Seven health and fitness rules to overhaul your life
If a
trainer or nutritionist had the time and inclination to do so, a list of 100
or even 1,000 health and fitness rules to overhaul a person’s life would
probably be possible. Some would be easy, quick fixes to reap immediate
benefits, other alterations might take months or years to really be noticed.
Some might have no effect whatsoever - others will lead to instant, explosive
alterations of note.
Here are seven ideas to change seven parts of your life – some of which may
surprise you…
Intermittent fasting
Sounds awful? Actually, skipping the odd meal or even a day of eating can be
beneficial to the body, according to some experts. These plus sides include
weight potential loss and a boost to the metabolism, and even improvements to
the brain function and immune system'
New training – outside
Sticking to the same gym every session, even if you throw in new exercises and
heed the advice of new trainers, can seem somewhat artificial.
Add a blast of fresh air to proceedings through jogging, or better yet bootcamps.
The latter can take place in fields, parks, leisure centres or sports fields. In
this writer’s experience these tend to be friendly, sociable classes that lack
the po-faced snobbishness of bad gyms – meaning that you’re more likely to
return.
New training – regime
Have you ever noticed that the effects of your routine start to diminish after a
few weeks? Our bodies have evolved to become clever and store energy when
possible when exercise becomes repetitive, so swap things around. Run at a
different time of day. Do four weeks of weights, then four weeks of running,
then four weeks of swimming. Plan these phases in advance, look for new and
exacting ways to tax your muscles, and see the results.
Avoid overtraining
Pushing the body when it needs rest and relaxation for the sake of burning away
calories that could be eliminated through tomorrow’s run will do nobody any
good. Tired muscles can overstretch, weakened joints can bend into bad
directions, and you may have trouble sleeping or concentrating. Overtraining has
even been linked to depression, according to
Men’s Health.
Partner Up
There probably aren’t any scientific studies of how much more likely one is to
go training under peer pressure, or go walking at the insistence of a partner or
loved one. What is for ‘sure’, based on anecdotal evidence, is that you’ll have
more fun, greater conversation, and be less likely to stay on the couch because
of a bit of rain. Two or more friends working towards the common aim of losing
weight or prepping for a half marathon will push each other onwards to great
things.
Take non-food health benefits
Taking vitamin supplements and nutritional aids can compensate for days when you
haven’t achieved your nutritional aims, and give you an extra boost when you
have.
We’re thinking of days when you feel you haven’t taken in enough vitamin C, or
you’re not eating enough anti-oxidants through ingredients such as garlic,
ginger and chilli.
Scaling the heights
That sinking feeling of staring down at the floor and seeing a set of numbers
that make you feel bad…. does it really matter? Jockeys, footballers returning
from pre-season breaks and boxers are the only people who should really care
about their weight. What matters more is your health, your tone, your posture,
your fitness and the amount of fat on your body. Look good and no-one will ask
about your weight.
Further
information
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This article published on
13 December 2017
Next review date
Categorie(s)
Diet and exercise
Areaof
the body
Not applicable
Male
or female?
Both |
