How to Start Staying Fit in an Unfit World
Exercise: Exercise is a great way to get fit and stay fit. Unfortunately, in today’s busy world too many people use the excuse of being too busy to exercise. Recent studies show that exercising just 30 minutes a day can greatly improve your health, and help you to lose weight. Saying you are too busy is just an excuse to not make exercise a part of your life. So, your hours at work are long? I bet you get a lunch hour or frequent coffee or other breaks? Why not use that time to add in a little exercise. Bring your tennis shoes and take a walk instead of standing around talking to co-workers. Stand up at your desk and do lunges when you start to feel tired or overwhelmed by work. Sure, you may look a little silly, but think about what you are doing for your health and for your body!
Exercise doesn’t have to be the same boring routine over and over. Maybe running isn’t for you? No problem. Maybe you can’t do step aerobics because you have bad knees. No biggie. There are so many options for fitting in different types of exercise to your life. Perhaps when you get home from work you are tired and just want to hang out with your kids. Why not get the family together and go on a long bike ride? Not only are you doing something with your family, you are benefiting your health also. How about taking a walk with your wife or your husband, or bring the kids along also? You can make exercise a family affair, which is a wonderful habit to start your children on! Even just going outside with your kids and kicking the soccer ball around can be a wonderful way to fit exercise into your busy day.
So many people use the, “I’m too busy” excuse to get out of exercising. Maybe you don’t have time at night to exercise? That is fine. How about getting up 30 minutes earlier in the morning and doing a workout DVD or video at home? The more you start incorporating exercise into your life, the more you force yourself to workout everyday, the more results you will see. Set a goal for yourself. To start with, try telling yourself that you will do some form of exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes. Try it for three weeks. Stick to your goal. You will be surprised to see the difference in your body and in your own health, after just three short weeks. You will also be surprised at how easy it was to incorporate exercise into your life.
Exercise is essential in a healthy lifestyle. If you make yourself exercise daily, you will see results. You will not only feel better physically, but you will feel better emotionally. Plus, how motivating will it be to know that by exercising to get healthy, you can decrease your chances of high-blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and some diabetes, which all can be risk factors from being overweight. All of these things should be great motivators for getting up and getting moving!
Nutrition: Another key factor to staying fit in an unfit world is nutrition. Nowadays it is impossible to turn around without seeing fast food restaurants, restaurant chains, commercials for chips, candy bars, soda and sugary snacks. A key to staying fit and being healthy is to watch what you eat. It is hard to not want all of those delicious looking foods being advertised. What people need to do is educate themselves as to what certain types of food can do to his or her body.
Eating a diet that is rich in lean meats, fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to stay fit and to lose weight. Did you know that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of certain cancers and lessen the chances of other chronic diseases? Did you know that most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories and full of fiber, so that you feel more full after eating them? Eating at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables is recommended for good health.
Let’s face it though, there are going to be times that you break down and just want french fries! That is okay! How about making your own oven fries and baking them? Or instead of frying those store bought frozen fries, why not use the oven and bake them? Baking is a much healthier alternative to frying, and you can save a ton of calories preparing the food this way.
Maybe you have young children and they love going to places like McDonald’s or Burger King. These are places that I could gain five pounds just by walking through the doors. There are healthy alternatives even at fast food restaurants. All of the big chain fast food places now offer salads. The point in this is to order the salad without the dressing, or to order fat-free dressing. If the salad has bacon on it, ask for one without. Many of these places also have low-fat yogurt and fruit items. Instead of fries with your order, get the fruit. Try getting the grilled chicken with a side salad and fat-free dressing. What I am trying to get at is: you can eat at restaurants without breaking the fat and calorie bank. You just need to know your food and your choices.
A great way to get fit and lose weight is by tracking your caloric intake for the day. I highly recommend using the following free website: www.sparkpeople.com to help keep track of what you are eating and how many calories you are consuming. This is a free website, open to anyone who is making it a goal to get healthy and fit. I wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t such a wonderful tool to help people get healthy.
There are many ways to start staying fit in an unfit world. I mentioned the two most important ways to get started. There are many more. You need to be the one to get motivated, get off the couch, stop making excuses and start doing! None of the things mentioned in this article are impossible to try. Are you willing to start, for your health and your well being?
