I have covered the importance of a balanced diet, meaning of metabolism and what are the steps required for a Personal Weight Loss program in my earlier articles. Now we are going to work on the Fitness part of the Personal Weight Loss program.
What is meant by Fitness? People generally say that he or she is fit or unfit. This is usually a judgment call based on a cursory visual inspection. Being fit means also being able to define what the person is fit for? Can she run 2 kms or 10kms, can she sprint for 100 metres without collapsing? Do a couple of flights of stairs seem like a hill to climb?
“Fitness” is a broad term that means something different to each person, but it refers to your own optimal health and overall well-being.
Being fit not only means physical health, but emotional and mental health, too. It defines every aspect of your health. Smart eating and active living are fundamental to fitness.
Fitness means having energy to do what’s important to you and be more productive.
What are the benefits of fitness?
- Fitness helps you feel better and have more energy for work and leisure time. When you stay active and fit, you burn more calories, even when you’re at rest.
- Improving your fitness is good for your heart, lungs, bones, muscles, and joints. The risk of life threatening diseases is reduced as the body becomes more efficient and resilient.
- Being fit can help you to sleep better, handle stress better and keep your mind sharp.
- Your personal outlook towards life will also change with fitness levels on the rise.
In short, you’ll be able to enjoy life to the fullest.
How do we go about setting up a Fitness routine?
- Set Easy, Achievable Goals. For starters, plan to exercise for 20 minutes, three times a week. Also it’s good to track your progress by writing it down.
- Daily Reminders will be a big help. Schedule your exercise sessions on your calendar like any other appointment. Also ensure that your running or exercise kit is ready for the workout.
- Reward yourself. To reward yourself when you accomplish one of your fitness goals – such as staying on track with your exercise for a full week or month — treat yourself to a movie, massage, pedicure etc. Food is to be avoided as a reward item.
- Buy a good pair of Workout Shoes. A good pair of shoes with arch support and sole cushioning helps in a huge way in preventing injuries. It’s better to spend money on shoes than to spend on painful rehab.
- Just Walk. One of the easiest ways for most people to exercise is to walk. Although you could aim for 10,000-15,000 steps a day, many people will want to start with 5,000 steps or less, and work their way up over time.
- Get Back to Basics. Free body exercises or Pilates are enough for fitness programs. Investing in exercise equipment will have a negative effect on your wallet as well as your psyche when you are hit with buyer’s remorse.
- Use Multiple Muscle Groups. When you work more than one muscle group at a time and use full-body movement as much as possible, it takes less time to do a thorough weight-training workout. For example, try doing squats (lower body) combined with dumbbell shoulder presses (upper body).
- Whatever works for you. We need some impetus to keep moving. Fitness and workouts tend to get boring if there is no change in the routine. Music in the form of mp3 players work for some people. Try to get some friends along so that there is encouragement when someone is flagging. Games can be used to spur fitness as well.
In the next article we will focus on a very basic achievable fitness routine which can be the first step towards becoming a fitter and healthier person.
