Many of us have resolved to improve our health and fitness ahead of the New Year. It’s great to have specific health and fitness goals, but many people go to great lengths to achieve them. When they try the latest fad diet or exercise routine, they often exhaust their mental and physical resources.
This usually leads to either reaching these objectives but not being able to maintain them, which ultimately leads to burnout, failure, or injury. Consequently, I suggest that you aim to alter your lifestyle rather than setting extremely unreasonable goals. You will develop habits that will improve many aspects of your life when you view health and fitness as a way of life rather than a part-time hobby or 30-day challenge.
A healthy lifestyle can teach you discipline, adaptability, and balance while also inspiring creativity. This won’t just leave you looking and feeling improved, but you will appear as a superior version of yourself for people in your day-to-day existence that matter.
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It’s More than Aesthetics
Keeping fit and healthy is about more than just looking good, what you eat, or how much you lift at the gym. They concern:
- how you’re feeling.
- your standard of living.
- your work-related focus.
- your psychological state.
- your ability to move.
You can do more physically and have a better mood when you are truly healthy. Walking your dog, going on a hike, or paddleboarding are all options. Being unable to do these things can have a significant impact on your life and experiences.
Setting a Good Example
By adopting a healthy lifestyle, you not only benefit yourself but also set a good example for those around you. Your friends, family, and children will often be inspired to make changes in their own lives due to your healthy choices. Better relationships, a lower risk of disease, and a world that is generally happier and healthier are the outcomes of this. You can have ripple effects on everyone in your vicinity. Be the one who starts the change.
You Learn Exact Behavior Change
I find that “diets” and “workout challenges” only last a certain amount of time. Maintaining a constant speed of 100 mph is not possible. All of us are human. Schedules can be thrown off as life happens, stress comes and goes, and life happens. When we decide to lead a healthy life, we learn to ADAPT these things.
Because you have developed the routines and abilities necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle no matter where you are, you learn to enjoy life even when you are on vacation and away from your kitchen and gym. You can indulge without overindulging if you always maintain moderation and balance. You develop the habit of traveling with your resistance bands, creating a bodyweight circuit, or working out on nearby benches and stairs if you don’t have access to a gym for one week. When your routine is disrupted, you learn to adapt rather than self-destruct.
Consistency
Extreme dieting and participating in workout challenges indeed yield results. However, only a small percentage of people strictly adhere to those plans. These challenges are often finished quickly and come with strict rules for success and failure, both of which are bad for your physical and emotional health.
If you “mess up,” you are more likely to feel defeated when you set defeated objectives. You are more likely to stay consistent and enjoy your journey when the expectations are lower. You don’t place that much stress on yourself to be perfect. If you eat something “bad” or don’t exercise, you wake up the next day and immediately get back on track because it’s now a part of your lifestyle. This approach is substantially more achievable and prompts more consistency long term.
Start today by making health and fitness a few tips for your lifestyle:
Find an exercise you enjoy
When it comes to keeping up with your workouts, this is important. It will only last so long if you keep doing exercises that you don’t like and that makes you feel physically and emotionally drained. Finding exercises that make you feel good and that you can stick with over time, even if they aren’t the most strenuous, is preferable. Low-intensity exercise that is consistent will always triumph over high-intensity exercise that is inconsistent.
When it comes to achieving your physical objectives, be patient.
Keep in mind that results take time. Be gentle with yourself.
Nothing in life is easy. Learn to fall in love with the process and yourself as a person as you journey.
Don’t give up your favorite foods
I am a firm believer in never giving up your favorite foods. Find a way to improve the health of your favorite foods. Don’t give up pizza if it’s your favorite food. You will feel deprived as a result of this. Create a healthy version by being inventive and using natural ingredients.
Don’t compete with anyone
This is your journey and life. No two peoples are something similar, so you ought never to come too close to other people. You are on the right path as long as you strive to improve each day when you wake up.
Try new things
Step outside of your comfort zone and try new things. With a friend, try a new fitness class and try new foods. A simple way to start experimenting with new foods and exposing yourself to a wide range of fruits and vegetables is to shop for groceries based on what’s in season. Give meal prepping a shot if you’ve never tried it before! You’ll stay motivated and inspired to make this way of life a permanent lifestyle by stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying new things.
