Healthy Habits That Zap Your Energy

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1. You Sleep in on the Weekends
2. You eat a big breakfast.
3. You never snack between meals.
4. You hydrate during and after your workout.
5. To extend your cardio time, you skip the post-workout stretch.

4. You hydrate during and after your workout.

You're forgetting one crucial step: drinking water before you exercise. "If you don't, it's like heading out on a trip with three-quarters of a tank versus a full one. You simply won't go as far," says Fabio Comana, an exercise physiologist and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. Water is crucial to regulating body temperature and maintaining blood circulation. A loss of fluids equal to just 2 percent of your body weight can tire you out and significantly impair your performance, he adds. To stay energized, drink 16 ounces of water or a noncaffeinated beverage spaced out over one to two hours before you exercise and another 6 to 8 ounces within 15 minutes of working out.

Next: 5. To extend your cardio time, you skip the post-workout stretch.

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kristenr_916377 wrote:

Good advice but how do you hydrate 1 to 2 hours before your workout when, like me, you work out at 5:30 am? I try to drink water on my way down to the gym and during and after my workout..unfortunately that's all I can do.

3/20/2013 03:37:11 PM Report Abuse