Fitness is more than a gym membership and sculpted muscles. It’s about discovering what works best for you and making healthy changes that last.
Start slowly and build up to at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week that makes you breathe hard. Make sure to warm up and cool down with light activity before and after your endurance exercise, and listen to your body: If you experience chest pain or dizziness, stop. Contact Alta Climbing & Fitness now!
The best way to stay healthy is to find an activity that you love. Exercise can be as simple as a walk around the block or your backyard or a fun group fitness class like yoga, barre, or cycling. It can also be a more structured program like strength training or a boot camp. Fitness is different for everyone and it’s important to find a form of movement that you look forward to, rather than dread as a chore or punishment.
Many people struggle to find the time or energy to get physically active. Add the stress of a busy work or home life and it can seem almost impossible to fit exercise into your schedule. However, finding a form of physical activity that you actually enjoy can transform your mindset about working out and make it much easier to find the time.
Try to remember what types of activities you’ve enjoyed in the past or even as a child. If you used to love an activity such as swimming or cycling, why not give it a go again? If it’s been a while, be patient — it might take some time to build back up the muscle memory and get into your groove.
It’s also helpful to find an instructor or coach who can guide you through the movements and ensure that you’re executing them correctly for maximum benefit and to avoid injury. Your friend or a partner may be able to offer some tips, but you’ll be much more receptive to someone who has years of experience. This person will know how to progress your workouts and provide proper technique for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.
Set Goals
Often, people struggle to incorporate exercise into their daily lives because they lack a clear purpose. Vague goals like “getting fit” can make it hard to know where to start and keep motivation levels high. To help set a path toward fitness, experts recommend setting SMART goals – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
SMART goals are important because they provide a framework that can be adjusted to suit an individual’s needs. For instance, a goal to lose weight may not be achievable for some individuals based on their medical history or current weight. In such cases, a goal of increasing muscle mass or to reduce body fat percentage might be more appropriate.
Aiming for unrealistic fitness goals can also lead to injury, discouragement and burn out. Therefore, it is best to break a large, long-term goal into smaller, more manageable short-term goals that are more attainable and can be tracked over a period of time. This provides a sense of accomplishment that will help maintain momentum and a healthy dose of self-esteem.
Finally, a goal should be meaningful and personal to the person. For example, a fitness goal that is fueled by the desire to win in a competitive event or a goal to increase strength for a specific project can fuel motivation levels even when obstacles arise.
Incorporating a healthy lifestyle into a busy schedule can be challenging, but it’s worth the effort. For instance, you can try to schedule workouts as you would other appointments, combine or delegate errands and look for opportunities to be active throughout the day (e.g. walking or taking the stairs at work, signing up for an online workout class or going for a quick walk with friends). Additionally, it’s wise to find a workout buddy who can motivate you to stick with your new routine.
Establish a Routine
A good workout program should incorporate aerobic fitness, strength training, core exercises and balance training. It’s a challenge to fit these elements into every exercise session, but incorporating them into your schedule as often as possible will help you achieve fitness for life.
Once you have a solid plan in place, start implementing it into your routine. This might involve getting up a little earlier on some days, or scheduling your workouts in advance, or it could mean packing a gym bag and shower supplies in the car so you can exercise before work or during lunch breaks. Whatever you do, try to make working out as hassle-free as possible. It’s much easier to stick with a fitness routine if it doesn’t require any extra effort.
Adding fun, recreational activities to your routine can also help you stay motivated. Take jumping jacks and squats into commercial breaks while watching TV, go for a brisk walk after dinner instead of helping the kids with their homework, or take a hike on the weekend.
Make it a point to reward yourself whenever you succeed in reaching a goal or finishing a workout. This will help to keep you motivated and increase the likelihood that you will stick with your workout program long term. Rewards don’t have to be large. Some people enjoy a nice hot bath or coffee after a workout, while others like buying themselves a new pair of running shoes or taking a yoga class with friends. Whatever you do, make sure the reward is something that you look forward to and will make exercise more enjoyable. This will help you stick with your routine and eventually get to the fitness level you want.
Pay Attention to Your Body
You need to listen to the cues your body is sending you, whether you’re exercising or not. If you’re feeling exhausted or experience sore joints or muscles, you may be overdoing it. Be sure to gradually increase the amount of weight you’re lifting and never jerk or thrust the weights. If you feel pain, numbness, or other abnormalities, see your doctor immediately. These signs are warnings that something is wrong, and ignoring them could result in more serious problems down the road.
You can maintain a healthy lifestyle with activities such as gardening, swimming, dancing, walking, and jogging. Alternatively, you can find workout classes at local recreation centers or gyms. These can be a fun way to meet new people and add variety to your exercise routine.
Keeping up with your fitness level will drastically reduce the likelihood of developing chronic diseases down the road. Some of the most common ones include heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Fitness training also helps prevent aging by slowing down the decline of the body’s organs and muscles.
There are three general domains of fitness that are considered essential for a well-rounded physical fitness program: Cardiorespiratory Fitness (your ability to uptake oxygen) Musculoskeletal Fitness (strength and endurance) and Body Composition Fitness (fatness). To improve your overall health, aim to perform cardiovascular exercises such as jogging or running on most, if not all, days of the week, as well as resistance training or other forms of strength training. You should also work on flexibility and balance exercises, as well as maintaining an appropriate body weight. It’s also important to avoid smoking and consuming too much alcohol or salt.
Reward Yourself
When you work out, your brain releases chemicals that contribute to a positive mindset. Rewarding yourself for exercising regularly can help to reinforce that connection and create a cycle of motivation. There are plenty of ways to reward yourself, but it is important to avoid focusing too much on extrinsic motivation, which draws you in because of what you’re getting out of the exercise (like a paycheck, weight loss, or a compliment). Instead, focus on intrinsic rewards that appeal to your individual tastes.
You can get pleasure out of many simple things, such as taking a long shower with your favorite scented soaps, a hot bath, or relaxing with a good book. You can also treat yourself to a delicious smoothie or take a new class at the gym.
If you’re a person who enjoys the feeling of achievement, try a rewards system that gives you a small reward after each workout and a larger reward once you achieve a longer-term goal. For example, you might give yourself a new pair of workout clothes or shoes after every 10 weeks of consistent workouts. You might keep a track of your progress in a notebook or on a calendar, or you could use an app such as Paceline to set a goal and then unlock rewards like discounts on Hyperice products or gift cards to lululemon or Whole Foods.
Alternatively, you might save up the money to buy a particular fitness item by depositing it in a jar after each workout. This is a great way to see how your little actions add up and can be highly motivating for those who enjoy watching their savings grow.