There are many things in our lives that we consider to be a priority, but it’s more surprising that we don’t put ourselves at the top of our priority lists very often. Especially if you have other responsibilities such as children or an elderly relative. When it comes to looking after yourself, it is and should be a big part of your life. Often we will tell other people that they should slow down and take care of themselves, even though we may have the same stresses and strains as them. So how do we achieve optimum health and fitness, when we are leading busy lives and don’t know where to start? They do say start at the beginning, so why not write down a list of all the health and fitness problems you feel your face, and start from there.
Fuel your body with food
When it comes to fuelling your body, it is best to get as many right nutrients into your body as possible. Just having some vegetables with your dinner once a week isn’t going to cut it. However, you don’t need to be too drastic about this and cut out too many foods that you enjoy. Simply calculate your calorie allowance, and make sure you stick to it. It does sound as simple as that, and in fact, it actually is.
Calories in versus calories out are always the way to track your weight loss, alongside your fitness goals. There are even plenty of diet apps where you can track your food intake and send messages to your ‘teammates’ who may be on the same journey as you. It’s also a great idea to buy a cookbook that fits with the type of foods that you like. Then you can prioritise what foods to buy and make sure that you have plenty of ingredients to cook with for the week ahead.
Get plenty of exercise
Exercise not only helps you stay in shape, but it actually improves your mood because of the endorphins, can regulate your heart rate, and improve circulation and muscle tone. There are also other things you can cut down on such as swapping smoking for a nicolites and you should of course drink more water especially when exercising.
When you’re really motivated to get moving and improve your overall health, you'll find that exercise itself becomes less daunting. Group fitness classes, for example, can be a great motivator, depending on your confidence levels. If you’re not a hundred percent confident about attending a class, then having a group of people around you, with the same goals will make it fun.
Finding a type of sport or exercise that you enjoy, is a massive step in the right direction, we are much more likely to keep up with an activity if we enjoy it, and why shouldn’t our exercise regime be enjoyable? There are challenges all the time, such as marathons for charity, and events such as ironman. These really appeal to people who are looking for a challenge, of course this isn’t for everybody, but as with anything, you can choose your level and stick to it.
Take care of your mental health
Looking after our mental health is something that we all know that we should do. One in four people will experience poor mental health at some point in their lives so if you start to feel low, anxious or irritable at some point there are simple things you can do.
There are many popular self-care tips, including applying a face mask in a bubble bath, keeping your house tidy, because we all know tidy house tidy mind. And more importantly, spending time with your loved ones or close friends and telling them how you feel. Ultimately your self-care regime will directly impact your own mental health, but of course, everyone should have enough support and having someone there to help you through the day. We’re all independent, but having the right people in the right places can make such a huge difference to your life.
Mental health problems also have a greater impact on people's ability to work and employers should try to support you at all times. In a work environment you should assess your workload, before you agree to take on a task, its best to work out exactly the length of time that might take, and get everything done on time. And remember it’s okay to say no if it’s going to affect you negatively.
Meditation and mindfulness are two of the buzzwords people use for mental health help at the moment, but there is an excellent reason for this, as with many things that become popular, it’s because it works. Meditating just a few times a week will actually improve your mood significantly and keep your spirits high and your mental health stable.
Get regular health checks
A health care check-up is an excellent idea when it comes to your health. Depending on your health care provider, you may be able to book an appointment, just to make sure you have a clean bill of health. This does depend on the area you live in, however. But making sure your blood pressure, temperature, and any other signs are within the parameters.
At the end of the day, improving your health cannot be a bad thing at all. Whether you are just buying the latest gadget to exercise with, visiting a restaurant and asking for them to amend the recipe slightly to fit your new lifestyle. Or simply walking the dog regularly. Who doesn’t want to be fit and healthy with a long life ahead of them? So think about the things you can make time to improve your life, and that implementing them now. It’s time to make positive changes all around!
Liz x
*This is a collaborative post
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