Take care of your body. It is the only place you have to live- Jim Rohin.
Aptly put! If our body becomes weak or sick, it will become hard for us to survive. All the money in the world won’t be able to help us out if we don’t take care of our body. That is why staying fit should be the top priority of your life.
It doesn’t mean that you have to work out two hours a day or stop eating all food items that we label as bad food. First, stop labelling food as bad food. There is no such thing, just some foods are healthier than others. Secondly, try to find a balance in your life in regards to physical activity and eating. When you are in a position to achieve it, staying fit will come naturally to you.
But a lot of things do prevent us from starting a journey towards a fitter lifestyle. Hectic work schedule, depression or anxiety, phobias, not finding a great place to workout, and the latest to join this bandwagon is the pandemic. The last one is hard, especially on people who worked out at gyms or yoga studios or in nature. Also, since we are home only, eating and sitting are two things we do the most. That can put a damper on your fitness journey.
But all these situations are not permanent. And in this blog, we will list simple ways that will get you moving towards a fit lifestyle.
Let’s begin.
1. Fitness is not synonymous with exercise
Fitness means to take care of your body and make sure it is healthy. There are a lot of ways to do that. You don’t always have to associate it with heavy exercise because that makes people fail.
Instead, love that body you have, and find a way which works for you to stay fit. It can be eating nutritious and healthy food. Eating balanced food, being active through dance or walk or so on.
If you keep associating it with sweats and muscle pain, it might not work for you.
2. Skipping a meal never works
A lot of people skip meals because they think dieting or not eating can help them lose weight and stay fit. But it can have severe effects on your health too. If you skip breakfast, when you are already hungry because the last thing you ate was dinner, it will increase cravings in your body. That will lead to overeating, and it would be hard to control or choose a balanced diet.
3. Meal planning
If you are skipping meals because you don’t have time to prepare, start meal planning. Use Canva calendar maker to create a meal plan for the entire week, from breakfast to dinner to snacks. Bring all the ingredients when you have time. This way, you know you have everything to make a meal, so skipping it would become less. If it makes things easier, cook and freeze some food items for yourself.
4. Sleep and rest
Healing begins when you rest, but a lot of people overlook resting and sleeping. But having a sleep strategy in place can improve the quality of your life. Every person has a different sleep schedule, and all have unique challenges. But try to assess your sleep pattern, and figure out why it is challenging for you to have quality sleep. Then try these steps:
- No screen time at least 2 hours before sleep time
- Try to read a light book. It will help with quality sleep
- Have a schedule, sleep at the same time every day
- Afternoon napping is fine. But keep it between 20 to 40 minutes only
5. Eat a balanced diet
Try out simple recipes when you are home-bound. They are easy to cook and have all nutrients that your body needs. Make sure your plate has a mix of protein, carbs, and fibre. Eat fruits in between for daily intake of vitamins and minerals. If anyday, you eat too many carbs, balance it out with the light protein-packed meal.
6. Get moving
You don’t need gyms for working out. Follow these tips:
- Use stairs in your building
- Dance
- Walk
- Sit down and stand up, it is a sufficient workout
- Do 5 Surya namaskar
Take a pledge to be fitter and start small. Overwhelming yourself with tons of drastic changes will never work. So, start small and keep motivating yourself to be better, and you will accomplish your goal.
