10 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE AND SUSTAIN YOUR FITNESS
“Powerful Strategies for Enhancing and Maintaining Your Fitness”
Use the data from technology
To start with, in our modern, data-centric world, guessing is no longer necessary, and with advanced technologies readily available, you can meticulously track your consumption of food, water, well as measure critical metrics such as heart rate, calories burned, and even advanced parameters such as blood pressure and blood sugar in some instances.
This data can build a comprehensive health activity history, allowing you to compare your progress over time and adjust future activities based on these recorded metrics.
Some notable manufacturers of these health-tracking devices include Fitbit, Garmin, Apple, Letscom, and Samsung.
Ditch the gym
Most gyms have perfected their subscription models to take advantage of the clients who renew their memberships for the long term and then disappear when the motivation wanes.
It is reported that 80% of Gym-joiners quit within a few months, which means less fitness is achieved, and more money poured down the drain.
Alternatively, using a free online resource like YouTube will help you find a trainer or program that matches your own schedule, suits your style, and from the privacy of your home, which ultimately leads to better results.
Most online trainers have paid programs that you can advance to at your own pace, ensuring better progress and worth for your money.
Change your mindset
Your mindset influences most aspects of your life. The mind subconsciously prepares us for upcoming events by replaying imagined scenarios. These scenarios shape our behavior and reactions. For example, a sprinter associates a ringing bell with expending maximum energy to win. Our mindset, including positive reinforcement, is crucial for overcoming challenges and achieving goals in health and fitness or any other endeavor.
Additionally, our mindset plays a pivotal role in how we handle setbacks and failures. Maintaining a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity, helps develop a resilient and unwavering mindset. This mindset becomes essential for bouncing back from disappointments, learning from mistakes, and persevering towards success. By nurturing a strong and determined mindset, we can navigate obstacles with confidence and continue striving towards our desired outcomes.
Develop a schedule
Think about it – everything in life is scheduled to start and end at a specific time. It doesn’t matter if it’s work or play, even nature rules the sun to rise and set at a particular time, so it’s an inevitable fact
of life that without scheduling, everything goes awry.
So similarly, you must setup a schedule and mold that into a routine for work, play and relaxation and try not to let one interfere with the other.
This way you can completely focus on one task at a time, without associating any guilt about neglecting one priority for another.
This is to say that when you schedule time to workout, your entire focus should be harnessed into getting the best intensity you can, without distraction. Everything else can wait till after the allocated time, and this attitude should apply to your life in general, gradually building it into a routine that you can depend on moving forward.
Learn how to single task
To minimize mistakes, consider embracing serial single-tasking, completing one task before moving on to the next. The prevailing notion advocates multitasking as the path to success, attempting to tackle numerous tasks simultaneously. However, this approach often leads to increased errors and compromised results. We have come full circle, recognizing the benefits of single-tasking in achieving higher quality outcomes over chaotic multitasking.
Similarly, apply this mindset to your health and fitness journey. Exercise, nutrition, sleep, and meditation are all essential components, but attempting to tackle them all at once often derails progress. A more effective approach is to focus on one aspect, master it, and then proceed to the next. This allows for steady progress and prevents overwhelming oneself. Organize your goals with a long-term strategy, prioritizing a steady pace rather than a rushed and pressure-filled crash course.
Sleep more
Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s recovery process, determining what needs to be retained, discarded, or repaired. Therefore, to achieve overall fitness, we must prioritize and pay close attention to our sleep habits. A meditative mindset can enhance the quality of sleep, especially deep sleep, which is essential for complete rejuvenation.
On the contrary, poor sleep results from haphazardly dozing off while binge-watching TV in uncomfortable positions. It’s crucial to establish a bedtime routine that allows for proper relaxation and creates a conducive sleep environment. Take a few minutes before bed to reflect on the day and plan for the morning, relieving the mind from worry and anxiety that disrupt sleep. If a snoring partner disturbs your sleep cycle, consider temporarily sleeping in a different room while addressing the snoring issue.
Monitoring devices like a Fitbit can help track sleep quality, including light, deep, and REM sleep stages, providing valuable insights into your sleep patterns.
Get rid of distractions
Distractions can hinder focus and optimal performance, making them generally undesirable. With the pervasive influence of the internet and social media, it has become challenging to distinguish between beneficial and disruptive distractions. Even during low-impact exercises like walking, poor posture resulting from constant gadget use can compromise our performance.
When engaging in physical exercise, it is essential to eliminate distractions such as TV, phones, or tablets and prioritize focus. Dedicate uninterrupted time to your workout, without the need for external diversions. If your routine is so unengaging that you rely on distractions, it may be time to reassess your approach. By emphasizing concentration and focus, you can maximize the benefits of your fitness regimen.
Invest in body exercises
To truly excel in exercise and fitness, prioritize the ability to lift your own body weight. While machines and free weights have their benefits, they don’t compare to the performance achieved through body weight maneuvers. Solely relying on external equipment may yield temporary results, but once you stop exercising, your body will gradually revert to its original state. This occurs because if your body can’t support its own weight, it won’t be able to handle heavier weights either.
Using lighter weights can be deceptive, as compensation from other body parts may occur, leading to underdeveloped muscles. This misguided approach often results in frustration, lack of progress, and even potential injuries. Instead, focus on body weight exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and their variations. These exercises engage multiple muscle groups and deliver superior results compared to relying solely on machines or weights. Find the balance between body weight exercises and incorporating resistance to enhance your workouts and maximize your fitness journey.
Develop a support system
Having someone to hold you accountable is crucial for progressing in your fitness journey. While it’s not essential, having a support system can go a long way in keeping you on track. Even professionals and experts face challenges and moments of mental fatigue, so it’s normal to experience similar hurdles in your training. Recognize whether you can personally handle these obstacles or if you need assistance from a second party. If you opt for assistance, seek someone who is more experienced or performs at your level, as they will better align with your fitness goals and style.
If you find yourself pursuing your fitness program alone, it’s important to eliminate distractions and toxic relationships that hinder your progress. Mental and emotional stability are crucial for maintaining focus and achieving your fitness goals. Protecting your mind is vital as you navigate challenges and moments of self-doubt. Preserve emotional energy by eliminating external factors that generate negativity around you. Remember, you have enough to deal with, so prioritize your well-being.
Simplify your meals
Food can be categorized into three major groups: Carbs, Fats, and Proteins, which provide energy, repair muscles, and support various bodily functions. Carbs and Fats are the primary sources of energy, while Protein is crucial for muscle repair and the health of hair, nails, and skin. Starting with 1 gram of protein per body weight is a good baseline, with the flexibility to adjust intake based on individual results. It’s important to consult a physician before making significant nutritional changes.
To optimize the health benefits of your food sources, meal planning is a recommended practice. You can simplify this by selecting a single meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and repeating it for a week. At the end of each week, you have the option to introduce new meals while maintaining consistency in other meals. This approach brings simplicity, efficiency, and surprising food variety to your choices. By following a consistent meal pattern, you can simplify and enhance your food choices, while maintaining the flexibility to explore other options for variety and suitability.
if all fails, choose one thing from the 10 that you can be consistent with
Bonus Tip
To achieve optimal health, focus on four essential areas: Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, and Meditation. Despite our busy lives, it’s important to recognize that our current health challenges stem from cumulative poor choices. Take a marathon runner’s approach, understanding that improving health requires time and consistency. Begin by mastering one area at a time over a three-month period, allowing behaviors to become habits. Patience and longevity are key; avoid rushing and overloading yourself. Embrace a gradual process and learn from challenges along the fitness journey. Prioritize wellness with a balanced focus on nutrition, exercise, sleep, and meditation.
Summary
In summary, the recommendations provided are a starting point to embark on a fitness journey. It’s important to customize your approach based on individual needs and goals. Conduct thorough research to develop a personalized strategy. Not all suggestions will work for everyone, but the key is to continuously challenge and stimulate the body as it adapts. Fitness is an ongoing journey with evolving challenges influenced by factors such as age, environment, and circumstances. There will always be new levels to achieve, and while maintenance is an option, embracing a fitness lifestyle involves consistent effort and learning. Keep going, as the journey never truly ends.
This page is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice nor should it be relied on as health or personal advice. It may also contain affiliate links to products or services from which we may receive a commission from purchases through these links
