Staying fit can help you feel younger, look more attractive, stave off disease, and live your best life. In the modern world, unfortunately, it can sometimes be hard to stay fit. Busy lives, hectic work schedules, family events, and other commitments sometimes overshadow our commitments to keeping our bodies in good shape. Here are a few ways you can maintain your fitness, even on the go.
More Whole Foods
Australians live 40.8 months longer than our American counterparts, making it to the ripe old age of 81.9 on average. However, the easy way out is when you’re shopping for groceries next, make a mental note to circle the perimeter of the store first before even entering an aisle.
The outside of the grocery is usually where the good stuff is: fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, and other unprocessed foods. Food additives are a major contributor to common diseases like diabetes, so opting for whole foods over processed ones is a great way to achieve a healthier diet. These little helpers are a better way to secure your health such as cheap health insurance or likewise.
Walk Whenever Possible
In the West, we tend to opt for the convenience and speed of transportation by car, sometimes spending hours of the day sitting in traffic and waiting at red lights. If your office is within walking distance of your home, consider walking or riding a bicycle. If you absolutely must drive to work, then consider walking to lunch and leaving your car in the garage.
Intermittent Fasting
As a popular health trend with tons of scientific data to back up its effectiveness, intermittent fasting is the simple act of limiting your caloric intake to certain periods of the day. The most common intermittent fasting plan is 16:8, meaning that you consume no calories for 16 hours, then resume eating for eight each day. So, for example, if you were practising a 16:8 plan, you may finish eating at 8 p.m.
You would then fast 16 hours until noon the next day, then you could eat again for eight hours until 8 p.m. This is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to increase your body’s adaptability to stress and supercharge your metabolism. It also saves time as the preparation and eating of either breakfast or dinner is now unnecessary.
Join a Social Health Group
Committing to an exercise program can be challenging. When we have no one expecting us to achieve our daily workout goals, it becomes easy to fall behind and tell yourself you’ll “catch up tomorrow”. Research shows that we have a person or a group of people to be accountable to, we are much more likely to stick to our commitments.
This is true for working out. Online and in-person groups of likeminded people keep us focused on our goals and empower us to stay devoted to our workout routines.
Meditation
Many people think of meditation as some sort of mystical practice best left to shamans deep in the mountain jungles of Southeast Asia. In reality, meditation can be practised nearly anywhere. Its benefits are vast, most notably including stress reduction. This is important for overall health because stress is connected to most chronic diseases.
A more relaxed mindset, induced by meditation, can be a powerful tool for living a healthier life. Successful mediation can be performed in any seated position in as little as 20 minutes. Transcendental and awareness meditation are two of the most popular types.
Sleep
Unfortunately, many of us sacrifice sleep time due to our busy lives. Late nights and early mornings are common. Losing out on sleep is a big mistake, though, with detrimental long-term effects. Do what you can to move activities to other parts of your days and nights, leaving at least 6 hours dedicated to sleep. Many herbs can successfully induce sleep, like chamomille tea and valerian root.
Invest in a Fitbit
FitBits and other wearable health monitoring devices make keeping track of your activity levels simple and easy. From counting calories burned to meal planning, nearly all aspects of health can be monitored and planned with these tiny little devices you can wear on your wrist.
