How to Get in Shape, Stay Healthy and Look Fantastic

Congratulations on taking the initial step toward a healthier lifestyle. When it comes to getting in shape, everyone thinks about getting themselves fit. However, starting isn’t the main problem. The more significant challenge is how to maintain the same behaviour.

Being active is essential to your health and well-being, no matter the age. That’s why it’s crucial to find ways to keep yourself healthy and always look great. But how do you get in shape even when your motivation starts to slip? Here are a few pieces of advice that you may consider to keep going.

Excellent tips to help you stay fit

Find a strong motivation

A person’s reason for starting their CrossFit bootcamp is crucial to whether they’ll have enough drive to keep up. Too often, people often choose to stay fit by hooking into short-term motivation or even shame. Although there’s nothing wrong with it, these reasons won’t help you stay motivated for long. It’s the same with vague goals such as wanting to lose weight or simply staying fit. So, to help you stay on track, you need to establish a strong reason you wish to change your lifestyle. It must be compelling and precious that can motivate you to do better.

Take things slowly

One of the significant problems with New Year’s resolutions is that most people tend to make all changes at once— they want to change their eating habits, start exercise routines, and even get rid of their vices. However, this can be extremely tiring, which causes most people to feel burned out. So, if you’re genuinely committed to staying fit, you must remember that all these changes can take time. Instead of doing it every day, you can consider doing it weekly at first. Then, you can gradually increase your sessions in the next couple of weeks or so until you feel that you’re ready.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself

Your motivation— or even the lack of it— is only one of the aspects that can affect your goal to stay in shape. Other factors such as finances or even parenting tasks can also be stumbling blocks to your fitness goals. Even depression, stress, or tiredness can heavily impact your desire to stay fit. That’s why it’s highly advisable to remain realistic when achieving your goals. Be analytical about your family and work-related needs and see how you can fit them with your fitness goals. Consider reflecting on the things that worked and those that didn’t. 

Choose what you eat

Losing weight is all about determination. So, no matter how bad your cravings are for something sweet over healthy food, you need to stay focused and stay away from eating unhealthy meals. Although sugar has its benefits, consuming too much can lead to various problems. That’s why it’s essential to always choose fruits and vegetables over unhealthy foods.

Also, consider sticking to lean meats such as turkey and chicken. Eating seafood is also an excellent choice. These meats don’t contain as much fat as red meat but still have enough protein and nutrients to strengthen your muscles. Also, ensure that you’re mindful of the portions you eat to maximise your energy from these meals.

Always plan your day

Almost everyone these days lives a hectic lifestyle. Aside from your responsibilities at work, you also need to consider the tasks you need to do when you get home. Planning and prioritising your exercise routines can help you plan your day. Even more, it’ll also make it easier to stick to your lifestyle. You can also try your best to anticipate things that might get in the way as you plan your day. It’s the best way to prevent yourself from getting distracted. 

Be open to changes

If things don’t work, then always be open to the idea of changing your plans. Some things are beyond your control. If any of these incidents happen, having a backup plan will help you stay on track. People often feel demotivated when things don’t go their way. So, if any exercise regimes didn’t work for you in the past, remember not to beat yourself up and do them again. You can also consider doing something else if you feel that it’ll work better.

Add resistance and balance training as you age

People typically lose their ability to gain muscles once they reach 30. So, consider adding resistance training to your exercise routines to help reduce your muscle mass loss. You can also consider adding any form of aerobic exercise, too. Building up balance challenges can help you with your balance as you get older.

Get enough sleep

Even though most people tend to spend much of their time at work, it’s still essential to get enough sleep each day to replenish your energy. Sleeping for at least six to eight hours can help you keep going throughout the day, even if you take several hours doing your daily tasks. But if you feel tired at any point, taking a small nap before exercising is still a sound choice. It’s highly advisable to take at least half an hour of rest to prevent you from staying up later in the night.

Use technology

For goal-oriented individuals, tracking their progress can make it easier to stick with your goals. So, choose devices that can help you monitor your progress closely while still allowing flexibility from your fitness goals. 

The bottomline

One of the critical things to stay in shape is to have a positive mindset. It can be difficult at first, but putting your mind to it can do wonders, especially if you want to stay fit. Always remember to take things slowly. Listen to your body and know when to rest. Find a solid reason that’s strong enough to keep you motivated as you gradually change your lifestyle. It’ll be much easier for you to stay on your course to a fitter and healthier version of yourself.