One of the resolutions people made for the New Year is to improve their fitness health. They planned to enrol at the gym, start hiking at the neighbourhood trail, take up a swimming course at the pool, and go for early morning joggings.
These activities combined can improve your overall health and wellbeing, but the problem is that most people don’t follow through with this plan on a consistent basis. Because people make resolutions – and not lifestyle changes. Daily fitness exercise can become a very rewarding experience if you make it a lifestyle, and this article shows you how.
Don’t try exercises that drain mental and physical energy
Fitness exercises that drain your mental and physical energy cannot always be sustained in the long term. To enjoy the benefits of an exercise regimen, you must sustain the tempo for the long term.
Hard workout trends may often be very exhausting and extreme – a situation that may cause you to abandon your exercise routine – so only try out simple exercises that you can maintain without excessive drain on your mental and physical energies.
Make exercises a lifestyle and not a fitness challenge
Many people draw up a 30-day exercise challenge that they cannot sustain or a 7-day challenge that leaves them injured and burnt out.
You cannot obtain the full benefits of exercises by placing limits on the number of days to go – remember exercises are essential to your overall health and mental wellbeing – so why abandon what makes you healthier and stronger after a few days? Exercises should be a lifestyle, that’s why you must take it easy and not go extreme with it.
Find a reason for your exercise goals
When you have a solid reason for doing something, you tend to succeed at it. If you have to make your daily exercise routine a lifestyle, you must have a good reason for this or you might abandon it after a while.
Your reasons may be to burn fat and calories for weight loss; improve blood circulation for cardiovascular health; stimulate hormone production to keep Alzheimer’s disease and dementia at bay; prevent stress/anxiety and enjoy deeper sleep/relaxation.
Refine your understanding of health and fitness
Many people have a wrong understanding of health and fitness. They limit the terms to physical activities that make them sweat and pant at the gym. They limit exercises to rigorous activities such as weightlifting, climbing, swimming, hiking, and jogging.
While this understanding is correct, it is partial. A complete concept of health and fitness covers the way you feel, the quality of your life, your focus at work, your mental/psychological state, and your social balance.
Engage in positive behavioural changes
An effective lifestyle involves behavioural changes that are often visible to others around. A positive lifestyle is a manner of living that reflects positive values and attitudes, and which others may aspire to.
To maximize your fitness exercise, you must refrain from negative activities that can detract from your goals. Activities such as smoking, excessive alcohol, bingeing, and sedentariness must be done away with. Adopt healthier lifestyles that promote your fitness goals and purposes.
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