Basic Principle of being Fit

With SOO much information out there regarding fitness, health and wellness it’s completely understandable why one would have a hard time finding the basics that they need to get started. There’s so much information regarding how train, eat and even supplement your body to improve yourself. However when someone asks me to give them tips about how to improve their fitness lifestyle it’s like asking a pilot to give you tips about flying a plane. It’s a vague question with way too many answers and each answer leads to more questions. So I’m writing this blog to address the must needs or the most basic components one needs to do and incorporate into their lifestyle in order to feel and look better.

The major problem is when people ask me how to improve their fitness lifestyle they actual mean this: “How can I look better”. That’s in reality what you are thinking isn’t? The issue there is that your looks won’t last forever but your internal components will until you aren’t part of this earth anymore, so it’s key to not only worry about the outside but more importantly worry about the inside. After all if you aren’t healthy in the inside over time your outside wont’ look as pretty either. After all you could actually have a thicker mid-section than your best friend but internally you could be much healthier than him or her simply because you take care of your health. A skinny guy who smokes will never be healthier than a man considered slightly overweight but that exercises and eats well.

The foundation of being healthy is the following; these are simple things you need to slowly start incorporating into your daily lifestyle that over time will make a big difference.

1.) DRINK MORE WATER

I’m sure you’ve heard of this one before. It’s simple, your body is compromised of 60-70% water. Your organs are filled with, your muscles and your brain. Being hydrated not only affects you internally but your largest organ; the skin feels it too. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells, and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

So if you want to maintain a healthy looking skin tone be sure to be drinking plenty of water a day. Drink a minimum of 8 8oz glasses of water per day.

2.) EXERCISE AT LEAST 3-4 / WEEK

I’m not going to get into too much detail here regarding sets, reps, what style is the best etc…This post is simply to recommend you to do some sort of physical activity 3 to 4 times a week for at least one hour. Now the benefits of performing a strength and conditioning style workout is that your bones, ligaments, cartilage and muscles will get stronger. Why is that important? Well aren’t those the components that hold your body? It’s important to have them work and function properly, particularly as we age and they get weaker.

3.) INCREASE YOUR PROTEIN CONSUMPTION

As this article is mainly orientated to those who are just starting their path into fitness, its important I point out that most likely you are not getting enough protein in your daily nutrition regimen. How do I know this? Because most people eat on average 3 times a day and get maybe 1 snack in there. This is not enough. Be sure to be consuming at least 1g of protein per lbs of weight. Especially if you are starting a physical activity regimen. Protein is not only needed for the famous muscle building but also for so many other activities your body goes through on a daily basis.

4. ) UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU EAT

This is probably my most important point on the entire article. Most people don’t look at what they eat. They eat because it taste good and not because it will do them well. Start looking at the ingredients of foods and look at how many ingredients it has. If you are buying vegetables or fruits the main ingredients should be that and not a paragraph filled with preservatives. After all your body will be absorbing all of those things you probably can’t even pronounce.

5.) BE CONSISTENT

It’s new year’s eve and you are committed that at the turn of the year you will start your path to being fit. Right about the end of January a full month has passed and you quit because you didn’t see the results you wanted. This is something I hear all the time. Unfortunately it takes a bit of time for your body to truly change and YOU must be in control of being consistent and balancing everything so that you don’t give up. Failure is part of success and quitting because you didn’t get your results in a matter of 30 days is unacceptable. Stop putting a number to how many days you need to get fit, it’s a lifestyle not a race so be committed to stick with it for the rest of your life. Your heath and health will thank you later.

6. ) AVOID THE OBVIOUS

How many times have you heard “Avoid fast foods, cigarettes, high amounts of caffeine, carbonated drinks, alcohol and high sodium foods”? Well, you’ve heard it for a reason. These components do not improve your overall health at all, in fact they affect them negatively. So why keep them part of your lifestyle? Sure, once in a while it’s totally fine to grab your favorite cheeseburger from your favorite fast food place, but don’t make this a habit or a way of rewarding yourself for all your hard work at the gym. Avoiding these things over time will tremendously improve your quality of life.

7.) HAVE ALONE TIME

You might be wondering how this has anything to do with being fit. Well being fit doesn’t just mean being physically fit, it also means being mentally fit as well. By having some time alone to do what you enjoy most or simply relax you clear your mind of everything and anything that you feel affects you negatively. Stress can be the #1 killer and so you must have some time on a daily basis for yourself. If you have a family just take 5-10 min daily to relax and find a place that’s quiet for you to breathe deeply and gather your thoughts for the day.

These are just 7 very basic things that if you do on a regular basis will not only improve your quality of life but also improve your health. I’ll point out that as I mentioned, stress is a huge factor to poor quality life choices and many other negative factors so be sure that anytime you feel stressed to do point #7 and have some time to think for yourself. You’ve got one body, take care of it as it will take care of you.

#fit #exercisehealthy #cardio