When it comes to athletics, endurance is a personal matter that can be affected by your fitness level, experience, nutrition, and determination. Whether you’re a cardio rookie or a seasoned athlete, here are five tips to help boost your endurance level:
1. Mind over Matter
Some people are capable of pushing their bodies beyond their physical limits while others may be held back by mental barriers. Breaking these barriers through the use of visualization techniques, healthy rewards, and encouraging mantras can help keep your mind focused and motivated.
2. Slow and Steady
Boost your endurance gradually so that your body and mind have time to adapt. When creating your training plan, increase your distance or speed goals in small, steady increments and allocate time for recovery. If you’re a runner, this could be done by adding one additional kilometre to each weekly long run. Similarly, cyclists can plan their routes to gradually incorporate more hills or technical terrain.
3. Training Plan
A personalized training plan documents the steps that you need to take in order to reach your endurance goals. It’s an excellent tool for organizing your workout, and for holding yourself accountable to the goals you set.
Begin by writing a six-week schedule of the workouts that you need to do and stick to it.
4. Fuel for Endurance
As your endurance builds, your body will burn more energy during your longer, more intense workouts. In order to sustain your endurance, you’ll need to fuel it with foods that keep your energy up and blood sugar steady.
Great pre-workout snacks to help provide fuel for your growing endurance include:
- Oatmeal
- Peanut butter and banana slices on whole grain bread
- Greek yoghurt, berries, and chia seeds
- Baked sweet potato
And don’t forget to stock-up on *PGX Satisfast Organic Vegan Protein Bars for convenient post-workout recovery with 15 g of organic vegan protein.
5. Respect Your Recovery
Building endurance puts additional stress on your muscles and joints. Allow time for your body to recover between workouts to help avoid injury and support your endurance performance. Make sure your recovery regime includes:
- Enough sleep
- Scheduled rest days
- Good hydration
- Regular stretching
- Massage
*Drink additional water (8 fl. oz.) after ingesting PGX. If you are taking medications, take one hour prior to or two hours after taking PGX.