My Little Simple Routine That Keeps Me Fit That You Need to Know
Introduction
Very often health and fitness is made out to be a kind of major life change.
Some pictures that get to mind are people running 5 km before they even catch the light of the day, going to the gym to get up some really serious weights, making meals so exactly that the only thing left is to count the ingredients or the person who prepares them, drinking all kinds of supplements with high prices, and even doing a rigorous kind of workout schedule these are examples of what can make a person think that being healthy would require her/him to become a different human being altogether.
I, however, have a different view of health and fitness.
I see health and fitness as very practical things. They don't involve a dramatic change. Rather, they are things that I do on a regular basis and not just those I do for a few days.
I usually go to the gym once a week. I go exercise and I do the whole lot of stretches, yoga and cardio at least five times a week. I drink a minimum of eight glasses of water a day. If I'm in front of the computer working or reading for an hour or more then I usually get up and do some exercises or just go for a short walk around my house, office or anywhere close by. I always have good posture when I sit, when I walk and when I stand. I have made it my policy to be ready to sleep whenever the moment hits me. But at the same time I rest when my body is saying, 'Hey I'm not okay.' That is the time for you to get up and start your day, eat when I am hungry rather than seeing food as enemy. I do my best to avoid junk foods, while I continue experimenting with healthy meal options and better food choices.
No single one of these habits is anything to get really excited about, it's like going to the store and not getting really exited about just a single item you pick out.
However, if they are all combined, consistently practiced and even become a way of life then that's really going to change the way we perceive health and fitness.
I believe that, and it's how I define health and fitness for myself.
Sustaining Fitness and Health Outside the GYM
One of the greatest misunderstandings with respect to fitness is thinking that gym membership alone guarantees health
This is far from the truth.
Of course, gyms are important. However, what we do outside of the gym is of equal importance.
For instance, you could train one hour and then spend the rest of the day sitting in your office, eating processed food like chips and burgers, hardly consuming water and hardly getting enough rest. In such as case, though, your workout does count a lot, it is a piece that alone cannot make you healthy.
I have come to perceive fitness as a continuous practice that spans my daily activities.
My workouts at the gym are only a part of my fitness picture. The rest includes things like walking, drinking water, standing tall, getting quality sleep, eating well and taking rest.
Even something as small as getting down from my chair and taking a little stroll when I have been sitting for quite a while is a part of my fitness routine.
You won't find me turning every day into an intense fitness marathon.
Instead, I aim to prevent myself from doing all day long the things that would be detrimental to my health.
Going to the Gym: Building Strength and Discipline
I exercise to show off? No, I gym because exercise is not just for looks.
It is what my body can do for me.
Strength exercises, cardio and other types of exercising may contribute to one's physical fitness, muscle and endurance improvements. Nevertheless, above all, a regular exercising habit for me is about reminding myself on a daily basis that my health is an asset worthy of being cherished and well taken care of.
I believe that discipline is more enduring than motivation.
Motivation wanes and rises.
Discipline remains steadfast.
At times, fitness comes naturally, and I don't have to struggle. Other times, I would rather stay comfy with my Netflix. But consistency isn't about every workout being an exceptional performance. It's about keeping up with a habit over a period of time.
Similarly, there is no reason every time I work out it should be a race.
One of the negative things about fitness circles is that people try to constantly lift heavier weights, run longer, speed up or intensify workouts.
But you are not a machine, and it's not wise to push yourselves without limits.
One should care about development, but also for recovery.
An effective workout schedule should be just the right degree of a challenge, still giving your body enough rest and rehabilitation periods.
That is one reason why I listen to my body.
If my body requires rest, I consider it as training, not failure.
Drinking lots of Water
One of the easiest but also one of the most important habits that I keep is to drink sufficient water regularly.
A drink of water doesn't seem interesting so it's quite natural to overlook.
To drink, one doesn't need a special recipe or fancy packaging. Just open the bottle and drink!
However, hydration is a very fundamental part of the body's normal functioning.
When I do physical activities, even when I am sweating, getting lost fluids back is very necessary.
Furthermore, it helps me to always have water nearby since it encourages me to drink whenever possible without even thinking about it. It's only when a person thirsts for water that one usually feels the need to drink. I prefer to incorporate drinking water into my everyday life, that is not thirsty drinking but the kind of drinking that is a part of the routine.
One of those habits that is both a great example and a learning tool.
Simple things can still be the most significant ones.
A very healthy lifestyle choice doesn't necessarily include a fancy and costly sport product.
A water bottle is a very practical and handy choice.
I Drive So Much That I Must be Intentional About Movement
Driving is another big part of my life.
Since most of the time I drive, I get myself in a seated position during most of the day.
That is a problem!
It has gotten to a point where you can literally be sitting inactive for many hours and not even realize it. There is a car seat, then your computer or home office chair, dinner on couch, phone scrolling and bed again!
The truth is the body is not even aware of the fact that sitting happened in such varied locations.
Because of that, I have to consciously decide to stretch my legs after sitting for quite some time.
On the occasions when there isn't a very elaborate exercise, even a short walk will be the most appropriate remedy.
The major thing is just to get rid of those long inactive periods without moving around.
This type of advice is most useful to working class people who drive to work, commuters and office workers.
Physical exertment during your rest intervals need not be a major workout session.
All you need is the ability to rise from your seat.
The next stage is going for a walk.
Lift your feet and take a stretch.
If you can't stand up, at least, move your legs or arms.
If necessary, get a new seating arrangement.
Just make it a routine, move your body.
Making small movements such as these will add up to more activity during your day.
Under-achieving the Benefits of Walking
I believe there is no other form of physical exercise that gets such little respect like walking.
Walking is just the act of walking between two places.
No one feels the need to shoot a video of themselves going from one place to another in the house.
On the contrary, walking is the least intrusive yet powerful, convenient way of being physiologically active.
When I sit for a long time without movement, I often walk around a bit afterwards, and this way I am physically active for a small time.
A bonus is that walking serves as a brain break.
If you are too immersed with something for a considerable period of time, standing up and moving around might help you regain focus before getting back to your work.
This is a very vital piece of information in our time which people are increasingly becoming addicted to their screens, especially computers and telephones.
Technology has made many aspects of life so simple but it has made sitting down one of the easiest things to do.
You sit and work with a computer.
You do not have to get to the person if you just want to say something.
The delivery of food and shopping goods by others have become the norm which means no one is required to leave the confines of the house in order to have these things.
Television and other entertainments are watched from home thus requiring no movements.
Being offered such levels of convenience should not, however, trick our bodies into believing sitting up straight is a virtue without a requirement of getting up and exercising a bit.
Mindful Posture Is Good for Health
Another thing that I make sure of at every conscious moment to do is keeping a good posture.
Sitting posture is one of those little things about yourself you may take for granted until you find yourself on a fixed position for quite long.
By that time, the pain will be there to tell you which part of your body is out of place!
Good posture means being alert of your body language and not just in the static poses of sitting or driving but also of walking.
I drive quite a lot, so sitting for hours is part of my daily routine. If a poor position becomes an unconscious habit, I definitely don't want it.
Good posture mainly comes from body awareness and the ability to constantly correct it.
If there is one thing that will help your posture improve, it is asking these simple questions:
Sitting on a chair or at a desks for many hours without moving, is a common cause of back problems especially in those who have bad posture.
Where are your shoulders?
Are you leaning forward?
Are you sitting upright supported?
Is the position of the screen comfortable?
Answering these questions may look easy, but they actually increase awareness about how your body is functioning during the day.
Posture is one of the ways to prove that our health is not only confined to the gym.
Sleep Is Part of Fitness Too
It's one of the aspects that the fitness culture tends to misunderstand badly.
There are people who think that it is all a matter of how much work you can put in and get done.
Sleeping less.
Exercising more.
Working harder.
You are never done.
I disagree.
Rest is not about being lazy.
Sleep is not about wasting time.
Recovery is not weakness.
When I am tired and I need a sleep I follow my body's signals.
During our sleep cycle, the body and mind get a chance to rest and recover after their daily stresses. Being well-rested is important since it is linked to physical and mental well-being.
Therefore, my health routine is not limited to when I finish my workout.
I also count my sleep time.
Someone who is very active, but always ignores rest is just not getting the right picture as far as health is concerned.
I would rather design a lifestyle which is a combination of regular workouts and sufficient sleep than come up with a workout regime which seems great in the initial weeks but later, you simply can't go on.
Rest Is Not the Enemy
A very important thing is the fact that doing nothing for a whole day is not the same as consciously choosing to rest.
I usually stay away from staying seated for too long unnecessarily, but this is in no way implies that I believe that one should never sit.
Our system relies on some periods of recovery.
Muscles also need rest after exercises to fix and strengthen.
After a heavy day your mental state needs the break too.
At times the wisest path is to decrease pace.
It is very vital to understand that one might be so focused on the work so that the time becomes the only dimension in your life.
There is always one more task to do.
One more email to reply.
One more meeting to attend.
One more exercise to do.
One more task/assignment/responsibility.
You know, if you don't plan on taking the necessary recovery periods, sooner or later your body will do the work for you.
Eating food whenever my stomach is calling!
Apart from my belief regarding the healthy lifestyle not being a means of punishment.
Your body requires food just like a machine needs fuel.
I eat when I am hungry.
Hence, the idea is not to be always at war with hunger or to view consumption with self-guilt.
Rather, my focus is to make healthy food choices.
As to me, that involves not going for any junk foods except for some and concentrating solely on the type of food that my body digests easily.
A person gets nourishment only at some moments and there are situations one eats just because the food is present.
Of course, nobody has to eat in an absolutely perfect way all the time.
That is just an unrealistic dream.
Actually, there are days when you will choose to have something other than what fits into your healthier dietary guidelines. Sometimes such choices are just the result of celebrating a special occasion, eating at an outlet with a good menu, or just giving in to a sudden hunger craving or even you just happened to forget about food and ended up eating what remained on the plate.
However, if you keep yourself thinking like each mistake is ruining your life, then that mistake will be a problem.
One single bad meal cannot throw all previous good work out of the window.
The point is to look closely at the whole picture of your eating habits.
The reasons why I try to not buy too much junk food
It is easy to buy junk food.
In other words, that is the reason why one goes for it more.
Junk food usually comes in attractive packaging, is readily available, and it's tempting.
So when you are very tired, busy, or away from home, going for the quickest option may not be only a lazy move but also a sign that you are tired of making the effort.
Tempting foods should not be the whole of your diet though, because in this case your health will definitely be the casualty.
My main goal when it comes to diet is to make healthy food my main choice so that instead of being a hindrance to health I am its support.
But I know that is not really about food becoming complex.
It turns out that healthy eating can be very simple.
You may have various foods in your diet such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and other naturally nutrient dense foods that suit the needs of you as an individual.
Getting things right all the time is not the aim.
Instead it's getting healthy options right most of the time so that it becomes habitual.
Fitness Is Not About Looks Only
I get it that one of the reason I am committed to fitness is so that I shouldn't feel drained physically all day.
My intention is to get up and do my job.
To have the willpower and power in me to drive.
To remain focused and concentrate on the work.
To shoulder the problems life presents.
To find life a joyful experience.
Regular physical activity, good quality and quantity sleep, water intake and nutritionally balanced diets contribute to the proper functioning of the body.
But when health becomes only about the mirror image one doesn't get to see the whole picture.
Being fit should enable you to lead your everyday life not make life turn totally into fitness.
Constantness Is Better Than One-off Huge Striving
One factor of my approach that I find essential is constantness.
Your life doesn't change into the best possible every minute.
So instead, what we focus on is creating habits that you can keep forever.
Imagine that you can exercise at a very high intensity for 2 weeks.
Compare that to training at a regular basis for several months.
Naturally, the long term approach is the one that will yield better results.
A similar contrast of drinking the right amount of water in a day versus drinking enough every day as part of your lifestyle also demonstrates that the second approach is the one.
A final example: to have perfect meals for only 3 days or consistently make healthy dietary decisions that support the body. Again, it is the habitual lifestyle that takes the crown.
Most of the time healthy body and healthy life can come from regular, simple steps that you take over and over for years.
Dreams of some miracle workout are just that. Dreaming.
Realizing your dreams, I go for the ones that can become my part of life.
My Health and Fitness Routine is Simple
My approach would be best explained like this:
I work out.
I visit the gym.
I take in enough fluids via water.
I have been on a long period of sitting and then walking around.
I am aware of the position of my body when sitting.
I have my nap only at the time of sleep.
I have rest in case my body requires recovery
I eat my meal when my body asks me to.
I do my best to not eat processed foods in large amounts
I stay on the go.
All these behaviors are neither radical nor ground-breaking.
That's exactly how they should be.
You aren't a "revolutionizer" and you don't need to become one.
The way to get there is to keep on making little improvements over time.
Stop Copying a Different Person's Gym and Health Regime
The other issue that was created with the presence of a few pictures on social media.
Through the platform, others can see their daily workout sessions.
One of the persons wakes up at 4:30 a.m.
One is very active and does exercises twice daily.
Another person eats only a very rigid regime which is not really flexible at all。
She is one of the people who gets off the bed to exercise.
On the other hand, he is a man who does strength training five or six times a week.
We feel jealous and want to compare oneself with a successful person.
Unfortunately, that is not the case always and comparing will never give right results.
People do not have similar routines of work, body frames, life responsibilities, levels of fitness, and, naturally, even the type of fitness goals.
What one person finds helpful is not the same for another person to apply.
Instead of asking "What is that person doing?"
The more intelligent thing to do is
"Will I be able to take up that person's habit?"
I ask this question to myself every time.
Fitness Must Match with the Real Life
It can be argued that a plan which demands a complete withdrawal from the normal life is likely not going to work out.
I take my car.
I go to the office.
In office, I sit.
Responsibilities lots and lots of it.
Busy day: the routine is hectic
Rest: the body needs recovery.
Thus, a flexible approach is quite essential for me.
I do not hope for a patterned life every day.
I just keep some guiding lines:
Moved frequently;
Exercise;
Enough water;
Foods that contain nutrients;
No over-processed foods;
Good posture;
Sleep
Rest
Repeat
Living like a professional athlete is a far less realistic and more demanding route. This one is, however, not just for professional sport-people.
Mental Side of Fitness
This is a bit more than you might think, it is actually taking care of yourself physically as well as psychologically.
Once you realize that you are doing something good for your health it may well affect the way you think and the way you do other things
And that will make more sense to you, i.e. the life choices you are making will be healthier
You will start to see the light and probably get up at night for a walk.
Then you will be eating healthy because you are starving.
If you are drinking then you are thirsty.
You are exhausted.
You require a new workout session or you need some time out to recuperate?
That little piece of insight is what makes a huge difference.
Fitness isn't a matter of controlling or forcing your body to do things
It is, however, a matter of being attuned to the body
Perfection Is Not the Target
Of all the pitfalls associated with diet and fitness, probably the biggest is that it all has to be just perfect.
If you skipped one training session, you consider yourself to have totally lost out.
Upon consuming unhealthy food, you automatically declare that your diet was ruined.
Upon going to sleep quite a bit later that the usual, you think that your progress is gone altogether.
Such reactions are simply not necessary.
A healthy lifestyle is not thrown down just because you spent one imperfect day.
In fact, long-term health depends on being able to adapt and respond to the changing environment.
I don't expect myself to be without faults.
On the other hand, a consistent return to the main habits will be more than adequate.
Have a missed workout?
Take up a bit of exercise at a later time.
Ate too much of the 'not-so-healthy' type?
Just get back into a good food cycle again.
Becoming sedentary?
Go on a short stroll.
Sickeningly tired?
Have a little rest.
What you do next is your chance of getting back to your original self.
Small Habits Can Become a Powerful Lifestyle
Apart from that, health is so fascinating because often the main health habits are just the simplest ones to carry out.
Pot of tea here, pot of water there
Having a walk
Getting a good night's sleep
Eating correctly
Getting some sport done
Getting enough rest
Sitting with good body alignment
Having not too much takeaway or processed food
Those activities are nothing more than normal ones.
Well, they may not even be particularly appealing, they may simply be boring. However, this is just a means to an end, and not something that people necessarily wish for or look forward to getting the reward for.
What's the most important thing is not whether the health practices or routines look exciting and glamorous or whether they are fun or interesting, but whether they can be done regularly and kept up in the long run, which is what sustainability means.
If I can keep these practices every year, they'll turn into something much more useful than doing some intense fitness program just for a few weeks.
My definition of fitness
I don't think of fitness as a physical aspect only.
For me, it's an ability
To be active.
Have strength and power.
Determination to finish what I start.
Movements to be comfortable
Energy to deal with day to day tasks
Caring for my body instead of making excuses until my body tells me something has gone wrong.
Also through balance.
Too much exercising and no recovery turns your efforts into your worst enem.
Right foods only without any changes might turn out to be a nightmare!
Resting without doing anything eventually becomes laziness!
Prolonged work without any break could lead to burnout.
The balance is our goal.
Taking care of the body you have is what is ultimately recommended at the end
Your body is the vessel that transports you along with your life.
It gets you where you need to be.
It makes you be behind the wheel if you are driving.
It carries you during your training sessions.
In fact, when you want to walk, it is always there
It enables you to have your favorite time or achieve your target, you don't want your mind to worry or you will just feel like giving up.
This single reason is what motivates me and why I take care of my body. Also, I would like to share that my way of looking at health and staying fit is not dependent on trying to become a wonder performer every single day.
I base it rather on doing what is basic or simple everyday.
Going to a gym
Working out
Having water for hydration
Moving around when one has sat too long
Standing correctly (good Posture).
I rest when I need to sleep.
When my body is sore after a workout, I take breaks.
I enjoy my meals whenever food is needed.
We try not to indulge in too much junk.
We are always active, of course!
What the experience taught me is this that the key to health and happiness is taking care of one's own body. It can't be stressed enough, though!
You don't have to be an expert in working out or obsessed with gym and fitness to live a healthier life. What matters is your consistency towards self-care.
Health is all about the tiny decisions you make, unnoticed by anyone else
It is that sip of water;
a walk you take when you have been sitting for hours;
a workout you finish;
a healthy meal you go for;
the junky meal you skip;
the correction of your posture;
that night you decide to sleep instead of needlessly being up;
the day you realize rest is vital.
These individual choices don't usually feel like major changes or life-altering decisions on their own.
Nonetheless, if you keep doing them for some time, they could turn into a lifestyle that brings better physical well-being.
In a nutshell, health and fitness are simply:
To not be perfect but to make better choices, looking after your body, and doing that regularly.
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