If you’ve let yourself go a little over the past few months but are now raring to get back into shape and give your health a boost, you are probably wondering what the best methods are for achieving the results that you want. There are lots of options to consider, from hiring a personal trainer to using online guides and tutorials to help you.
A mistake that a lot of people make when it comes to getting into peak physical shape is thinking that it’s simply down to activity level. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, as research has shown that when it comes to the health of your body, to be truly healthy, you need to combine the right diet with the right physical activity, you also need to make certain lifestyle changes. Believe it or not, when it comes to being healthy just 25 percent is down to exercise, the other 75 percent is down to diet and lifestyle.
Another misconception that is commonly thrown around is that some of us are made to be healthier than others due to genetics. Although genetics play a role in our size and shape, they don’t impact our ability to be healthy. Yes, some people are more prone to certain health conditions than others, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t all able to be as healthy as each other because that’s not the case. How healthy and physically fit we are is down to the lifestyle that we choose to lead.
So with that in mind, below is a guide to what it takes to get your body into peak physical shape.
Be committed to working out
When it comes to getting yourself into peak physical shape, exercise is important. It may only make up 25 percent of achieving a healthy body, but even so, exercise is crucial if you want to become healthier.
If you are going to get in shape, you need to commit to exercising regularly. The problem that a lot of people face is that when it comes to exercise, they aren’t willing to commit. They might go to the gym once a week or go for a quick swim, but that’s not enough. If you are going to get your body into peak physical shape, you need to be willing to commit to exercising regularly; it can’t be something that you do as and when you feel like it. You need to be committed and aim to do at least three hours of exercise a week.
Put an exercise plan in place that will allow you to get yourself back in shape by building your fitness level and improving your strength. If you’re not sure what type of exercise you will need to do this, consult a personal trainer and ask them to put together an exercise plan for you. This will ensure that you are working out in the right way for you, and will mean that you will get the best results possible from the effort that you are putting in.
Remember, when it comes to working out, the most important thing is to be committed and not to give up. If you want to see results you need to stick to your workout plan. Because otherwise, you won’t achieve your health goals.
Steer clear of junk (for the long-term)
There are many diets that allow you to eat a certain amount of healthy foods each day. Although these types of diet plans aid weight loss and tend to work well, they don’t necessarily boost your body’s health. Just because your weight is at a healthy level that doesn’t mean that your body is healthy, what impacts your health is what you put into your body. That’s why it’s so important to steer clear of unhealthy foods, such as processed foods that are packed full of sugar, additives, and hydrogenated fats.
If you want to see results and achieve a body that’s truly healthy, you need to start eating clean, wholesome foods. You don’t want to go on a diet as such. Instead, you should aim to make changes to your diet so that you can become healthier. Diets like the cabbage soup diet may give quick weight loss results, but they’re not a suitable diet for the long-term. You need to pick a diet that you can do indefinitely to become healthier, so the best option is simply to eat clean and cut out all junk food. This means eating lots of lean meat and fish, green vegetables, fruit, beans, and pulses; it also means to swapping to whole wheat and wholemeal foods, such as pasta, bread and rice.
Give up smoking
Are you a smoker? If the answer is no, then you can skip this section, if not then read on. Believe it or not, no matter how often you exercise or how clean you eat, if you smoke, you can never achieve a healthy body because every day you are filling your lungs and bloodstream with chemicals. If your goal is to be healthier and get into peak physical shape, you have no choice but to quit smoking.
Not only are smokers at risk of all sorts of nasty diseases, from Leukemia due to the benzene found in cigarettes to COPD, but often they also struggle to be active for long periods of time due to the damage that smoking does to their lungs. So if you smoke and want to become healthier, you need to quit. It might be hard at first and may take time, but once you’ve quit you will feel much better for it and will be much healthier too.
If you can’t go cold turkey and quit altogether, there is plenty of help available to make the process of quitting easier. From the use of nicotine patches to nicotine chewing gum to help curb cravings, there are plenty of options out there to making giving up smoking more doable. A popular option is vaping – you can learn about vaping by reading up online. Vaping is popular because it allows you to have something in your mouth that resembles a cigarette and gives you a nicotine hit, but uses steam instead of smoke, making it much better for you.
Keep stress levels to a minimum
Did you know that if your stress levels get too high, it can impact your health? Stress can cause all sorts of nasty side effects, from high levels of anxiety to headaches. Stress can also cause you to feel tired all the time, making it more difficult to stick to your exercise plan. So it’s important to ensure that you learn how to manage stress, to make sure that you don’t end up overly stressed out, as stress will impact how healthy your body is.
The good news is that when it comes to stress, exercise is one of the best methods of combating it. Physical activity, whether you choose to go running, cold-water swimming, or to practice yoga, can help you to manage stress and keep both your mind and body healthy. Of course, it’s a case of getting into a habit of exercising, but once you’ve got into the habit, you will find managing your stress levels much easier.
Limit your alcohol intake
Last but not least, if you want to give your health a boost and achieve peak physical fitness you need to limit your alcohol intake.
Although it’s all well and good going out for the odd drink or two every once in a while, if you drink on a regular basis you will struggle to get in shape. That’s because most alcoholic drinks are packed full of empty calories, meaning that drinking is an easy way to pack on the pounds. If you are going to drink, spirits like Vodka and Gin are much better for you than sugary alcopops or cider, because they’re lower in sugar.
Of course, the calories aside, alcohol is also unhealthy due to the impact it has on the body. Believe it or not, alcohol is a drug, which means that it damages the body when you consume it. Alcohol not only poisons you, which is why the morning after drinking you will feel unwell. So it’s important to limit your intake to make sure that you’re not drinking too much and impacting your health. Stick to your weekly recommended amount of units, to make sure that you aren’t drinking too much. Otherwise, the amount of alcohol that you are consuming may end up damaging your health, and making it harder for you to get into peak physical shape.
Getting your body into the best shape of your life isn’t about making one change, it’s about making multiple ones. If you want to get yourself into peak physical shape, you need to combine a variety of lifestyle changes, such as those mentioned above. It may take you time to adjust to these kinds of changes, but as you begin to feel fitter and healthier, you’ll know that they were worth making.
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