When it comes to staying fit and healthy, nobody is born with special abilities. Every one of us can take care of our bodies; it just requires knowledge. What you know makes a huge difference in life, and it’s the same with fitness and wellness.
Here are a few things a true fitness buff knows about food.
- Calories are not evil, they are the energy we get from the food we eat and our bodies need them. They are friends, not enemies. Without calories our cells will die and we will perish.
- Calories get a bad rap because of the imbalance caused by taking in too much and expending too little, which is why we have the choice to reduce our food intake, or increase exercise to expend more energy. If you’re taking in more calories than your body can burn off, you can’t realistically expect to lose weight.
- Exercise is about more than weight loss. Beyond burning excess calories, exercise is good for your muscles and bones, makes your skin glow and age slower, and reduces your risk of chronic diseases. It even helps improve your mood because when you exercise, the “happy hormones”, endorphins, are released.
- A sedentary lifestyle, which is one with little or no physical activity, is deadly because it increases all causes of mortality. If you spend the bulk of your time working at a desk, sitting down to watch TV, or lying down, you’re at risk. Physical inactivity causes more deaths annually than smoking.
- Exercise is not something we need to put on gym clothes and go to the gym for. Stair climbing is exercise you can do at home, and you can even do it with weights for added intensity. With a skipping rope or a dance video you can work up a sweat right in your living room. If, like me, you love the outdoors, you can go for a brisk walk, a jog, or a run regularly. Small choices like choosing to walk instead of ride, use the stairs instead of the elevators, etc. all add up and make a difference. Even parking farther away from your destination than you normally would, counts.
- Sitting for too long will kill you, even if you exercise. Be sure to take a break every 30 minutes.
- Your tummy is elastic, and tummy fat is always hardest to lose. If you’re dealing with tummy fat, a poor diet and large portions are the culprits. Eating empty calorie foods that merely fill you up, coupled with eating large portions that expand your tummy, will keep you battling tummy fat.
- A true fitness buff knows that the best lifestyle changes are those that are gradual and can be sustained. Don’t take the all-or-nothing approach, it’s not sustainable. Leave room to enjoy yourself, otherwise self-deprivation will backfire and set you back.
- The truth is that in most cases, we eat too much. Reducing your portions can prolong your life. Portion reduction alone can work magic for weight management.
- If you’re really serious about weight loss, it’s best to seek professional help. The information widely available on the internet may not be tailored to suit you and your peculiar lifestyle and history. You need your own diet plan.
Stay fit, live long!
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This article was first published on 28th February 2018
jehonwa
Joy Ehonwa is an editor and a writer who is passionate about relationships and personal development. She runs Pinpoint Creatives, a proofreading, editing, transcription and ghostwriting service.
Email: pinpointcreatives [at] yahoo.com
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