3 Things Your Trainer Wishes You'd Do Between Sessions

Your time in the gym matters, but what you do between sessions matters just as much. Every workout builds strength, endurance, and coordination, but the real results show up when you take care of your body the other twenty three hours of the day.

At ATTIVA, members progress the most when they support their workouts with the right habits outside of the gym. These small things make a big difference in recovery, performance, and intrinsic motivation.

Here are three things your trainer secretly wishes you would do between sessions.

1. Move Every Day

Let's say you meet with your trainer on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Getting in two workouts is great, but are you moving the other days of the week? Movement keeps your body loose, helps circulation, and speeds up recovery.

Try going for a walk, stretching, doing a short core routine, yoga, or an extra workout on your own if you have the time and energy. Keeping your body in motion prevents stiffness and keeps your muscles active. Think of it as maintenance. You are keeping your body ready for your next training day rather than letting it reset all the way back to zero.

2. Eat To Recover, Not Just To Refill

Food is fuel, but it is also repair. What you eat between workouts helps your body rebuild the muscle tissue you trained and restores your energy levels.

Prioritize protein in every meal. Add in colorful fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals, and include carbs like rice, oats, or potatoes to give your body lasting energy.

Avoid going too long without eating, especially after training. Going 4 hours or more between meals signals to your brain that you need quick energy. That is when we get in trouble with craving carby snacks like chips and cookies.

The post workout window (up to 45 minutes following a workout) is your chance to feed your muscles and help them grow stronger. Think simple meals like a smoothie with protein powder, Greek yogurt with berries, or grilled chicken with rice and vegetables.

Eating well between sessions does not have to be complicated. It just has to be consistent.

3. Prioritize Sleep

Your trainer can design the perfect program, but it will not work if your body never gets the time to recover. Sleep is when your muscles repair, your hormones reset, and your nervous system calms down.

Aim for seven to nine hours each night (I heard that chuckle!) I know for some people that can feel unattainable. A big influence on your length and quality of sleep has to do with what you do right before you go to sleep. Keep your phone away from your bed, make your room dark and cool, and go to bed around the same time each night. It's also important to refrain from eating at least 2 hours before bed. You don't want your body to be digesting when you should be fully resting.

Did you know what women need more sleep than men? Women generally need more sleep than men because their brains go through more complex multitasking and emotional processing throughout the day. Hormonal changes from menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause can also disrupt sleep patterns and require more rest to restore balance.

You can also support recovery with stretching, massage guns, foam rolling, and staying hydrated. Small daily recovery habits will keep your body performing its best.

The Takeaway

Progress does not happen only during your workouts. It happens in the choices you make between them. Move every day, fuel your body with intention, and make recovery a priority.

If you do these three things, your workouts will feel easier, your strength will increase faster, and you will notice real changes in how your body looks and performs.

Your trainer wants to see you succeed, and these are the things that make it happen.

See you in your next session at ATTIVA.