Most Americans, like you and me, spend a lot of time sitting. Sometimes, we do it while driving to work or coming back home. At other times, we sit down to work or when we unwind after coming home.
In all cases, even balancing out our time on the chair with trips to the gym doesn’t do the trick. Spending too much of our lives while parked in front of the screen could take years off our lives.
However, there is a way to counteract the adverse effects of all the sitting down we do. And that is through staying active and fit. A Journal of the American Medical Association’s study found moderate-to-intense physical activity could bring lots of improvements in the life of sedentary children. Those include the circumference of their waist, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and more. The same solution reduces the risk of colon and breast cancers by 35 and 25%.
What’s more, we have here six ways through which you can stay fit and become more active:
Stop dieting
Weird, we know! But think if you know anyone who is in really great shape. Then consider if they achieved that weight by constantly trying out every new diet. They didn’t, you say? Well, that’s because of fit people… fit people…don’t opt to diet.
Instead, they choose to eat well and healthy, making it a part of their lifestyle. Whether you do it by sticking to the 80/20 plan or something else, try to eat healthily. Think of it as listening to what your body’s trying to tell you. Eat what makes you feel good. Add foods that keep you full all day. Pick others that will help you kick ass during workouts.
Therefore, instead of picking a new fad, create a meal plan that works for you.
Go places
Preferably by walking to get there. Even if you don’t go to a gym regularly, walking is easy and convenient. It allows you to burn calories. But that would only happen if you devote more time to this activity and do so by walking fast.
Want to track your walks? Then get a pedometer and slowly work your steps up to 10,000 every day. Uphill and brisk walks will work even better when it comes to keeping you fit. You could also swing your arms with your body for more strenuous walks. When you get bored, change your trajectory. Don’t want to leave home? Then do it at home.
With a brisk walk, your body can load off more than 200 calories in just 30 minutes. Of course, the intensity and your weight will determine the duration of your walks. In any case, consistent walking will go well with the measures that keep your skin healthy and glowing in winter – and keep you warm!
Schedule your z’s
Maybe going to the gym seems far-fetched considering the hectic routine. But there is something else you can do no matter what kind of hours you keep.
We mean getting a good night’s rest. That’s because when you sleep, you give your body the time to recover. By scheduling your sleep time, you can increase your productivity, your endurance during workouts, and the activity in your brain.
It would be great if you take out time for daily yoga sessions before going to your la-la land. Yoga is something that gives your peace of mind and relaxes every cell in your body.
Know the trick that works on you
People start getting back into shape for various reasons. In most cases, though, their motivation has to go deeper than simply stating they want to be healthy. Usually, it means that the resolution won’t stick.
Sure, they may find the first month goes smoothly for them. But then life may get in the way, and they need something substantial to remember what got them started.
To motivate yourself by pinpointing exactly why you want to stay healthy. Be clear about the reason. Is it because you get too exhausted to play with your child? Or, did your journey began when you saw someone close struggle with obesity? Was it because you were tired of your aching legs? Whatever the objective, it needs to mean something to you. You’ll need that in the coming months to stay on track.
Have a plan
Now that you have an objective insight, it is time to differentiate it from the results you hope for.
For instance, losing five pounds is the result. But it is not the objective. Therefore, you need an action plan that incorporates your objective and leads you to the result.
Look at your schedule. At what time of the day can you make time for physical activity?
Could it be when you spend 2 hours or more watching TV?
Or, can you reduce your social media time to an hour and slip in a long walk?
Make it so that you have enough time to walk for 30 minutes at least thrice a week. Schedule some gym-time or other exercises into your day too.
Stick to your guns
All of us need to relax, and that’s what vacations are for. However, if you go off the rails during the holidays, it might be hard to come back later. Therefore, stick to your guns even while vacationing. One way of doing that is by buying a coffee maker. No, we kid you not!
A good quality machine can be used for more than just making coffee. You can also heat water in it to mix with instant oatmeal packages or trail mix for a healthy breakfast. Therefore, take the machine and the non-perishable food items with you.
Even if you spend most of your day at your desk while working, you can still stay active. It is all about being creative.
\For instance, plan out how many steps I can do competitions you’re your colleagues. Use an activity tracker to tell you when one of you completes 10 000 steps in a day.
As long as it is a friendly competition, your boss shouldn’t have an issue with it. Like we said, stay fit and active is all about being creative!
