Getting more fit is a universal goal for most people but can be a significant challenge. Approximately 25% of people in American get the recommended level of aerobic and muscle strengthening exercise. More than 1/3 of Americans are obese with a typical American diet high in fat and sugar.
Getting in better shape is one thing, maintaining a new fitness level is another thing. Living the fitness lifestyle requires making it a choice everyday. A significant percentage of people start and stop working out several times over their lifetimes. People work hard to get into shape, but it seems few people can maintain it. Here are a few tips to help you on your way to making your fitness a lifestyle.
Maintain Your Routines Living a fitness lifestyle means you maintain the routines
you used to get fit. Your exercise routines for aerobic conditioning and strength training need to be maintained for intensity, frequency and duration. First, you must know your routines and understand what you need to maintain them. Getting in shape requires a plan. Your plan is based on daily routines. Some people write their routines down and maintain a journal to track them. It’s easy to fool ourselves about how much we’re doing. This is especially true with nutrition. Guessing about how much food you’re eating isn’t a good idea. Managing portions is something people who are fit learn to do.
Avoid Extremes Short-term, extreme methods for exercise and nutrition don’t work in the long run. Many programs promise results and maybe you can achieve them. But can you maintain them? Living the fitness lifestyle means you’re living a life of fitness that can be maintained. Following a highly restrictive diet for a long period is very tough. Yes, you must eat fewer calories than you burn but creating too large of a deficit sets you up for failure. In living a fitness lifestyle, you avoid exercise and nutrition extremes. You practice proper self-discipline to make healthy and wise choices and avoid the pitfalls of quick results.
Learn Consistency Being consistent with a routine requires discipline and focus. It’s not easy to make every workout or eat every meal on your routine. It can seem hard to maintain the consistency required to live a fitness lifestyle. It takes planning and communication with the people in your life. Other people need to know your goals and routines, so they aren’t in conflict with you. When you find yourself getting inconsistent with your exercise or nutrition find out why. Look at what leads up to it and how you react to it. Don’t be afraid to address the inconsistencies and correct them.
Create New Goals Goal setting is a very important part of the fitness lifestyle. It allows you to keep challenging yourself with new and fresh activities. Boredom is a big problem and your goal setting can help alleviate it. Set goals for your year and break them down into monthly challenges. When you have a great month, reward yourself for a job well done. The more months you have where you’ve achieved your goals the closer you are to your yearly goal. Keep things fresh!