10 Healthy Tips for Fitness Success

These days most everyone you speak to is looking to keep fit, get fit or improve their fitness.
Those of us that are looking to improve their fitness have already made it over the first real hurdle of getting fit by being Consistent.
Consistency is the key to keeping going and really achieving your goals. Most people tend to fail in the first three months of their get fit
campaign.

However in the first three months you can lock it into your schedule and make sure that you stick to it…Something wonderful starts to happen!
After about the 12 week mark you are seeing the difference for yourself. Your clothing is not as tight, you have lots of extra energy and your
habits have changed…your priorities have shifted.

Here a 10 simple tips to help you with your fitness success.

1. Start!! Make the move, put on your training shoes and go for that morning walk, swim before work or P.T. session you booked at the gym.

Every chance you have to be active take it up, use the stairs, park the car further away and walk, (you may enjoy surroundings you’ve not noticed before) if the kids are playing join in with them for a kick of the ball or ride on the bike! All of this aids your recovery, improves mental health and increases you cardiovascular capacity!

2. Exercise the hole body. Make sure that you get all the large and small muscle groups activated, getting into the gym is a great way to change up your exercises, if your training at home use whatever is around…chairs, balls, pantyhose, (great if you are working on flexibility and can’t reach your toes) empty water bottles filled with water. If your swimming change the stroke on every other lap or use floatation devices for upper and lower body. Get creative.

3. Make your muscles do the work. Add in resistance training, challenge your muscles especially if your an office worker and don’t do much lifting. Strong muscles also burn more calories!

4. Get flexible! Stretching is really important for recovery of muscles and making sure the full range of movement remains in the joints and lengthens the muscles. You can add your own stretching exercises or do yoga or pilates to improve your flexibility and strength.

5. Win the Losing Game!! Remember the saying Energy in, Energy out – this means to maintain a healthy weight, Energy (food) in needs to equal the Energy (exercise)that you are putting out. So make sure to keep both your training and food reasonably balanced from day to day. If you need to lose weight to get to a more healthy weight, decrease your food intake and increase your exercise.

6. You Are What You Eat! Replace all the junk foods and beverages with beautiful fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and good fats. You can do this gradually so it’s not too much of a shock to the system. Water is great for flushing the system. These little changes will increase weight loss, give you more energy and improve your health. What a bonus!!

7. Chill!! See challenges as opportunity, and don’t stress over anything that you cannot control. Know what you can do and stick with it. Taking time for yourself even if it is 5 minutes a couple of times a day to stop, reset and check your goals to stay focused and moving forward. (I love a short meditation to relax my body and mind to stay on track)

8. Sleep! Restful sleep is fantastic for the mind body and soul. Usually it’s about 8 hours for good restoration to feel alert and in good spirits. Some people need a little more or a little less, you will work out the time that works for you.

9. Stay Focused! While your training, think about the movements and muscles you are moving, focus on the game you are playing…stay in the moment, this and the consistency of your workouts and practice will aid in your results. If you just go through the motions without putting much effort in, what results do you expect?

10. Stick to the Basics! once you have reached your 12 week goal, keep going you have put in so much effort so far…why change now! By staying with the simple elements of a lifestyle change you will start to learn about diet fads, magic pills and exercise gadgets. Don’t Get Caught In The Hype! The more you learn the more complicated it can get…But if you keep it Simple, your lifestyle change will be easy!!