- Physical healthPhysical activity can improve your cardiovascular and respiratory health, help you maintain a healthy weight, and lower your risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. It can also help strengthen your bones and muscles, improve your joint pain and stiffness, and increase your life expectancy.
- Mental healthPhysical activity can improve your mood and mental health, reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, and help you combat cancer-related fatigue. It can also help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age.
- Other benefitsPhysical activity can also help you improve your sleep, protect your eyesight, and increase your energy levels.
Here are some ways to keep your body fit:
- Regular exercise can help you lose weight, reduce fatigue, and burn fat. It can also help keep your mental and physical health in balance. Some exercises that can help include yoga, which can improve flexibility and balance hormones, and building muscle, which can help you protect your joints and control weight gain.
- Getting enough sleep is important for your body to recover from daily activities, repair damaged cells, and grow.
- Eating a healthy, balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables can help your body function properly. It can also help you reach your desired body weight, get rid of excess fat, and promote sleep.
- Drinking lots of water can help you feel energized and keep hunger at bay.
- You can also try to avoid smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and stress. You can also keep your immunizations up-to-date and wear proper protection at home, work, and play.
Why do we need to keep our body fit?
Exercise combats health conditions and diseasesThis one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which lowers your risk of heart and blood vessel, called cardiovascular, diseases. Regular exercise helps prevent or manage many health problems and concerns, including: Stroke. Metabolic syndrome.
Start walking, jogging or cycling. No matter what your speed is, walking, jogging and cycling are very important parts of a healthy lifestyle as they are activities that keep your heart and lungs active and your blood flowing. If you need to keep your knees strong or have body aches and pains, then cycling may be a better solution.[1]
- Come up with a daily walking, jogging or cycling routine that fits with your schedule (i.e. go for a jog everyday at 6:00 p.m.). After a while you can increase your distance, speed, and the length of your workout.
- Go out of your way to walk more. For example, if you go to the grocery store try to park in the farthest spot from the entrance so you are forced to walk those extra steps to get there.
- Walk or bike to work or school. If you live close enough to work or school a good solution would be to start walking or cycling.
- If you jog you should jog at least 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), but it is very important to pace yourself.
Exercise at home. Not everyone has the time or money to go to the gym and there is no need to. Working out at home is very easy and can be very beneficial. Some at-home exercises include:
- Push-ups. Use your weight against the floor or wall to work on your upper body strength.
- Sit-ups. Sit-ups can be done by simply laying on the ground or, with a more advanced technique, with a chair or exercise ball.
- Yoga. Yoga practices such as downward facing dog or sun salutations are easily done on the carpeted ground or on a yoga mat.
Exercise in the gym. If you like the gym atmosphere and can afford the membership then the gym is a great place to stay fit.
- Utilize the machines for cardio and weights, but be careful and never use a weight that is too heavy. Use smaller weights and you will find that you will progress through the weights very rapidly.
- Learn strength training and muscle toning techniques from an instructor or professional.
Join a local sport team. If you are not a fan of the gym or practicing random exercises then joining a local sports team may be a great solution to get outside, move around and have some fun! Many cities have their own recreational sports teams that meet and play on certain days.
- The most popular city sports are: dodgeball, kickball, softball, basketball, pickle-ball, and ultimate frisbee.
Part2Maintaining a Balanced Diet
Get rid of any junk food. It is one of the most important components of a fit lifestyle. Many people ignore it, but if you exercise and eat a lot of junk food you will not get any fitter. This is because the junk food turns to fat almost immediately. Junk foods contain poor nutrition and are high in sodium and sugar. Because of this, your body sugar levels drop after consumption and you end up feeling fatigued with a major lack of energy. Foods to avoid are:
- High in sugar: donuts, cakes, cookies, pudding, cereals, canned and dried fruits, and sodas.
- High in fat: Processed meats, hydrogenated oil, and shortenin
- Avoid foods containing artificial ingredients.
Eat healthy. Maintaining a balanced diet can be difficult to do if you do not have the time to cook for yourself every day. But, it is easy to find healthy solutions in restaurants and take-outs as well. You will find that maintaining a healthy and balanced diet can increase energy and productivity, boost your metabolism and make you a happier person because you will be consuming the nutrients and vitamins your body needs. Foods to eat are:
- Fresh vegetables and fruits: carrots, onions, broccoli, spinach, eggplant, melons, bananas, apples, and oranges.
- High-protein foods: lean meat, poultry, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds (like chia and hemp), tofu, soy beans, eggs, cottage cheese, and lentils.
- Grains: whole wheat toast, oatmeal, quinoa, and barley.
- Foods high in fiber: cooked lentils, black beans, green peas, pears, raspberries, and oat bran.
Understand the difference between complex and simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are carbohydrates made of 1 or 2 molecules of sugar that have very little nutritional value. Complex carbohydrates are made from a string of sugars but are very rich in fibers and contain healthy vitamins and minerals.
- Examples of simple carbohydrates: sugars, syrups, jams, and candy.
- Examples of complex carbohydrates: beans, yams, and sweet potatoes.
Know when to eat. It is really important to avoid skipping meals. A lot of people might think that you will lose weight by skipping a meal but that is very inaccurate. In addition, skipping meals can affect your energy levels. Here are some examples of healthy meals and snacks and when to eat them:
- Light breakfast: eggs (you can mix eggs with some veggies like artichokes, peppers, or mushrooms, etc.) with grapefruit and a piece of toast
- Mid morning snack: unsweetened yogurt with berries
- Lunch: salad (be careful of the dressing!) with a protein (i.e. grilled chicken or turkey)
- Afternoon snack: apple, orange, or a banana with almonds and a spoonful of peanut butter
- Dinner: lemon baked salmon with brown rice, carrots, and asparagus
Drink a lot of water. The human body is made of about 50-65% of water, and you need to keep replenishing it. Your body sweats a lot of that water so you need to put it back in.
- The amount of water you should drink relies on how much you weigh. To calculate how much water you should be drinking, take your weight and multiply it by 67% (2/3). So, for instance, if you weigh 130 pounds (59 kg) you should be drinking about 87 oz (2.6 L) of water per day.
- If you are exercising you will need to increase your amount of water intake to replenish what you are sweating out.
Part3Gaining Willpower and Motivation
Stick to your plan. You know you can do it. You are the only one that can control your actions and strong willpower can make you happy!
- Stick to a daily or every other day plan. If you have a routine that you follow it is much easier to stick to than just assuming you will get to exercising or you will get to eating a healthy meal.
Don’t let others bring you down. If you are at the gym and are using small weights, don’t let the person next you using giant weights intimidate you. Just know that you are working at your pace and that it is just perfect for you. If you continue with your regimen you can achieve whatever goal you have set.
See if others want to join you. It can be very helpful if you have someone keeping healthy and fit with you. Their extra push of motivation can be very inspiring and it is a great way to bond.
- Good people to ask are family members, co-workers or classmates, neighbors (if you have a good relationship with them already) or local friends.
Treat yourself. Set goals for yourself and when you have reached those goals you earn a reward.
- For example, if you have kept up with your routine and healthy eating and you accomplished your goal for the week by jogging for 30 minutes instead of 20, then that Friday night you should treat yourself to a movie outing, massage, or luxurious bath.
Have belief in yourself. Do not care what other people think. If you are determined and believe that you can achieve your goal of staying fit then you can! Know that feeling when you feel great and strive to reach that goal everyday.
- Motivate yourself by wanting to continue on this path of fitness and health. You want to feel good, you want to look good, you want to be healthy…and you absolutely can!
BENIFITS OF KEEP OUR BODY FIT
Keeping your body fit can have many benefits, including:
