Have you heard of the 1-23 Rule?
The “1-23 Rule” is what gym fanatics live by, and what personal trainers fear!
It’s essentially the fact that you have 1 hour a day in the gym to do everything right and 23 hours in a day to screw all of your hard work up!
Many people I work with and exercise with, push it like crazy during their one hour gym routine. They get their hearts pumping and sweat dripping; they feel terrific after an intense workout session! This one hour isn’t ever what I’m afraid of. It’s the remaining 23 hours in a day, when food temptations arise and physical activity often halts. These are the hours that most often sabotage gym efforts.
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen leave the gym parking lot after a hard workout, just to swing into the McDonald’s parking lot. Sadly, a one hour workout is no match for consuming a Big Mac no matter how hard you push it. An intense workout can burn 500-800 calories depending on your weight, but a Big Mac and fries adds up to almost 1000 calories!
Don’t Put Your Hard Work in the Gym to Waste, Break Free from the 1-23 Rule!
Build a lifestyle that supports the hard work you’re completing in the gym. Here are 3 ways you can do this:
1. Move more all day!
I’m shocked at how many people are challenged to move even 5000 steps daily. Sadly, a one hour workout isn’t good enough for you to sit on your butt for the remainder of the day. Inactivity throughout the majority of the day, hinders fat loss.
Make it your goal to get 10K steps into each & every day. To do this, try walking a lap of your office floor hourly, always use the furthest restroom or enjoy a brisk outdoor walk over your lunch hour. You’ll come back to your desk feeling much more invigorated each time you get out of your seat.
2. Eat veggies like it’s your job!
Have at least 8 servings of vegetables a day to fuel yourself in a healthy way. Try eating at least one cup of veggies at every meal.
The way you consume them can be limitless. You can finely dice the veggies up and add them to eggs, sauces or carb side dishes like quinoa. Roasted, grilled or sauteed veggies are great as a side dish. Making meals like eggplant or zucchini lasagna; cauliflower steak or mac and cheese will ensure the bulk of your dish consists of veggies.
The opportunities are never-ending, you just need the right cookbook or website to follow. I use the Clean Eating magazine regularly, to add variety to my meals.
3. Get your sleep!
We all need 7-8 hours of sleep daily to repair and rebuild our tissues as well as for hormone regulation. Lack of sleep makes it much more challenging to handle the usual stress life throws our way. It becomes a lot more difficult to make healthy choices. When we’re tired we’ll choose to drive everywhere versus walk or cycle. We’ll order carb heavy takeout for lunch versus enjoying a healthy homemade salad.
To improve your sleep, try creating a sleep routine. This is a set of activities that trigger your body to get ready for bed. At night, I usually read a book after brushing my teeth, to calm me down. Lowing the temperature of your room when you sleep can help tire you out and fall asleep more deeply.
To Sum it up…
In conclusion, the “1-23 Rule” displays that there are way more hours in a day to destroy the positive effects of your intense gym workout. It’s key to stay consistent with your habits. When you remain active all throughout the day, eat 8 servings of veggies and get at least 7 hours of sleep, you are less likely to sabotage the hard work you put in at the gym. Give one of these tips a try and let me know how it goes.
Concept from: Igor Klibanov