Tips for good preparation for sport now that flexibility is back in sight.

The lockdown takes some getting used to for everyone. Many things that used to be normal are now completely different. You have to work at home as much as possible and you are only allowed to go outside when there is no other option. This means that you spend a lot of time indoors, with the possible consequence that you get little exercise. Going to the gym is out of the question and team sports are out of the question. Fortunately, there comes a time when the lockdown is over. You may have been sitting still for a long time, so you'll have to get used to sport again. How can you best prepare for sports after the lockdown? Here are some useful tips that you can make the best preparation for optimal performance as soon as we finally can exercise again.

Eat lots of protein

For everyone, proteins are an important source of nutrients for your body. Thanks to proteins, your muscles can recover better after (intensive) exercise. If you don't exercise or exercise less for a while, your muscles and muscle tissue are broken down by your body. You read it correctly: your body breaks down your muscles. This is because your body has the characteristic that it does not build up anything, but breaks down a lot. You have to make sure that you build and maintain muscles and muscle tissue. You do this mainly by exercising, but also your lifestyle in terms of food is important. Do you exercise a little less? Make sure you eat lots of protein rich products, so your muscles are broken down as little as possible. The importance of proteins is underestimated by some people. Proteins provide, among other things, amino acids. Some of these essential amino acids can be produced by your body, but others come from food. Your body makes many building blocks on its own. Unfortunately, proteins do not belong to the category of substances produced by the body. Proteins must be obtained from food. A large group of foods contain protein; there are a number of protein-rich recipes that will give you a protein boost. Proteins can be found in animal (eggs, fish, meat and dairy) and vegetable (beans, tofu, lentils and whole grains) products. A protein diet allows you to maintain the amount of protein in your body. Sometimes it happens that a protein diet does not bring enough protein into your body. In order to still get enough protein into your body you can for instance use food supplements, protein shakes or protein-rich bars.

The effect of protein on your performance

Proteins ensure that your muscles and muscle tissue are broken down less quickly and that your body recovers better after exertion. If you ensure that the quantity of protein in your body is as high as possible, this will have a positive effect on your stamina, which means that you will be able to keep up a workout longer, even after the lockdown. In addition, your muscles are much stronger and you can therefore perform better. Thanks to protein, you can maintain a higher level for longer, while your muscles recover much quicker.

Keep moving now

Besides the diet, keeping moving in itself is also an important part of good preparation for sports after the lockdown. Exercising on your own is obviously less fun than exercising with your teammates or sports partner(s). However, it is important to keep moving even during the lockdown. It's logical that you don't have the same equipment at home as you do at the gym or at your sports club. Nor do you have anyone to motivate you when you don't feel like it. So skipping a session is much easier, but you should try to avoid it as much as possible! So it is important to make a schedule in the first place. Don't expect yourself to exercise very intensively every day, because this is difficult to maintain. It's easier to plan a few exercises every day that will get your heart rate up and work your muscles. For example, you can agree with yourself that you will do a short workout after getting up or that you will exhaust yourself just before going to bed by exercising for 10 to 15 minutes.