How to Make Fitness a Lifestyle (Not a Chore)

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Today there is no shortage of fresh and fun ways to jump-start or to maintain your fitness journey. The beauty of it is that you can tweak your fitness lifestyle to something that is enjoyable and personal. There are certainly many alternatives regardless of how you choose to pursue your fitness journey.

You can make it personal.

Yes, this sounds good and it’s workable, you can make it work even if you are juggling two or more jobs. Maybe life has taken off, age, family, work and school, and more. Hey, you got this, and you know what? You will be a better person for this as you make it consistent.

Start With a Bite Sized Chunk of Exercise

If you don’t like exercising or don’t have the time to exercise start with bite-size chunks. Get into the habit of showing up.

Try 10 minutes of Yoga, or cardio or strength training. Be sure to schedule it into your day, in the same way that you schedule your meetings or your coffee break. Set up about three or four of these 10 minute chunks throughout your day and you would have gotten in your half hour (or more) of daily fitness.

Workout with Company, Use a Smartwatch, Find an App

That’s a start, and if you have a smart watch, you can keep an eye on how many steps you take and how often you sit & stand throughout the day. As an aside, I got an Apple Watch as my Christmas present and it really got me even more hooked on exercise and leading a healthy lifestyle.

To help with maintaining a healthy lifestyle you can find a partner, friend or colleague to help you, or share with you on this journey. It’s more fun when you have someone partnering and keeping you accountable.

Build a Structured Approach – Hit the Gym

For some of us we prefer to schedule time in the gym, and in a more structured environment. It is the art of discipline that enables you to get to your ideal fitness lifestyle.

Try a few of these things in your nearest gym, and as you get started here keep in mind that you really need four types of exercise:

Cardio
Strength Enhancing
Flexibility
Balance

Dancercise

Dancing is great cardio and great full-body exercise – Get your heart rate up a little, get winded a little and even break a bit of a sweat.

Yes, it’s great fun … join the group dance class in your community or gym or download an app … you’ll see how easy it is to get going.

You get to exercise & tone your body while you enjoy the music. Be sure to walk with your fluids to top up as you break that sweat. Dancercise can help us as we age to preserve our ability to perform our daily routine activity. This form of cardio is said to be linked to a reduced risk of dementia, increased mobility, to name a few.

I just downloaded 2 dance apps … it’s been great fun trying them out.

Strength Training / Muscle Building

Under the keen eye of a trainer or a fellow gym buff, you can start your strength enhancing. Whether you prefer using weights or resistance bands or a combination, ensure you exercise all of the muscle groups. Aim for at least two to three times a week. Over time you will be able to lift heavier weights, reduce repetitions, build muscles and tone your body and in turn see an overall improvement in your strength. If there is ever an incentive needed to do your strength training then consider these additional benefits:

Reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Enhance metabolic rate and help you burn more calories – weight management
Enable a better balance as your muscles remain toned – this is important as we get older
Help manage any chronic conditions – arthritis, obesity, depression and non-communicable diseases
Sharpen and improve thinking and learning skills even in older adults

Flexibility

It is inevitable that as we get older our skin will lose its elasticity, as well as some muscle tone and bone density. Along with this our tendons become a bit stiffer due to a decrease in water, also contributing to a decrease in our flexibility.

However, a workout to enhance flexibility can act to reverse this aging characteristic. Maybe you can try one or two of these easy workouts to keep or maintain flexibility.

Stretches – This is one good way to improve and maintain your flexibility. Be mindful never force the stretch, if it feels painful or at the point of pain, simply stop.
Yoga
Pilates

You should stretch up to where it feels comfortable. Listen to your body

Tone Your Body, Build Muscles & Strength

Shoulder rolls – These are a great form of exercise, as your range of motion in the shoulders and upper body such as your rib muscles is enhanced. Sit in a comfortable chair or bench, next raise your shoulders up and then back and in a circular-type motion back to the original position. Repeat these reps to increase the difficulty, then, add some barbell weights.

Lumbar Flexion – This is targeted towards the lower back and also upper back, helping or enabling you to have a good posture, while reducing back pain. To get started, you should sit up tall in a chair or on the bench while keeping your shoulders down and relaxed. Place your feet slightly in front of you, while resting your hands on your knees. Slowly slide your hands down your legs until you reach your feet, hold for about 5 seconds and then slowly return to your start position. Repeat

Balance –The benefit of moving from your bite sized 10-minute chunks right up to a full hour of structured workout will enable you to improve your physical balance as well. Couple this with a bit of Tai Chi Yoga or Pilates and you’ll be quite nimble.

You Can Do This – Who says that life has to get boring as we get older?
With these forms of exercise and movement, your fitness and lifestyle trends upwards. The more you exercise the easier it becomes, as you look at the new you. C’mon!! Let’s get moving today and be sure to let me know your tips and your progress on the journey for a long healthy life. Au revoir!

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