There's far more to fitness and trimming excess body fat than going to the gym. You have to attack this goal from different angles. When you direct this effort into a variety of areas in your life, they will all work together to produce the fitness and weight loss results you want.
It starts with mindset
Have you noticed how much harder it is to accomplish a goal when you're constantly down on yourself? You have to learn to stop being so critical. Instead, sit down and examine what you are doing right and what your strengths are. Then start focusing on them, giving yourself plenty of praise and self-love.
Here are some tips to help with this:
-Find a friend to help you. This person can keep you accountable and offer encouragement.
-Keep a journal to record your fitness efforts. Take it out on a bad day and review how far you've come.
-Be prepared for failure. Instead of dwelling on it, write down at least one thing you can learn from the experience and move on.
Make fitness accessible in your daily routine
Regular exercise is a key element of getting fit, but you have to stick to it. To make this much easier, sketch out a fitness plan that you can follow. It doesn't have to be anything complicated- maybe you will start by walking one mile four days a week. Writing it down allows you to gradually increase the intensity and add more elements, like strength training. Be sure to switch up your routine to ensure progress. Add new activities and rearrange the order.
Don't stop there, though. Insert activities into your everyday routine that will give you opportunities to get active, like consistently taking the stairs or parking at the back of the lot. Then consider what you do with your friends and family. Do you tend to limit your interactions to watching movies or dining out? Suggest that you go for a walk or bike ride instead. Even mini-golf and bowling are excellent ways to stay active while still having fun.
Give your body what it needs to succeed
You can't force your body to be active if it doesn't have the fuel it needs. Ditch the processed foods that bog you down and incorporate whole foods instead. Clean out your cupboards to avoid the temptation to indulge. Then make sure to keep your kitchen stocked with healthy foods. Fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts- you'll only choose to eat these foods when you have them on hand.
Next, hydrate your body. Soda, coffee, tea- these don't count. Your body needs pure water if it's going to make progress. It fuels your organs, muscles, and brain and flushes out the toxins from your system.
You also need to give your body enough quality rest. Lack of sleep makes it nearly impossible to stick to a fitness plan. Avoid your computer and TV an hour before bed and take time to wind down. Set a bedtime each night and stick to it.
