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How To Get Fit For Life

We all live busy hectic lives, some have two jobs and a few people have three. Families, children, the cooking, social activities and everything else that gets in the way of our health.

Being fit, is about being fit for life.

What really is fitness?

As defined in the dictionary : Fitness is the quality of being able to fulfil a suitable role or task. So being fit for life means being able to walk to the shops without needing to take a break. Or being able to take out the rubbish on a daily basis. Or having the energy to play with the grand children, run around with the kids or put up the shelves.

For many, it simply means being able to do the day to day tasks that improve your quality of life.

Where Do You Start?

The truth though, is that along with the modern hectic lives many people live, comes neglect. Neglect of their health and wellbeing. Poor diet, insufficient rest and a lack of the exercise, all contribute to bodies that are not fit for life.

And if your body is not fit for life, then not only will you not live very long, but the quality of that life will be poor.

So assess your situation. Are you slightly overweight? Is your diet full of salty, sugary foods that are also high in fat? Is your intake of vegetables and fruit up to the suggested five a day? Do you get breathless easily? Do you drink enough water?

If your answer to some of these questions is not as you would like, then you need to get fit for life, and heres how to start.

Fix your diet

Its not always easy to stop doing things. If you are a snacker, its hard to stop snacking. But these few suggestions will help you improve your health.

  1. Use smaller plates at dinner time. Find plates just a little smaller than the ones you currently use. This will help with portion control
  2. Dont go for seconds. It takes up to 20 minutes for the food to register with your brain, so slow down and give your body a chance to register the food
  3. Replace chocolate, crisps and sweets with fruit, nuts and seeds. If you cant, then find healthy snacks that include fruit, nuts and seeds as your replacement.
  4. Try to pack in veg with every meal.

Once your diet is looking up, youll need to work on your body.

Building a stronger fitter body

Start slow and simple and build up gradually. That really is the key to becoming stronger and fitter.

Start by trying to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Try these for starters:

  1. Walk more. Find a reason to walk wherever you need to go. Replace the car with walking whenever and wherever you can. Park further away from the store entrance.
  2. Climb the stairs. Build up gradually. Walk up and down as many times as you can without being completely tired. Do that daily in one session. Then, each week, build up until to get to around 10 times up and down in ten minutes.
  3. Try to do some pushups. Start with just simple ones on your knees to start with and build up to a full set of 10. If thats too easy, go to 20. Build a full set into everyday
  4. Build your core muscles. Try the plank for 5 seconds. If you can do that then build up gradually. Add 5 seconds to your max every week until you can get to 1 minute. Then do that daily as part of your routine
  5. Stretch daily. Join a yoga class, get a video, read the book. Get an exercise mat in your home and stretch daily. You will feel better, fresher and breathe life into your body
  6. Clear your head. Learn to meditate and it will help relieve you from day to day stresses, as well as improve your focus

If you do go to the gym, make sure you get a wrist support for gym lifting.

Check out this great video on building a fit body:

Being fit for life does not need to be a chore. Incorporate things into your daily life that work for you. Look for the opportunity to do things better, walk more, burn more energy, eat better and clear your head.

Gradually over a period of time, usually just a month, you will see a huge benefit to your overall health and wellbeing.