Being active is a big part of having a healthy lifestyle. Keeping fit will help prevent heart disease, stroke, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Not only that, but being active helps you live your life better. You’ll have more energy, and you can reduce the symptoms of stress, for example. You’ll also have more confidence and be a good role model for your family and others. You have every reason to keep your body healthy and moving, but it can be hard to get started.
There are many reasons why you might be having trouble getting off the couch and on your feet. There could be a lack of knowledge about what to do, or you might have a physical ailment that’s holding you back. Here are 6 tips for keeping your body healthy and active.
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1. It Doesn’t Take Much
There are many people who think of exercising as something to be dreaded. They believe it involves getting in a workout outfit, heading down to a gym, feeling inadequate while they’re there, and getting all sweaty in public. This process can take 2 hours or more! But the truth is, you don’t have to do that much to get the benefits of being active.
As opposed to spending all that time going to a gym, you only need to spend about a half hour a day moving around. Go for a walk, a bike ride, a light run, or a swim. You don’t have to overexert yourself, and you don’t have to get too sweaty. Start small, and build yourself up to harder exercises. Keep it within that half hour timeframe so you’ll always have a spot in your daily schedule to be active. You can also break it up in chunks. For example, you can do 10 minutes when you wake up, 10 minutes on your lunch break, and 10 minutes after dinner.
2. Stretch
As you get older, you’ll find that your body can’t go from sedentary to active on a moment’s notice. You need to ease into things, and help your body prepare for what’s to come. That’s where stretching comes in. It’s a way to get your muscles loose without risk of injury. Stretching helps your body be flexible and malleable so that you don’t pull a muscle.
Stretching or yoga can actually provide a workout all by themselves. If you hold certain positions, you will activate the muscles you are targeting, causing them to contract. Not only that, but you’ll get more and more flexible over time, making life easier and preventing pain from bending over, twisting around, or going up stairs.
3. Protect Your Feet
It’s easy to take your feet for granted. You spend all day walking around and your feet have always been reliable. However, the years of pounding the pavement can start to take their toll. They do a lot of work, They are holding up your entire body weight every time you stand up. Over time, they can start to get painful, which will give you an easy excuse to stay on the couch.
For example, you can put insoles in your shoes to help soften every blow from every step. They will also make sure that your weight is distributed equally throughout your foot. This will help prevent foot ailments such as plantar fasciitis. Pain free feet and legs will ensure that you are able to be active no matter what.
4. Stay Hydrated
Water is your best drink option, and it’s not even close. Water provides many health benefits that you simply can’t get from any other source of hydration. For one, it keeps your muscles and joints lubricated. Why is that important? They can move more freely, so you can bend your knees and lift things easier. Water also transports nutrients through your bloodstream, helps to prevent certain infections, and helps your body regulate its temperature. Not to mention, it is the best drink to quench your thirst, meaning you can have a swig and get right back to exercising.
5. Variety Is The Spice Of Life
One of the things that prevents people from getting up and active is that it can be boring. Walking the same route, or doing the same exercise day after day can be tedious. That’s why it’s important to mix things up so that you don’t get tired of doing the same thing. One day you can go to a yoga class. The next day you can do some body weight exercises. Maybe Wednesday is the day for pickup basketball. Whatever activities you have chosen to do, make sure there is a variety in them to keep things interesting.
This will also keep you open to trying new things. There might be an exciting type of yoga that you wanted to try, or maybe there’s a hiking trail that you’ve yet to conquer. By having a mixture of activities, you will have more experiences. This will keep things fresh and keep you on your toes.
6. Eliminate Bad Habits
When you are doing a physical activity, you need as much lung capacity as you can get. Otherwise you’ll find yourself short-winded, and possibly having to cut your activities short. To be healthy, you need to cut down on bad habits such as smoking. Smoking damages your lungs and reduces capacity, making exercise harder than it has to be. It is also closely linked to several cancers, the more common of which is lung cancer. If you stop smoking, you will start to notice the difference almost immediately.
Drinking alcohol is another bad habit that you can do without. Not only is it bad for your health and will give you a hangover, but it will dehydrate you as well. So along with the headache that’s preventing you from doing your activity, you’ll also have dry joints and muscles.
Being active is the best thing you can do to lead a healthy lifestyle. Exercise has so many benefits that you can’t afford to be sedentary at all times. If you’re stuck in a rut or don’t know where to start, hopefully these tips will help, and you’re taking the first steps into a new lifestyle.
