Are you thinking about starting a fitness program? Good for you! You're only six steps away from a healthier lifestyle.
Starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health. Physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight — and even improve your sleep habits and self-esteem. And there's more good news. You can start a fitness program in only six steps.
Don't Forget to Warm Up
Warming up is important in any fitness plan, but it's often overlooked—often to the detriment of your body. An effective warmup can reduce the risk of injury, help you move through your routine more efficiently, and minimize muscle soreness after a workout.
Clothing also plays a part in warming up before exercise: clothes that are too heavy or thick can make it harder for your body to reach its ideal temperature (hence why it's not uncommon to see professional athletes in less clothing right before they have to compete). On the other hand, loose-fitting apparel like yoga pants will keep you warm while still allowing you to move easily. It's best if these clothes are made from natural materials such as cotton or wool rather than synthetics like polyester because these fabrics allow for better breathability. I usually wear yoga pants during my warmups and then switch to running shorts for my actual workout sessions.
How long should you spend warming up? There are no hard-and-fast rules here, but my personal belief is that 5–10 minutes is enough time to get the blood flowing properly, especially depending on how hard I intend to push myself at the gym that day. If I'm just going for a leisurely bike ride around town with friends, it might take me less time than if I'm rowing at maximum intensity on an indoor machine—yet both instances would fall under "warming up." Either way is fine as long as you're working yourself up slowly and keeping an eye out for signs of fatigue (more on those later).
On your way into the gym itself, consider doing some light stretches near the entrance so you can walk in feeling loose and limber instead of stiff and tight (or even worse: spending time stretching cold muscles). The key thing here is that these stretches shouldn't be rigorous; just do them gently until your muscles feel ready to go.
Get Enough Rest
Studies have shown that the key to staying fit is to give your muscles enough time to recover after each workout. This means giving them at least 24 hours before you work out again, and 72 hours if they were really sore after your last session. However, it's important that you don't just spend all this extra time lazing around—get some exercise in! You can run, walk, lift weights, or play sports like tennis or basketball; just make sure you're doing it light enough that you're not stressing your muscles too much. If you find yourself getting bored of the same old exercises every day, consider adding a change-up day where you do something different instead of throwing off your routine entirely.
If all of this sounds like too much work, don't worry—we've got a pill that will help! The Sport Pill™ was designed to get users back in shape faster with its amazing sedative properties. When taken one hour before bed on a non-exercise day, its tranquilizing effects will ensure that you sleep deeply for the entire night so that your body can get all the rest it needs for a quicker recovery and more efficient workouts without any effort on your part!
Stay Hydrated
So it's no secret that staying hydrated after your workout is important—but how much water should you drink really depends on many factors.
We all know that water can help maintain a healthy weight and keep us feeling full, but we also know that dehydration isn't good for us. Dehydration is known to cause dizziness, poor concentration, fatigue, headaches, and more. For example, research has shown a link between dehydration and poor athletic performance; although the body can still perform at its optimal level if it's dehydrated, the athlete won't be able to push himself or herself as hard as he or she would if they were properly hydrated.
The best way to stay hydrated during your workout is to drink about 64 ounces of water before you start working out (if you're exercising for less than an hour) and another 64 ounces of water to rehydrate afterward/afterward (depending on the length of time you exercised). Although this may seem like a lot of water, one 16-ounce glass will have enough water in it for one person (about 8 ounces per ounce). In case you're wondering: 64 ounces equals about 2 liters—a lot more than the amount recommended for drinking throughout the day.
Eat Healthy Food
If you want to improve your fitness plan, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to nutrition. You should eat food that is low in fat and high in protein, like salads and lean meats. When exercising, your body needs fuel to be able to perform at its best. It's important not to eat too much before exercising because this could lead to cramps or other problems. The body doesn't need a lot of fuel through—small meals throughout the day are better than three large ones. Eating well can also help you bounce back from a workout faster, helping you work out more often without feeling sore or tired all the time.
Keep Your Appointments With Your Personal Trainer
Commitment is the most important thing to remember when you're trying to improve your health. If you want to see results, then you can't waste time or money by skipping appointments with your personal trainer!
Why does commitment matter? When you miss an appointment, not only are you wasting money that could be better used for another fitness program (like…a personal trainer!!), but there's a high chance that you'll skip your next appointment as well. If there's no consequence for missing an appointment, then why would you keep any of them? Your personal trainer will motivate and encourage you so that your fitness plan doesn't lose its luster. Think of it this way: if it didn't cost anything to change your schedule at the last minute (or not show up at all), would you be more likely to do so? Of course not! Don’t mistake flexibility with laziness—your personal trainer will meet with you at a time and place that works best for both of your schedules. They’ll teach and inspire you by setting goals together, providing positive reinforcement, and creating a customized training regimen that works wonders for helping reach them. And most importantly: they’ll help keep those appointments!
Is keeping appointments really such a big deal? Absolutely! You may think that it doesn't matter if one or two slip through the cracks here and there. However, eventually, those little "slips" will add up until all of the progress you've made has slipped through the cracks as well! You should never make excuses about why something can't happen; there's always room in our schedules for something else if we really want it bad enough. Remember: determination leads to success. This might sound clichéd, but following through on commitments is half the battle when it comes to improving fitness—and life—goals!
Keeping your fitness plan on track is easier when you remember to follow some of these tips.
If all went as planned, I could have an extra $1,000 this month. That would be enough to pay off the last of my debts and replace them with a nice chunk of change in my bank account.
I had the whole thing down pat: I would get back into real estate, buy more property to flip, and keep on moving up the ranks.
But that was before I realized that it's very easy to let your expenses get out of control if you aren't careful. You see, when you're making money by flipping houses fast and selling them for a huge profit—well, it's hard not to spend some of that cash! It becomes almost impossible after you've been doing it for so long.
That's why I decided to do something about it. Something drastic...