7 habits for the fittest year ever
Are you ready to have your fittest year ever? Fitness goals are more than just working out.
If so, you’ll want to start off by creating new and healthy habits. Let’s talk about seven important habits to have in order to have your fittest year ever.
Track your journey
The only way to know if you’re progressing or if something needs to change is if you are tracking it. By keeping track of what you are eating, the kind of exercises you are doing, how much water you are drinking, etc., you will always have something to look back at to see where there is room for improvement, what needs to change and what can remain the same.
If you’re not keeping track of these things, you’re never going to have a clear idea of what can be stopping you from hitting your fitness goals.
You can use a simple notebook or use an app like MyFitnessPal. I do both because I have this need to write things down but I like to use the app so that I can see where I am at with my food/nutrition.
Find exercises you like
Exercise comes in so many different forms. Everyone is not going to like everything. So try different types of exercises until you find what you really enjoy.
You might like running or a group fitness class. You could love strength training or taking it outdoors for an activity. There are so many options to choose from.
Try a group fitness class like Zumba, barre, yoga, boot camps or options like cycling, HIIT and swimming. The goal is to try out different things and figure out what you actually enjoy so that you don’t dread it.
Drink water
You know water is important. You need to drink it, lots of it. Shoot for at least half of your body weight in ounces every day.
Most of us do not drink enough and when we do it is mainly through sweetened drinks.
Drinking water is vital. It helps manage your calorie intake. Water also can help your muscles to function properly, protect your skin by making you look younger and it ensure your kidneys are in good health.
Schedule workouts in advance
It’s more likely that you will get your workout in if you schedule it on your calendar like a doctor’s appointment or business meeting.
Make yourself a priority. We rarely cancel doctor’s appointments knowing how hard they can be to reschedule. If you schedule it, you are more likely to make it to the gym or do your workout at home.
Plan the workout
It’s easier to get your workout in when you know what you’re going to do. One of the most frustrating things is to get to the gym or wherever you are planning your workout to realize you don’t have a plan or any clue what you’re going to do.
It can be frustrating and a waste of time. It also won’t yield the results you want.
You can try this treadmill workout or this kettlebell workout.
Constantly set your goals
If you don’t have goals, you don’t have anything to aim for. But you have to do more than set the goal. You have to execute and plan the steps that will help you reach them.
It’s awesome to want to lose 10 lbs, but it’s more important to have a plan to make it happen. If you’re just hoping it will happen, you’re going to end up frustrated and give up.
So when you set your goals make sure to write them down and the action steps you’re going to take to achieve them.
Don’t skip meals
It’s important to kick off the day with eating breakfast. Breakfast can help you lose weight and improve your mood. Breakfast is literally meant to break the fast from all of the hours you just spent sleeping. Don’t skip it.
If you don’t replenish your glucose stores in the morning, it’ll leave you feeling hungry, cranky and fatigued… aka hangry.
And while breakfast is important, so are the rest of the meals during the day. When you fast for too long, your body goes into protection mode, which means it begins to store as many calories as possible. And that is not what you want it to do.
Getting a good night’s sleep
Skipping sleep is one of the things most of us do when we get caught by a tight work schedule. What many of us are not aware of is that sleep is a crucial part of sticking to all your healthy fitness habits. Lack of enough sleep can:
- Increase the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart diseases
- Reduce your cognitive capabilities
- Lead to depression
- Cause weight gain
- Reduces the levels of your testosterone
There are a number of steps you can take to get to your level of fitness that you desire. For me, that’s been taking one step at a time before adding something else. And sometimes it means adjusting along the way. You have to find what works best for you.
What tips do you have?