American Health And Fitness Article Biography
Source Google.com.pk
Regular exercise is critical to maintaining overall health and well-being. Be sure to find workout routines that safely and effectively incorporate aerobic exercise, and resistance and flexibility training. As you strive to live your most fit life by making exercise a regular part of your schedule, you’ll see improvements in your energy, strength, balance and coordination – all of which contribute to a better quality of life.
5 Common Fitness Saboteurs and How to Defeat Them:
Ever have those days when you feel like the universe is conspiring to keep you from reaching your fitness goals? Even the most committed fitness enthusiasts face challenges to staying active. Sometimes we sabotage ourselves. Other times, life interferes with our exercise plans.
Check out this list of common fitness saboteurs and learn how to combat them with practical strategies that really work:
1. Stress—When you’re up against a work deadline or the kids are sick, you may feel you can’t handle one more thing, including exercise. But taking time out to go for a brisk walk or workout is one of the best things you can do during times of intense stress. Exercise helps alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression and helps boost your mood, enabling you to cope with whatever you’re facing. Even a short workout is better than nothing.
2. Unrealistic Expectations—Novice exercisers get frustrated when they expect big results too soon after starting a fitness program. Because they haven’t lost a huge amount of weight or developed six-pack abs after only a week or two of exercise, they throw in the towel. To avoid this mistake, set realistic goals and practice extreme patience. You can’t undo 10 years of a sedentary lifestyle in a week of walking. If you stick with a regimen, your body will respond to exercise. It takes at least six weeks of regular exercise and sometimes more for physiological changes to kick in.
It’s called the training effect. You’ll know it’s happening when your workouts start feeling easier; when you can tolerate longer, harder exercise sessions; and when you can do housework, yardwork, or climb stairs with less effort.
3. Overtraining—Demanding daily workouts without scheduled rest won’t help you reach your goals faster. Instead, it’ll undermine your progress. Overtraining occurs when the exercise load is excessive related to the amount of time allowed for recovery. Overtaxing the body’s systems leads to decreased performance. A day or two off from vigorous exercise each week is recommended for rest and recovery. This can be done through a combination of scheduling rest days into your fitness plan and alternating hard and easy workouts. For example, cross-training, swapping out a few runs for swimming or bicycling, is another effective way to avoid overtraining, but scheduled recovery days are still recommended.
4. The Unexpected—You were going to walk after work, but now you’ve been asked to work late. Or perhaps you planned to swim, but then you find out that the pool is closed for maintenance. Life happens, and you can either throw up your hands and say, “forget it,” or accept it and roll with it. Resilience is your ability to bounce back quickly from life’s surprises and setbacks. This can be improved with practice. Strategies include practicing good self-care, such as eating right, sleeping well, and exercising regularly, along with cultivating good relationships, practicing optimism, taking decisive action, etc. As you become more resilient, you’re less likely to ditch your workout when something comes up. Instead, you’ll be able to quickly modify your plans and move forward.
5. Negative Self-Talk—“I’m so lazy, I’ll never be fit;” “I didn’t even exercise once this week;” “I’m such a loser.” Would you talk to a friend or loved one this way? Listening to negative self-talk isn’t motivating, so what’s the point? Negative self-talk only destroys your confidence and motivation to the point where you can’t visualize success. But you don’t have to put up with it. The next time you recognize a critical thought, stop it and replace it with a positive thought, like this: “I’m so proud of myself for walking at lunch time today. It took a lot of effort, but I did it.” Behavior change is hard. Give yourself some credit for every step you take toward your fitness goals. Practice intentionally giving yourself positive feedback and watch your motivation soar.
Energize Your Work Day with an Active Commute:
Interested in exercise, but not sure how to squeeze it into your busy schedule? Build it into your work day by making your commute more physically active. Besides saving on fuel costs and reducing environmental pollutants, creating a habit of active commuting boosts fitness and could protect you from heart disease, obesity, and excessive stress.
Step Away from the Car
busThe average American driver may spend over 450 hours each year behind the wheel. That comes out to nearly 11 work weeks behind the wheel, according to the Center for Transportation Excellence. Driving-related inactivity combined with stress contributes to a host of health problems.
One study of 2,364 working adults showed that individuals who walked or bicycled to work on a regular basis reaped significant health benefits. Men and women who actively commuted were more fit compared to those who didn’t commute. The study found that male commuters also had reduced body mass index, obesity, blood pressure, insulin, and triglyceride levels.
A review of eight studies found a significant reduction in cardiac risk with active commuting for both men and women, but this effect was stronger for women.
Similarly, a Swedish study of more than 16,000 workers found that men and women who walked to work and men who used public transportation were much less likely to be overweight and obese than those who drove to work.
Go Public
Taking the train may not sound like an active way to commute, but one study found that train commuters walked on average 30% more a day and were four times more likely to achieve the recommended 10,000 steps a day than drivers. Public transit users also walk more to get to the bus stop, bus platform and their final destination.
In addition to the physical benefits from walking more, public transportation users also enjoy mental health benefits, including reduced stress and increased social interactions.
Getting Started
Many employers support active commuting by offering bicycle parking and storage, onsite showers, and subsidized public transportation passes. Some even offer a guaranteed emergency ride home for alternative transportation users. Check with your human resources office or benefits team to find out what resources are available. If they’re not available, ask your employer to consider adding them.
Whether or not you have workplace support for an active commute, you can take steps toward making your commute a healthier one. Here is how:
Ask around. Chances are, someone in your workplace already bikes, walks, runs or rides the bus to work. Get first-hand advice on routes and other practical matters.
Check online. Join a community of bicycle commuters to share tips and arrange riding together.
Brush up. Learn about bicycle road use laws in your state before hitting the pavement and make sure you know how to change a flat tire, fix a chain and perform other minor repairs en route.
If walking or bicycling all the way to work isn’t practical, do it part of the way. Many public transit services offer bike racks. You could also get off the train or bus one stop early to increase your daily walking time. Or bicycle to work one way and ride the bus home and do the opposite the next day.
Some health clubs offer shower-only memberships for active commuters. Depending on how much you sweat, you could also keep a spare set of clothing, washrag and towel, baby wipes, and deodorant at your work station for a quick clean-up.
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
American Health And Fitness Article Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
No comments:
Post a Comment