You don’t have to study for years to begin your fitness journey, but you do have to make a firm decision to change your habits and make them healthier. That’s always the first step in any journey. Healthy habits, like exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep, drinking plenty of water and eating a healthy diet are goals that can lead the way. You need to get your attitude in line, so you look forward to making the changes, not feel sorry for yourself.
Don’t feel deprived when you’re eating healthier.
At first, the change in your diet will be a shock, especially if you’re eating highly processed foods and foods laden with sugar. Sugar is in almost all processed items, too. Sugar is addictive and at first you’ll really crave it. It won’t take long before the healthy food you’re eating will actually taste different. Fruit will taste sweeter, for instance. That’s because when you eat sugar, it blocks the sense of the sweet taste and you have to eat more sugar every time to get it. Once you quit, your taste goes back to normal. Whether you give up sugar or simply increase your vegetable intake, like any journey, starting is what’s important.
Get moving.
If you aren’t ready for a formal exercise program or so out of shape you simply won’t last long? Don’t worry, you can change that. It takes time, however. There’s a true story about a young man that was so severely obese that he could barely get out of his chair. His doctor’s told him he would die if he didn’t lose weight. He started by exercising. It was just walking out of his house to the end of the walk and back. That’s as far as he could go. Every week he went a few steps further, until he got to the end of his block, then several blocks. Since those first steps, several years have passed. Not only did he lose weight and live healthier, he’s become a marathon runner, but it was that first step that made the difference.
Own your effort to get fit.
You can listen to others about what you need to do, but this challenge to get healthier is all yours. Only you should determine what you want to work on next. You can follow outlines based on science, but how you accomplish each step depends on you. Do you love riding a bike? Start by doing that. Do you want to increase your daily activity? Take the steps not the elevator or walk to lunch. Are vegetables not your favorite? Make spaghetti squash and put extra vegetables in the sauce.
- If you don’t have a full hour to exercise or even a half hour, carve out three ten minute sessions throughout the day. It’s just as healthy to walk for ten minutes, exercise ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes at night.
- If you’re adding something to your schedule, like exercise, try to do it at the same time each day until it becomes habit.
- Too often people go on diets that require counting calories or counting carbs. Make it simpler by eating whole food, food closest to its natural state. Vegetables fill you up without adding extra calories, so you’ll lose weight without the hassle.
- If you’ve had a rough day and consider skipping your workout, remember that exercise is a big stress buster. It burns off the hormones of stress and replaces them with ones that make you feel good.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness 24/7