Exercise: Stick To That Healthy Living Plan

Kukuwa African Dance Exercise Workout

We’ve all been there. Usually at the beginning. Sometimes later. You hit a brick wall right in the middle of your exercise and workout regimes. You lose drive or you give yourself a break. It ends up turning into a slippery slope right back into an unhealthy lifestyle. For some of us, habits aren’t so easy to quit. Especially if we haven’t been living with healthy choices all our lives. Getting fit and eating healthily can be hard. So what can you do to make it easier? You’ll still need to put in the work and cut out the binge eating. But you can organise it so it’s not quite as painful.

lady during exercise regimen

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Cut the habits

Before you get started on the dietary and fitness parts of healthy living, you should cut the habits. We’re talking about smoking, drinking alcohol or whatever else your particular poison might be. They all have loads of negative effects that can influence the process. For instance, smoking severely reduces your lung capacity, making it harder to exercise or work out. Taking all your demons on at once can be overwhelming, so we suggest getting over habits first.

Plan your diet, don’t wing it

Saying ‘okay, I’m going to start eating healthily’ is all well and good. But if you’re living by purchasing your meals every time you need one or picking up groceries improve style, you’re more likely to fail. Set up a diet plan looking well into advance. Pick out your meals for weeks ahead. Figure out the nutritional/caloric milestones you want to hit and plan around them. If you have all your food set up ahead of you, it’s easier to not pick up something easy and junk-like as you go.

lady in running exercise

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Step-by-step into exercises

While it’s a good idea to start exercising right now or just about any time, it’s not good to throw yourself in the deep end. For one, it might not be realistic. Failing can hamper your spirits in a big way. Take it easy and start by getting used to exercise. Plan to start testing your limits, then pushing past them to achieve your healthy living goals.

Get motivated to exercise

Exercise and eating well is beneficial, we know this. That should be enough motivation for anyone, but it’s not. Mainly because it’s a hard slog and we’re easily distracted creatures. If you start finding your motivation slipping, you can use tricks to fight it. For example, tracking your progress with a visible record. Get exercise in while you’re doing other stuff, like commuting. If you’re driving a short distance to work or the shops, try a bike instead. If your exercise has a secondary purpose, you have more reason to do it.

lady at the gym exercising with dumbbells

Image via FreeStockPhotos

Do it together

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve found for people trying to get into exercise is to do it with a friend. Truth is, having someone alongside you can be motivating. It can help you to create a positive atmosphere for one another. Whether it’s through encouragement or light competition. It also makes it more enjoyable. Just about anything can be made better with a friend, after all.

So go out there and start your healthy living plan today!

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