Good Thoughts, Good Moves, Good Food and Good Sleep For Fitness

The mere thought of starting a fitness program intimidates some people. Ironically, this is especially true of people who most need a fitness program. Individuals who are largely unfit or who have the most weight to lose or gain are the people who are anxious that they could not cope with the perceived impossibility of a fitness program. There is no need to plunge into anything drastic, though. You can start by just gradually altering your lifestyle in small ways. The first thing you have to fix is your mindset. The resolve to make those little changes is already a step that sets you up toward living a fitter lifestyle.

Even if your target is to lose weight, you must not, at all costs, stop eating to get fit. You should likewise not overeat to put on weight, even if you think you are too thin and your target is to build muscle mass. Either way, there is only one way to eat healthy. Minimize bad fats and replace them with good fats such as unsaturated fats like olive oil and Omega 3 oils from deep sea fish. Minimize simple carbohydrates like starchy food and sugar, and replace these with whole grains, vegetables and fruits which are complex carbohydrates with high fiber content. You should also have ample intakes of whole proteins like lean meat, poultry and fish. Finally, make sure you drink a lot of water to facilitate the distribution of nutrients throughout your body and the elimination of waste.

Also vital to your general fitness is sleep. With too little sleep, your body makes increased levels of the hormone ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry, and decreased levels of the hormone leptin, which makes you feel full. Lack of sleep therefore leads to cumulative weight gain. For people who want to build muscle mass, though, not sleeping enough is not the solution. It is actually during periods of deep sleep that the body repairs and builds muscles. Additional fat stores rather than more muscle mass are the results of lack of sleep. With adequate sleep, you energize the body to meet each day zestfully.

If workouts are still intimidating for you, there are other ways of increasing your physical activity level and gaining the advantages of cardio and strength training workouts. You can mimic the effects of a cardio workout by taking long walks. Walking for an hour without stopping can elevate your heart rate up to its maximum level and maintain it at that level long enough for your body to stay in its fat burning zone. Exercises that use your own body weight as resistance can be used to start your strength training. Something as simple as wall push ups will do for beginners You can do your research online for activities that are within your present capabilities if you are not in a position to hire a trainer for advice. Starting your program well within your comfort zone is actually safer.

These are three easy changes you can immediately fit into your current lifestyle. Just eat, sleep and move your mind and body into that fitness zone.

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