the future.

Lowers the Chance of Cramping

Have you ever wondered why your body gets tired and sore are a workout routine? Well, that is because every time you workout, your body produces lactic acid. It is extremely important to eliminate this lactic acid because if it stays accumulated inside your body, your muscles will never be able to relax.

Stretching is one of the easiest ways through which you can eliminate this lactic acid. This also means that you would not experience any sort of cramping in your body after a workout as they are usually the results of body fluids getting stuck in your body.

Increased Blood Flow

Immediately after a strenuous workout session, your body pumps blood at a faster rate to your heart, making it beat at a much faster rate. This can have a negative impact on your health if not taken care of.

Stretching helps in your heartbeat returning to a normal rate. In an animal study that was conducted in the year 2018, it was also seen that stretching helps in improving circulation. As such, your muscles are also able to heal quickly after a workout session. Better blood circulation would also prevent muscle stiffness and soreness.

Boosts Your Energy

Proper stretching after workout helps in keeping your energy level steady and consistent. Stretching also allows your brain to release endorphins, which is a feel-good healthy and natural chemical.

As a result, you end up feeling more energized and you can stay with more energy for the rest of the day to meet any challenge.

Prevents Injury

Stretching not only dissipates the pain but also help in minimalizing it to a great degree. If you don’t stretch after an intense workout, your muscles remain tight and you run the risk of incurring injuries.

During stretching, your muscles are elongated which means the risk of tearing and ripping of muscle tissues and fibres are way less. So, save your body from being susceptible to injuries and stretch out.

Cools Your Body Down

As we have stated above, stretching helps in improving blood circulation which ultimately helps in bringing back your heartbeat to a normal rate.

In fact, stretching is the gradual shift to a stage of relaxation after a heavy workout. It would offer your body and mind with a sense of mindfulness and patience. So, this is why immediately resting after a workout is not recommended. You have to go through a gradual flow and stretching is the perfect gateway to that.

The Different Types of Stretching

A lot of people are unaware of the different types of stretching exercises. You need to have a clear understanding of them before trying them out. This knowledge would help you figure out which stretching exercise is appropriate for which time.

Without complicating the subject and causing confusion, we just want to keep the classifications simple for a better understanding. Broadly speaking, stretching exercises are primarily of two types – static and dynamic. Let us now try to understand how these two types of stretching exercises differ from each other.

Static stretching refers to the stretches where you have to hold a pose for a period of time that can last anywhere between 20 to 60 seconds. In this type of exercises, you stay in a particular place and don’t move at all while stretching a particular muscle or group of muscles. Static stretching is done at the end of the workout when your muscles are already warm.

On the other hand, dynamic stretching exercises refer to those exercises that need active movements from you. Both your muscles and joints go through a full range of motion. Dynamic stretches are usually done before a workout since they help warm up your body and increase the heart rate up.

Summary

You may be tempted to rest immediately after a workout session but trust us; you need to understand the importance of stretching after workout. Maybe you won’t see the positive as well as negative implications right away. But in due time, you will.

The value that you give to stretching before exercises, the same should be given to the post-workout stretching. This is essentially the aftercare of your workout session. You won’t be able to reap the full benefits of the efforts you are putting in your exercise if you don’t stretch after your workout session.

While stretching, don’t push yourself too hard. If you are experiencing too much pain, then stop immediately. Pushing too hard will cause more damage than good. Remember, this is not a full-blown workout session. This is meant to relax you, not to cause additional pressure on you.

A Yummy Guide to the Healthy Snacks for Work

Fill your bags with these mouth-watering healthy snacks for work so that your nutrition level is never depleted while you stay busy.

Many of us spend one-third of our day at work. Since we stay very busy, more often than none, we tend to ignore our health and our body’s nutrition requirements. Of course, we do get lunch breaks wherein we have our regular lunches and at times we treat ourselves with some of our cravings for fast food. But, your body needs much more.

Carrying healthy snacks with you that you can bite into between work is extremely important to fulfil your nutrient needs as well in making sure that you don’t stay hungry for a long period. Today, we are going to list out some healthy snacks for work that you can nibble upon. Don’t worry! Most of them would satiate your taste buds too. We have ensured that both your taste and nutrient requirements are being taken care of.

Healthy Snacks You Can Carry With You to Work

If you think that having breakfast, lunch and dinner is enough for you, then you are highly mistaken. Your body needs to be replenished even more. Now, you may be tempted to bite into a slice of pizza or a burger or dip your hands into a bag of potato chips or French fries, but they aren’t something that you can rely on a daily basis if you want to have a healthy life.

An ideal snack follows the formula of protein + produce. This ensures that you are getting enough carbs for your energy levels and enough fibre and protein for sustaining that energy. On top of that, this combo of snack is often portable. Although some snacks on this list require the assistance of a refrigerator or microwave (both of which are easily seen in most office spaces), most of them can be simply carried in your bag and doesn’t require any extra preparation.

These mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks help in controlling your blood sugar and make sure that it doesn’t spike or crash. With the help of a healthy snack, you would be able to stay energized all day. Since food gives you nutrition, which is essentially fuel to your body, you need it from time to time. Without it, you would end up with a bad mood and decreased productivity.

In addition, these snacks ensure that you don’t go to starvation. You would also be able to save yourself from overeating during lunch and dinner.

Alright, with all these being said, it is time for us to introduce you to our list of healthy snacks for work.

Bell Peppers & Guacamole

Guacamole is one of the most irresistible dips that one can think of. What is great about this Mexican dip, which is made of avocados, onions, cilantro, and lime, is the fact that it ranks pretty high in the nutrition quotient.

Moreover, avocados are rich in mono-saturated fats that help in controlling blood cholesterol levels and keep your heart safe. Having them with bell peppers is an absolute yummy experience. You can opt for some other vegetables instead of bell peppers if they are not your jam.

Roasted Chickpeas

Rich in fibre, protein and a bunch of vitamins and minerals, roasted chickpeas are often considered to be one of the best non-perishable snacks.

A half-cup (125 gm) of roasted chickpeas contain 10 gm of protein and 5 gm of fibre. They also help in supplying amino acids to your body, which are highly beneficial for you.

It is extremely easy to prepare roasted chickpeas. All you need is a handful of chickpeas, drain them and pat them dry. Toss them in sea salt, olive oil and the seasoning of your choice. Follow this up by baking them on a lined baking sheet for 40 minutes at 350° F (180° C).

Homemade Granola

A list of healthy office snacks would be incomplete without the addition of granola. Now, it is very easy to find granolas in the market, but we recommend you to make your own at home since the ones available in the market have unhealthy vegetable oil and added sugar which may trigger inflammation in your body.

To make your homemade granola, you need to combine sunflower seeds, cashews, dried cranberries, rolled oats in a mix of honey and melted coconut oil. Once they are mixed well, spread them over a lined baking sheet and bake them at low heat for around 30-40 minutes.

This is a great option since it is well-balanced, wholesome and is rich in healthy fats, complex carbs and fibres. The soluble fibre present in oats would help in boosting your heart health and in lowering bad cholesterol levels.

Carrots & Hummus

Hummus is a savoury spread dip or dish that is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with lemon juice, tahini, and garlic. This Middle-Eastern cuisine is slowly and steadily getting its presence be felt all across the world. It is rich in both fibres and healthy fats.

On the other hand, carrots are a great source of potassium and vitamin A. So, when you combine these two, you get one of the greatest healthy snack ideas ever. A half-cup of hummus contains 200 calories while eight baby carrots have 30 calories.

If you don’t like carrots, you can try hummus with pita bread, baked pita chips, or some other vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, and celery.

Apples & Peanut Butter

One of the more classic healthy office snacks, you can never go wrong with apples and peanut butter. An apple contains 25 gm of carbs, 4.4 gm of fibre, 95 calories, and 28% of your daily vitamin C needs. So naturally, you can see why eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Peanut butter provides you with healthy fats and protein. As such, this is a very filling snack. If you don’t like peanut butter, then you can replace it with almond butter.

Greek Yoghurts with Fruits

Next on our list of healthy snack ideas are Greek yoghurts clubbed with fruits of your choice. Yoghurts are delicious and are a favourite of many. It should be noted that we are suggesting plain, unsweetened Greek yoghurt instead of regular yoghurt because the former has a higher source of protein.

170 gm of plain, low-fat Greek Yoghurt has 17 gm of protein for only 140 calories. So, it is an ideal healthy snack for weight loss. In addition, it is loaded with calcium that would benefit your teeth and bones.

You can add in any fruits or even nuts of your choice to elevate the nutrition value as well as the taste of this snack.

Popcorn

Contrary to popular belief, popcorn is an extremely healthy snack for work since it is low in calories and rich in fibre. On top of that, popcorns contain antioxidant named polyphenols that are known to protect your body against chronic diseases such as heart failure.

Two cups of air-popped popcorn (16 gm) contain 62 calories, 12 gm carbs, 2 gm fibre and numerous minerals and vitamins. However, remember not to drain your cup of popcorn in butter or caramel if you want to stay healthy. If you want to satiate your taste glands, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese or any other seasoning on top.

Dark Chocolate covered Nuts

We can all agree that dark chocolates are something that we all crave for. What if we tell you that they make for some healthy office snacks?

Yes, you heard that right! Dark chocolates are rich in antioxidants that help you fight molecules named free radicals that can destroy cells leading to multiple chronic diseases. Nut, on the other hand, are rich in proteins and healthy fats.

When you eat nuts that are covered in dark chocolates, you are not only having a nutritious snack but a snack that fills you up. Please be sure to check the ingredient of the brand of chocolate nuts you are buying. Look for the ones that don’t have any added sugars and has a minimum of 50% cocoa content.

Spiced Cashews

For those of who prefer to keep it spicy, we recommend you to go for spiced cashews since they are rich in minerals, vitamin and heart-healthy fats. Unknown to many, cashews helps in the functioning of your eyes as well since they contain various antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin. These two antioxidants also help lower the chances of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Try to make it at home instead of the ones available online or at stores. This way you can make sure that you are consuming natural ingredients.

To prepare this delicious snack, you need to toss raw cashews in olive oil, chilli powder, ginger, and cumin. Follow it up by spreading them on a lined baking sheet and baking it for 12-15 minutes at 325° F (165° C).

Chia Pudding

Made with chia seeds, vanilla, milk, sweetener, and fruits of your choice, next on our list of healthy snacks for work is chia pudding.

This is a highly nutritious snack as chia seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, iron, calcium, and fibre. Two tablespoons (35 gm) of chia seeds can provide you with 16% of the FV for calcium and 32% of the DV for fibre.

It has also been seen that adding chia seeds to your regular breakfast will give you a feeling of fullness and decrease your calorie intake, which, in turn, helps in weight loss. So, as you see, this is a healthy snack for weight loss too.

To prepare this snack, mix 3 tablespoons (40 gm) of chia seeds with 1 cup (250 ml) of milk. Throw in pumpkin seeds, a spoon of maple syrup, and sliced fruits of your choice along with a drop of vanilla essence in it. Refrigerate it overnight and carry it with you to work in the morning the next day.

Egg Muffins

Made from beaten eggs, cheese, and vegetables, egg muffins are a very popular snack. Since eggs are rich in high-quality protein and various minerals and vitamins, this is a nutritious snack. One egg provides you with more than 20% of the DV for choline, which is a beneficial nutrient for the functioning of your brain.

To prepare your egg muffins, mix chopped vegetables with raw eggs along with shredded cheese. Pour the mixture into greased muffin tin and bake them for 15-20 minutes at 375° F (190° C). After cooling them down, you can carry them with you to work.

Before eating, you can reheat them by putting them in the microwave for 60-90 seconds.

Summary

Work takes up a lot of your time and energy. Therefore, you need to replenish the nutrition need of your body through various food items. We have provided a delicious list of healthy snacks at work that range from spice cashews to Greek Yoghurt. We insist you to mix it up and not stick to only one specific snack. This way, all your nutrition needs will be fulfilled and your taste buds will not get bored.

Consume these snacks between your breakfast, lunch, and dinner because your body needs refreshments so that it doesn’t go to starvation. So, keep yourself energized and more productive at work by taking care of your body and keep treating yourself with these healthy office snacks.

Sleep After a Workout: Is It Good or Bad?

Are you wondering whether you should sleep after a workout or not? Well, let us help you figure out the answer to the question.

When it comes to figuring out whether you should sleep after a workout session or not, the answers may be extremely polarizing. Based on who you are talking to and on your own sleeping patterns and schedules, the answers may differ. Some people feel highly energized and get an adrenaline rush after working out while others immediately feel the necessity to hit the bed after working out. But, at the end of the day, the main concern is to find which one is healthy to follow, and we plan on finding exactly that today.

Today, we look at the reasons we get tired after working out and also the pros and cons of sleeping after a workout regime. So, follow through to find out what needs to be done.

Should You Sleep After a Workout?

When you perform a physical activity, it boosts your energy. Your blood flow and heart rate increases as a result of it. This can keep you awake. On the other end of the spectrum, it should be noted that physical activities like exercises can also make you extremely tried as they use a lot of your stamina and energy. This is why you might want to sleep after a workout.

The first thing that you need to learn is that it is completely natural to feel sleepy after working out. So, you don’t have to get concerned about it. This is especially true after having a long run or going through high-intensity interval training. Sometimes, feeling the immediate need for a sleep after a workout is a sign that you have pushed yourself too hard. However, exercises such as a leisurely walk won’t make you tired.

The degree at which you lose your energy will be dependent on multiple factors and they are all subjective. Some of the most crucial ones among them are as follows:

The type of exercise you are performing
Your fitness level
The kind of food you are eating
Your hydration level
The duration of your exercise
The intensity of your exercise
The frequency of your exercise
The amount of sleep you received the previous night
Any underlying medical conditions

Why Does One Feel the Need to Sleep After a Workout?

You might feel sleepy after a workout due to the natural response of your body to the physical activity. The muscles of your body contract repeatedly when you perform a vigorous activity such as an exercise. Your muscles use Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) to produce these contractions. ATP is essentially a molecule that is responsible for providing energy to your cells.

As you continue to workout, the levels of ATP gets depleted, which, in turn, decreases the ability of your muscles to function as energetically as they could before the workout. This leads to muscle fatigue, which is also known as peripheral fatigue. The Central Nervous System (CNS) of your body also plays a vital role here. When you are working out, your CNS sends signals to your muscles repetitively. The longer you workout, the less charged the sending of those signals will become.

Furthermore, physical activities increase various neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine. The capacity of your CNS to activate your muscles decreases due to these changes, which ultimately results in central fatigue.

As such, you might feel the necessity to hit your bed immediately. So, as you see, the entire process is very natural. So, don’t get alarmed or freak out if you are finding yourself in the need to get sleep after a workout.

Advantages of Sleep After a Workout

Let us start with the positives. Sleeping after a workout can help you in the following ways:

Improves Sleep Debt

Adequate sleep helps in muscle recovery, and when you deprive yourself of sleep, it would hinder in muscle recovery. Not only that, but you don’t sleep, your cognitive function slows down and your immune system gets weakened. These may lead to poor athletic performances. So, we highly recommend you not to go through sleep deprivation.

Increases Mental Alertness

Sleep relaxes your mind and in the process increases mental alertness. You get a boost of mental energy every time you go to sleep. Since sleep helps take care of your tiredness, it makes you more spatially aware. Your brain thinks faster when you have received proper sleep.

Better Recovery of Muscles

A sleep after a workout will help in the recovery of your muscles. Your pituitary gland releases growth hormone when you sleep. This hormone is responsible for repairing and building tissues, which, in turn, helps in improving athletic performances and muscle growth. Sleep after a workout would help in reaping the most benefits out of a physical activity.

Decreases Physical Fatigue

As we stated earlier, after your workout, your muscles go through a stage of fatigue. By allowing your muscles to recover through proper sleep, you reduce this fatigue. This would also allow you to handle the other activities of the day in a better fashion.

Disadvantages of Sleep After a Workout

Alright, now too much of anything is not good. We told you the benefits of sleep after a workout. Now, it is time for you to learn the negative implications of the same. The disadvantages of sleep after a workout are as follows:

Increased Grogginess

If you take a really long nap after a workout, chances are high that you would enter the deep stages of sleep. When you enter those stages, you would end up feeling disoriented and groggy the moment you wake up. What is even worse is that this feeling (which is known as sleep inertia) can last up to half an hour.

Bad Quality of Sleep

When you perform a physical activity, there is an increase in both your body temperature and endorphins. These changes usually keep your body and brain awake. This is the sole purpose why many people avoid working out right before going to bed. Thus, even if you want to go to sleep, it would be physically difficult for your body to get rest. For some, it might take a long time for their body to relax and enter the sleep stage.

Disruptive Sleeping Pattern

Yes, we did tell you that napping reduces sleep debt. However, it can’t be ignored that napping here and then can negatively affect your night-time sleep, which is your primary rest stage for the day. You might experience difficulty in falling asleep at night. In addition, if you have a sleep disorder, napping would worsen your symptoms.

How Long Should You Sleep After a Workout?

If you really want to sleep after your workout session, then we recommend you to limit your nap to 20 minutes. This is because if you sleep for more than 20 minutes, you would enter deep sleep and wake up groggy with sleep inertia.

So, before you take your nap, set an alarm for 20 minutes. This will give you enough time to relax and unplug yourself. If you feel tired after an evening workout, then we recommend you to go to bed early. However, before you do so, make sure your body is well hydrated and is fed well with a proper healthy meal.

Healthy Sleeping Habits

Sleep is extremely important for your health and no matter how much effort you put in your workout sessions, you won’t be able to see the results if you don’t let your body rest through proper sleep. To help you get the same, we are listing some healthy sleeping habits for you:

Stretching your muscles before sleeping can be extremely beneficial since it will make sure that you don’t experience muscle stiffness or fatigue when you wake up.
Make sure to sleep in a cool room. The ideal temperature for your bedroom should be 60-67° F (15-19° C).
If you have to take a nap, try to do it between 1:00-3:00 PM since this is usually the time your energy starts naturally dropping. If you sleep later than this time, you might find it difficult to fall asleep at night.
Be sure to hydrate your body after working out and before going to bed and after going to bed.
Avoid sleeping in a noisy place. Sometimes, white noise machine or even the sound of a fan and air-conditioner can help mask outside noise.
Close the blinds and drop the curtains of your windows before sleeping. A dark room is recommended for a perfect sleep. Using blackout curtains can help if you want to sleep at daytime.
Nothing can substitute night-time sleep. So, make sure your night-time sleep is your priority. The naps that you take during the day are just to relax your body.

Summary

As you have seen, you can sleep after a workout, but make sure you don’t do it for more than 20 minutes if it is daytime. If you are working out at evening, just wait for some time before hitting the bed. This would ensure that you won’t experience any muscle fatigue or grogginess when you wake up.

Feeling tired after a workout is natural. However, if you find yourself extremely sleepy after every workout session or repeatedly fall asleep without realizing it, then you might want to see a doctor. The same is true if you are unable to sleep even when you are tired or have difficulty in waking up from short naps.

Feel free to take the advice of a doctor or physical trainer to help understand your sleeping pattern. Napping would help you recover your muscles and boosting your energy. So, it’s okay to sleep but remember limiting it.