Having that fit and sculpted body that you want is not going to be easy. It will require a lot of effort and sacrifice, and can take weeks, months, or even years. You have to be really careful with the kinds of things that you eat and be very active to achieve your goals fast.
However, once you get down to your goal weight, staying there can sometimes even be a more difficult challenge. It is not uncommon for many people who attain their fitness targets to reverse the progress that they strived so hard so soon after. They could not commit to their new healthy lifestyle, and just let things fall off. If you do not want that to happen to you, you should understand that fitness is a life-long commitment.
To remain fit, you should be ready to make the following activities a constant in your life:
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Walking
Everyday, it is important that you walk as many steps as possible. Walk your dog around the block after dinner. Instead of taking your car to the grocery store, which is only about a kilometer away, why not try to get there on foot? It should only take you about 10 to 15 minutes. At work, on your breaks, get up from your desk and walk around the floor to stretch your legs.
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Taking the stairs
At the mall, rather than waiting for the elevators to take you a floor or two up, why not just take the stairs? This activity works your heart, allowing it to pump blood more efficiently. In addition, you get to exercise your leg muscles, and strengthen your calves and thighs.
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Drinking water
Your body has to be hydrated at all times for it to function properly. Ideally, you should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, starting from the moment you wake up until before going to bed. If you take part in more physically demanding activities, you should drink even more, to replenish and refresh your body. With enough water, your digestion becomes smoother, your heart and brain are able to function better, and you are less likely to experience exhaustion, pains, and aches.
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Eating more fiber
Do you have a hard time pooping? If it takes you so long to do your business, you need to add more fiber to your diet. You should eat more whole grains, vegetables, and other fiber-rich foods to improve your body’s excretion process. If you continue to deprive your body of fiber, you may suffer from more serious complications, like weight gain, heart disease, and lower blood sugar levels.
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Getting enough sleep
Many people have a tough time enjoying at least 7 hours of sleep a night because of the stress and pressure brought about by work, school, family, relationships, and others. Because of this, they suffer from poor concentration and memory, exhaustion, and other negative effects that lead to them underperforming. If you are one of them and you want to fix your problem, you should start by identifying the causes of your sleep problem, and finding solutions for them. For example, if your bedroom is exposed to a lot of loud noises from the street at night, you should soundproof your walls, cover the windows with blackout curtains, and so on to create a relaxing and comfortable sleep environment for yourself. You should also consult a doctor to find out if your sleep issues are due to something more severe.
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Cutting sugar, carbs, and fat
While you do not have to completely eliminate foods that contain sugar, carbohydrates, and fats from your diet, you should start consuming much less of them for the good of your body. Stick to healthy options, such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains to not gain weight back.
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Getting into high intensity interval training
When it comes to exercising, the quality of your workout is not always about how many hours you allocate for it, but about the level of intensity. You should do high intensity interval training, or HIIT, exercises to burn calories faster. This type of training works your cardiovascular system much harder than other exercise regimens, so it raises your heart rate up in a shorter period of time. With HIIT, you can cut in half the hours that you usually spend at the gym and burn the same amount of calories.
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Eating low calorie snacks and desserts
You can be fit and still enjoy snacks and desserts. Just know that you have to consume them in moderation, and find alternatives that are not as calorie-loaded. On your free time, you can search online for simple recipes of the healthy versions of your favorite cake or ice cream, and make them on your own. That way, you not only improve your cooking and baking skills, but also allow yourself to keep track of the nutritional value of what you eat.
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Being active at least 20 minutes a day
Even on days that you are not going to the gym, you should still dedicate at least 20 minutes of your time to do something physical. You can probably do a thorough cleaning of your bathroom, scrubbing the tiles and rinsing the walls, or washing your home’s hardwood floors, applying a treatment solution to get the stains out and then vacuuming. These chores can get your heart racing, and make you feel like you are working out.
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Eating proteins for breakfast
Starting your day with a good serving of healthy proteins should help you take on the challenges of the day ahead. Proteins are essential in muscle building, and they can help repair damaged cells and tissues fast to give you a more capable body for your high intensity training sessions. They are beneficial to the hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters in your body too. Some good examples of healthy protein foods are salmon, herring, tuna, nuts, and legumes.
