Buzz
Keeping fit is an excellent way to enhance your mood and improve your health. While maintaining fitness can be tough over time, the benefits are far more significant than the effort required. With some dedication and the right mindset, you can sustain your fitness for years ahead!
Steps
Exercise
Start walking, jogging or cycling. Regardless of your pace, walking, jogging, and cycling are crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These activities keep your heart and lungs active, ensuring blood flow throughout your body. If you experience joint pain or have weak knees, cycling might be a more suitable option.
- Create a daily walking, jogging, or cycling routine that fits into your schedule (e.g., jog at 6:00 p.m. every day). As time progresses, you can increase your speed, distance, and workout duration.
- Look for opportunities to walk more. For instance, when heading to the grocery store, park in the farthest spot from the entrance, forcing yourself to walk those extra steps.
- Consider walking or cycling to work or school if you live nearby. It's a great way to get exercise while getting to your destination.
- If you’re jogging, aim for at least 1 kilometer (0.62 mi), but be sure to pace yourself appropriately.
Exercise at home. Not everyone has the time or budget for the gym, and that's perfectly fine. Working out at home is simple and offers great benefits. Some exercises you can do at home include:
- Push-ups. Use your body weight against the floor or wall to build upper body strength.
- Sit-ups. You can do sit-ups lying flat on the ground, or for a more advanced option, use a chair or exercise ball.
- Yoga. Yoga poses like downward dog or sun salutations can easily be done on a mat or carpeted surface.
Exercise in the gym. If you enjoy the gym environment and can manage the membership costs, it’s a great place to work on your fitness.
- Use the cardio machines and weights, but always be cautious about not lifting weights that are too heavy. Start with lighter weights and you will find yourself progressing quickly.
- Consider taking strength training or muscle toning classes with an instructor or personal trainer.
Join a local sports team. If you’re not keen on the gym or doing random exercises, joining a local sports team can be a fun and effective way to stay active! Many cities offer recreational sports teams that meet on certain days.
- Popular recreational sports include: dodgeball, kickball, softball, basketball, pickleball, and ultimate frisbee.
Maintaining a Balanced Diet
Eliminate junk food. This is one of the key elements of a healthy lifestyle. Many people overlook this, but exercising while consuming junk food won’t help you get fitter. Junk food quickly turns to fat and lacks proper nutrition. These foods are loaded with sugar and sodium, which cause your blood sugar levels to drop, leading to fatigue and energy slumps. Foods to avoid include:
- High in sugar: donuts, cakes, cookies, puddings, cereals, canned and dried fruits, sodas.
- High in fat: Processed meats, hydrogenated oils, and shortening.
- Avoid foods with artificial ingredients.
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Eat well. Sticking to a balanced diet can be tough if you don't have time to prepare meals every day. However, it's easy to find healthy options in restaurants and take-out. A nutritious diet will enhance your energy, improve productivity, boost metabolism, and elevate your mood as you'll be nourishing your body with the essential nutrients and vitamins it needs. Foods to include in your diet are:
- Fresh vegetables and fruits: carrots, onions, broccoli, spinach, eggplant, melons, bananas, apples, and oranges.
- High-protein foods: lean meat, poultry, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds (such as chia and hemp), tofu, soybeans, eggs, cottage cheese, and lentils.
- Whole grains: whole wheat toast, oatmeal, quinoa, and barley.
- High-fiber foods: cooked lentils, black beans, green peas, pears, raspberries, and oat bran.
Know the difference between complex and simple carbs. Simple carbohydrates consist of one or two sugar molecules and offer very little nutritional value. In contrast, complex carbs are made from a chain of sugars and are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Examples of simple carbs: sugars, syrups, jams, and candy.
- Examples of complex carbs: beans, yams, and sweet potatoes.
Understand when to eat. Skipping meals is not recommended. Many believe skipping meals will help with weight loss, but that's a misconception. Skipping meals can also reduce your energy levels. Here are some meal ideas and the best times to eat them:
- Light breakfast: eggs (you can add veggies like artichokes, peppers, or mushrooms) with grapefruit and a slice of toast.
- Mid-morning snack: plain yogurt with berries.
- Lunch: a salad (watch the dressing!) with a protein source (e.g., grilled chicken or turkey).
- Afternoon snack: an apple, orange, or banana with almonds and a spoonful of peanut butter.
- Dinner: lemon-baked salmon with brown rice, carrots, and asparagus.
Drink plenty of water. The human body is composed of about 50-65% water, and it’s crucial to replenish this. Your body loses water through sweat, so it’s important to keep refueling it.
- Your water intake depends on your body weight. To calculate the amount of water you need, multiply your weight by 67% (2/3). For example, if you weigh 130 pounds (59 kg), you should aim to drink around 87 oz (2.6 L) of water each day.
- If you're exercising, you'll need to drink more to replace the fluids lost through sweat.
Building Willpower and Motivation
Stay committed to your plan. You are fully capable of achieving your goals. Only you can control your actions, and with strong willpower, happiness is within your reach!
- Stick to a daily or every other day routine. Having a structured plan makes it much easier to follow through compared to just hoping you’ll get around to exercising or eating a healthy meal.
- Reader Poll: We surveyed 577 Mytour readers about their favorite way to track their fitness, and 59% of them prefer using a fitness tracker or smartwatch. [Take Poll] Using technology can help you effortlessly track your food, water intake, and exercise routines.
Brian Keane, Fitness Expert
Fitness is a continuous journey, not a destination. "It’s a lifestyle that demands consistent effort, discipline, and dedication. But the benefits are priceless. When you prioritize your health and fitness, you enhance your well-being, appearance, and performance in every aspect of your life. You gain more energy, confidence, and resilience, becoming the best version of yourself."
Don’t let others’ progress discourage you. If you’re at the gym using smaller weights, don’t let the person next to you with heavy weights make you feel insecure. Remember, you’re progressing at your own pace, and that’s exactly what’s right for you. Keep going, and you’ll hit your goals in due time.
Consider inviting others to join you. Having a workout buddy can be incredibly motivating and is also a great way to bond. Their encouragement can help you stay on track.
- Potential workout partners include family members, colleagues, classmates, neighbors (if you're on good terms), or local friends.
Reward yourself. Set personal goals and treat yourself when you achieve them.
- For example, if you've stuck to your routine and healthy eating, and you managed to jog for 30 minutes instead of 20, then celebrate your success with a Friday night movie, a relaxing massage, or a luxurious bath.
Have faith in yourself. Don’t worry about others’ opinions. If you’re determined and truly believe you can achieve your fitness goals, then you absolutely can! Remember that incredible feeling when you're in great shape and keep pushing towards that every day.
- Find motivation by wanting to continue on your path of health and fitness. You want to feel great, look great, and be healthy... and you absolutely can achieve all of that!
EXPERT ADVICE
Laila Ajani
Certified Fitness Coach
Certified Fitness Coach
It’s okay if you don’t feel motivated every day, but maintaining discipline is vital. Sticking to a regular workout schedule is essential for reaching your fitness goals. It's all about consistency and staying focused on your plan. Choose a time that fits your routine, and allocate 30 to 60 minutes for exercise, and commit to it.
Which Post-Workout Drinks Are Best for Recovery?
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Be mindful of not overdoing it.
