If you’re trying to get fit, you might feel a bit overwhelmed by all the changes you need to make. Don’t be caught in that trap! You can make fitness easier by following a few easy rules and just modifying the things you do everyday a bit. Of course, eating healthy is part of the program and so is regular exercise. You can make doing those two things easier once you get in the groove. Here are a few tips that can make you feel better about healthy living and help you make the adjustments you need to make to maximize fitness benefits.
Don’t worry about calories, just focus on how food is made.
Too often people focus on carbs or calories and find they’re spending every waking hour just worrying about the number of calories or carbs they ate and keeping tally. While keeping a food diary can be important for those who want to lose weight, so is focusing on how the food is made. You can’t go wrong with whole foods…food that is most like its natural state, such as fresh veggie and fruit. Choose organic and eat as much as you want! It’s really easy to get all the nutrition you need without too many calories when fresh fruits and veggies are primary sources of energy. Don’t drink the juice but eat the whole fruit or veggie.
Find ways to boost your activity throughout the day.
It might seem almost too simple, but just taking the stairs or parking further from the building can boost your overall health by increasing the amount of exercise. You can also find easy ways to get in a half hour to an hour of exercise on those days away from the gym. Walking to lunch, breaking up a workout to three or four sections and doing them throughout the day are just two ways. If your job involves lots of sitting at your desk or standing in a stationary position, take five minutes out of every hour to move around a bit.
Don’t forget about hydration.
Staying hydrated is extremely important. Some people simply hate to drink water or even worse, think they have to guzzle it all at once. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times and sip on it throughout the day. If you hate plain water, add a few tablespoons of fruit juice to it to give it a light flavor. Grape juice, lemon or apple make good additives. Some people crush up fruit and mix it with a little water to create cubes for their water that add flavor and make the drink more interesting. Try increasing the amount of herbal tea, green tea or even some bouillon for cold winter days. It’s far better than hot chocolate for you and warm you instantly.
- Learning portion size is extremely important. For instance, a portion of meat for a meal is about the same size as a deck of cards.
- Walk faster. Pick up the pace when you walk. It changes an ordinary walk into a workout.
- Carry your groceries to the car if you can. If you don’t have a huge load, carry the bags on your arms, rather than in a cart. It’s just a little extra strength building.
- Turn on music when you clean and dance through your housework. Every extra movement you do helps burn calories and gets you in shape faster. Enjoy life and feel how exhilarating it is to move freely.