The year 2020 surely felt long and we could not wait for 2021 to arrive and give us a fresh start! Well, it is 2021 but we are still stuck in the pandemic loop. The gloomy lockdown hangs upon us yet again and we are slowly slipping into the unproductive mode again.
But you
need to STOP!
You cannot
let the negativity take control over you and let the chance to start fresh slip
away. Finding the blessing in disguise is our only option to keep going. It
just feels like the perfect time to break the bad habits and start making changes that
will help you improve. If you are someone who could not focus on your fitness
goals last year, it is never too late. I was lucky enough to focus and achieve
some of my fitness goals last year and I am still going strong. And you can take
this lockdown as another opportunity to work towards your goals. The only thing
you need is COMMITMENT, CONSISTENCY, and PATIENCE!
FIND
WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
Fitness is
personal. It is something that must be tailored for your body. What works for
one may not work for the other. Having said that, you may be wondering the
secret to find the perfect routine! Well, there is none. You will have to
explore and discover for yourself. Once you start right, you will get there. Trust
me. My personal journey to weight loss involves lots of trial and error. But
those errors were mindful ones. I did not run after the fads and the quick
result options did not lure me. I knew I had to give it time. I did my own
research, had my share of failure and success, and ultimately, I am several
steps closer to my goals. The only conclusion I want to give here is that you
need to START. If you don’t start, you will never learn and unlearn. I am not
going to lie. It’s really tough at first, but it gets easier for sure. It is
all about sticky to with it. You stay on track and you make progress. That’s
it. The first few days are the hardest, but eventually, you will enjoy it. Staying
in the race is what matters. Your cravings will fade as you start building healthy
habits and bam! You will have a healthy fitness routine. Your own personal one 😊
THE
BASICS FOR YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY
There are
about a billion diet and workout plans out there and each one convinces you to give the best result. With lots of information floating here and there, it might leave you
confused. But there are some basics that you need for a successful fitness
journey. And they always say to get your basics right!
Good
Eating Habits and Nutrition
The famous saying that travels in the fitness world “Abs are made in the kitchen” stands corrected. You will not see results unless you bring a change in your eating pattern. And the change I am talking about does not mean starving yourself or eating salads. Nah! The diet culture and I don’t get along. Until that change is something that you can follow throughout your life, do not even think about it. First, you need to be mindful. Read and read and read. Get knowledge about the food you consume and then make an informed decision. For instance, we all know that refined carbs should be avoided. But if you can’t give it up entirely, you shouldn’t even try. Start with the moderation rule. You can still enjoy your favorite cookie and cake and lose weight. The key is to eat in moderation. The 80-20 rule stands mighty and has really helped me achieve results. I ate butter chicken on some days, desserts, and pizza on other days and still lost weight. In fact, I never gave up on something that I couldn’t sustain, and neither should you. I followed the concept of clean eating on most of the days while enjoying some not-so-clean foods occasionally. Start slow, destroying one bad habit after another and you will be surprised how your eating habits will change over time.
A workout routine
Nutrition
and exercise complement each other. There is no question of choice between
them. If you desire a full potential result, you will have to make exercise a
part of your journey. While a calorie deficit is a key to losing weight,
exercise is the key to strength, muscle building, flexibility, toning, and much
more. But that does not mean you need to go all out. Start slow, perhaps
walking or jogging for the first few days with a few jumping jacks or squats, and then
progressively increase the load.
Other important
point to remember is that endless cardio won’t do any good. You must be smart
about it. A good workout routine must be a combination of cardio and resistance
training. Plan your exercises accordingly and don’t forget to throw in rest
days too.
Tips To
Help You Start and Maintain Your Fitness Journey
Most people
want to jump on the bandwagon, but they fail. Not because of the lack of will
or motivation, but simply because they lack proper guidance. The internet is
full of advice which confuses us. Here are some
tips that will help in your progress to bring you out of the dark.
#1 Start
Small
The baby steps, remember? When we make up our mind and get started with full enthusiasm,
the first thing that we do wrong is trying to rush our way in. Whether it is
building a new eating pattern or a workout habit, we all want instant results.
All that newfound energy, we abuse it to get quick results. For e.g., Some people
who haven’t been active for a while start exercising 6 days a week, which is
not just unnecessary but will impact your determination. To build a habit and
sustain it, you must go slow. After all, Fitness is not just a 7-day wonder!
Never
worked out? Don’t get consumed to have a fully functional workout routine. Get up
and do 10 squats and 10 jumping jacks, tomorrow, make it 12. And if 10 seems a
lot, start with 5. Don’t stress about it. Just go for it!
#2 Set a
goal
Having a
realistic goal to work towards is extremely important. This will help you stay
on track and you can measure your progress. Make sure you set health goals that
are achievable and realistic. When you set your fitness goals, break them down into
smaller goals that you can achieve shortly. Your goals should be
small, a part of your bigger goal to help you establish long-term healthy
habits. One such goal can be to work out for at least 15 minutes daily for a
week or to ditch drinking the morning coffee or tea empty stomach. Don’t worry,
you can have your coffee after you eat something. Trust me, I struggled to create
this habit too.
#3 Plan
your meals ahead
Unhealthy
eating habits often take root when we are busy. If we have to hurry to college
or work in the morning, there is no time to prepare a wholesome breakfast. So,
we often end up going for ready-made options. But this can be avoided if we get
into a habit of planning our meals in advance. For e.g., if I know I have to
rush the next morning, I plan my breakfast at night and go for easy to prepare
options like a smoothie, oatmeal, or egg toast. When you are busy, eating healthy at every meal can get harder. What you need to do is choose nutritious
food. To begin with, educate yourself about what food items are most nutritious.
Knowing this will help you stick to your goals and help you create simple
healthy eating habits.
#4 Something
Is Better Than Nothing
This
reminder is for days that get busier and you are not able to give it all. Do
not panic or criticize yourself. Try to find even 5-10 minutes somewhere to
squeeze in some exercise, or even a brisk walk will do.
#5 Rest
You need
rest as much as you need to hustle. Rest and recovery are a must if you plan on
creating a long-term fitness lifestyle. If you want to achieve the best performance
and look, you need to give your body proper rest. This will help your muscles
grow and let your body go back to its optimum state.
Stress and
lack of sleep are the two hidden enemies of your health and can be detrimental to
your fitness journey. Science tells us that you crave more when you are running
low on sleep. Give your body optimum rest and it will reward you!
Hey peeps! Check out my recipe e-book to come across some healthy and equally tasty recipes. https://flipbooks.fleepit.com/f-16338-recipe_e_book#
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