I often hear ‘I want to get fit’ which is music to my ears… but fitness isn’t just about getting fit for the summer, fitness is a way of life. Its your lifestyle choice. It’s the way you make the decisions in life that establishes a set of habits over the years that allows you to stay in shape without putting in a huge unrealistic amount of effort in.
First thing first: Find a way to enjoy exercise. If you hate the thought of running or feel intimated at the sight of the weight room in the gym, then neither of those things are going to excite you into doing some exercise. If you have time restrictions then an excise regime that takes too long will bore you and demotivate you within a week. Everyone enjoys different things, I like to run, cycle and HIIT is one of my favourite all time workouts but I don’t enjoy swimming and yoga I find too slow for me personally. Different moments of your life will introduce different types of exercise – for example yoga whilst pregnant was good for me, it relaxed me. So, find something you like, stick to it, look forward to it and enjoy it.
Commit: You’ve found what you like – now commit. This means not allowing work, social engagements and other priorities get in the way of that exercise. This may mean you have to get up 15 mins earlier when you’d rather be sleeping, working out when on holiday or fitting in a session when life seems busier then you can handle. Once you build up the habit it actually becomes harder not to exercise because you are used to prioritising it in your life.
Stay active outside your exercise: Its doesn’t always have to be a planned exercise session – don’t limit yourself. Incorporate ways that keep you active; walk wherever possible, take the stairs, get up and move whenever you can, choose active activities, bike rides, hikes, tennis, there are lots of possibilities.
Lastly - don’t diet: Just make healthy eating a part of your life. Doesn’t mean don’t ever have chocolate or a glass of wine. But recognise and be aware that there is a balance to the chocolate and the wine. Ultimately the biggest key to staying fit is eating healthy. Learning to listen to your body. What makes you feel good? What keeps you full and gives you energy throughout the day? What helps you when you workout? What keeps you looking and feeling fit? There is an element of trial and error as well as cutting yourself some slack if you don’t eat healthy 24/7 for 365days, ‘cheat’ meals / snacks don’t come with a guilt side dish.
Every day is a new day and every day allows you to make choices especially when it comes to what goes inside our body and how we decide to move it.
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