It’s still early in the year, but it’s a time when many people are struggling to stick to health and fitness goals they vowed to achieve this year. Making New Year’s resolutions is easy; making them a reality is another thing entirely. Lofty personal targets can easily fall by the wayside when pressing work, family and other matters take over and consume much of your time and energy.
If you find you’re struggling with your health and fitness goals for this year, there’s no need to beat yourself up about it. Making simple changes to your lifestyle can work wonders in improving your overall health and giving you a much brighter outlook on life. So don’t worry if you took out a gym membership early in January but have hardly even been there — here are some easy things you can do to boost your health and improve your fitness this year.
Move More
You don’t have to train for and run a marathon to be in peak physical condition; and actually, running that distance, and for hours on end, is not all that beneficial and can be harmful to your body. You don’t even have to jog or run at all — as long as you’re moving throughout the day, you’ll be giving yourself a fitness high-five.
It’s not about taking long walks in the park at lunchtime either: even something as simple as walking to work, instead of taking the bus or car, or getting off the bus a few stops before your office and walking there will be of benefit. Going shopping, for instance, can be another great opportunity to improve your fitness — all that walking and climbing (take the stairs instead of escalators and elevators) can be a workout all in itself — without paying hundreds to do at a gym.
Stop Smoking
It’s pretty pointless having health and fitness goals if you’re still smoking cigarettes — any gains you make will be cancelled right out by the toxic, and carcinogenic, chemicals you’re breathing in. Plus, you won’t be all that inclined to do much in the way of workouts anyway — smoking robs the body of precious oxygen, so you have less energy. If you’ve tried to quit and failed, you can give it another go now with e-cigarettes, which are being backed by health authorities as the most effective, and easiest, way to stub out tobacco for good.
If you’re wondering what the best e cig for you is, you might like to try vape pens, which resemble cigarettes and are simple to use. You can easily get them from a good online vape store, which will deliver direct to your home.
The ‘D’ Word
Diets strike fear into the overstrained hearts of many a person; but the truth is that depriving and even starving yourself for weeks on end is not a good idea and is extremely unhealthy. Instead of “going on a diet” to get in shape for a big event, such as a wedding or a summer holiday in the sun, you just need to change your diet. That’s not to say you have to drink celery juice for the rest of your life, but it does mean altering what you consume so you’re getting quality, unprocessed foods that support health and aid weight loss.
Cutting out processed foods and heaping up your plate with lots of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and more is the single biggest thing you can to improve your health this year — along with ditching any drink that has bubbles in it (and tons of sugar), apart from sparking water.
And don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back (or stomach) every now and then, with a treat for all your hard work. So-called cheat days are certainly allowed, and recommended, as they give you a break from your health and fitness regime with a much-needed indulgence that you’ve definitely earned.