If you go to the extremes of bingeing on food if you want to gain muscle mass or starving if you want to lose weight then you are not eating healthy. Because bingeing will add on fat instead of muscles while starvation will just slow down your fat burning metabolism, these strategies are ineffective. To either lose excess fat or gain more muscles, you need to eliminate unhealthy fats and simple carbohydrates while feeding your body with enough lean complete protein, high fiber complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Your protein intake can consist of fish, lean meat, skinless poultry, egg whites and low fat dairy while your complex carbohydrates intake can consist of whole grains, vegetables and fruits. For every pound of your weight, make sure you drink at least one half ounce of water each day.
You also need a full eight hours of sleep every night to be fit because your body performs its muscle repair and muscle building functions in deep sleep. The physical challenges of the next day can be ably met once your energy levels are restored. It has been scientifically proven that lack of sleep invariably leads to an accumulation of excess fat. The reason is that sleep controls the regulation of the hormone ghrelin which signals your hunger pangs and the hormone leptin which signals your fullness and satiety. Hormonal imbalance makes you feel hungry all the time, with cravings for sweets and starchy food, while not feeling satiated no matter how much you eat.
Lastly, by first raising the level of your daily activity and movement you can prepare your body for exercise without anxiety. Allow your joints to go through their normal range of motion upon waking up by doing a series of movements. You will just be extending your natural stretching in the morning. Throughout the day, consciously choose to be more active whenever an opportunity arises, like taking the stairs, taking a long walk and standing up more often than sitting. As your body gets used to the new level of activity you can slowly introduce simple strength training exercises that use your own body weight as resistance, like wall push ups.
Getting into the fitness mindset can be painless if you gently ease into it through adjustments in your natural eating, sleeping and activity patterns, something that anyone can take on with confidence.
Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Stamina InMotion II Manual Treadmill, Stamina CPS 9190 Indoor Cycle, Stamina Total Body Recumbent Bike, Teeter Hang Ups P3 Back Stretcher. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.
