M<\/span>uch like cheerleading, the challenges of staying in shape all have one common factor: consistency.<\/p>\n Cheerleaders are some of the most in-shape athletes in the world, and when you watch what they do every day, it\u2019s easy to understand why. However, before they can nonstop tumble or fly through the air for two minutes and 30 seconds, they put in hours, days, and months of preparation to perform.<\/p>\n Like any sport, before these athletes even start practicing their routine, they must build their physical strength and stamina for the strenuous work ahead. For most cheerleading positions, it requires having more than one dominant physical trait.<\/p>\n Cheerleaders must be strong enough to lift their teammates, agile enough to manipulate their bodies in the air, and have the stamina to execute consecutive moves for two minutes and thirty seconds nonstop perfectly. As you can imagine, staying fit is no joke for cheerleaders.<\/p>\n First, the most important aspect of getting fit is treating your body like a temple. Committing to prioritizing your health is the first requirement in preparing for your fitness journey. Your mindset is key to breaking bad eating habits and fitness routines and replacing them with new, sustainable habits.\nFind a Coach (Nutritionist) & Be Coachable<\/p>\n You don’t know what you don’t know, so finding a coach who does is crucial. Have you ever seen someone you know go through a dramatic fitness transformation? They did it most likely by having a coach, perhaps a certified nutritionist, or a trainer on their team.<\/p>\n Progress cannot be made without a solid meal plan, such as using proper portion control and three small meals and two snacks daily. Sideline Prep\u2019s meal plans focus on whole and natural foods, lots of vegetables, and whole grains. It also includes taking a daily multivitamin and getting 7-8 hours of sleep. Finally, optimizing daily hydration is the icing on the cake.<\/p>\n This example is for someone who wants to lose approximately 10 pounds.<\/p>\n Optimally, wake up in the morning with at least seven hours of sleep. Getting your workout in now or after breakfast, if you can, is critical. When you work out first thing in the morning, it helps to jump-start your metabolism first thing to burn calories at a faster, higher rate all day. Below is an example of a daily meal plan.<\/p>\n Eating is the most important habit to adjust and work on. Cheerleaders are recommended to do a similar workout to the below four to five times each week. Taking a day or two off is important so your body can recover.<\/p>\n Repeat Each Set In The HIT Workout Three Times<\/em><\/p>\n Now, at the end of each day or the end of any workout, it\u2019s imperative to stretch. You could risk losing your flexibility if you do not stretch properly after a workout. For cheerleaders, this jeopardizes their ability to do splits and high kicks. The routine below can be done separately as a longer, solo stretch or it can be done at the end of a workout.<\/p>\n Perform each type of stretch for 30 seconds to one minute.<\/p>\n For those who are interested in a more dynamic warmup, follow the routine below with each stretch lasting 30 seconds to one minute.<\/p>\n For those wanting to feel their best like a pro cheerleader, simply eat and train like one! These are the same meal plans and workouts I have my clients use that want to reach the professional level.<\/p>\n Living an optimal-level, pro-level life doesn’t have to be complicated, it does not have to be hard either. Committing to creating a better life for yourself, finding a coach to help you fast-track your way to success, and surrounding yourself with the right people to support your new and improved version is all you need.<\/p>\n Never too late to exercise like a cheerleader<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160,161],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2022","category-fall-2022-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12854"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13080,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12854\/revisions\/13080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Preparing Your Mind<\/h3>\n
The Pro Routine<\/h3>\n
\n
Recommended Workout:<\/h3>\n
30-minutes of any cardio (running, swimming, cycling, dance classes, etc.)<\/h4>\n
30-minute HIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout:<\/h4>\n
\n
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Retired NBA and NFL cheerleader, GeNienne Samuels<\/a> is an accomplished entrepreneur, coach, and public speaker. Freelancing as a news anchor, producer, and reporter, Samuels is also the co-founder and president of Sideline Prep<\/a>, an established network of current and former professional and semi-professional cheerleaders who fully prepare young women for their cheerleading and dance prep classes and auditions.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"