The desire to become more physically active is shared by a colossal number of people. It is inspired by the turn of a new year, or a doctor’s report, or even an innate feeling that your health might take a turn for the worse if you don’t do something about it. But for most people, taking up fitness is a battle that is lost soon after it is started. Perhaps the lack of instant gratification is what is discouraging. Or it could be that the consequences of not engaging in exercise are not immediately experienced. Either way, a life of fitness seems like this insurmountable task that forces you out of your comfort zone, when your comfort zone is where you want to be. But as it has been echoed by fitness enthusiasts, fitness professionals and those who have actually done it, a life of fitness is not impossible.
The innumerable benefits of Staying Fit
To gain the right kind of mindset, you first need to understand what you stand to gain by regularly exercising. The benefits of fitness have been documented severally, and are well understood. They include better cardiovascular health, reduced risk of lifestyle diseases, increased energy levels, improved posture, better sleep patterns, improved muscular health, weight control, reduced stress levels, better bone and joint health, and an overall improved appearance. Everyday tasks such as walking, picking up objects, and going up the stairs become effortless. Even better is the fact that these benefits can be enjoyed across all age demographics.
Adopting a Life of Fitness
The mistake most people make is trying to accomplish too much at once. With unrealistic goals, you set yourself up for failure. Humans are biological entities. Change can only be experienced when enough time is allotted. This is to say that if your goal is to gain muscle or lose weight, you have to do so in small steps to avoid upsetting the homeostatic state that your body has adopted. Any weight lost too fast through severe dieting is more likely to be gained back once the dieting is stopped. In a similar way, you cannot start strength training with exercise equipment and expect to lift the heaviest weights. In the world of fitness, only one step can be taken at a time.
Developing the Commitment
Any high level of fitness witnessed is often a cumulative effect after months, sometimes years of hard work. So if your wish is to adopt a life of fitness, you have to show commitment. The desire to sit down and eat junk foods sometimes overweighs the desire to go for a run, or prepare a healthy meal. It is the discipline that helps you pick the latter. Commitment is developed in small steps. Walking for fifteen minutes a day everyday soon grows into a thirty minute brisk walk, which becomes a thirty minute jog, and so on. As long as you keep trying, you will find out that the exercise routines become easier, and you will naturally want to challenge yourself by increasing the task.
It is important to stay constantly motivated. Joining a fitness community, whether on or offline helps significantly. Set small goals, and whenever you achieve them, reward yourself. Focus more on the results you can see or feel, and not on what the scales indicate.
Finally, remember that as long as you don’t stop, you will always see progress. So even if those six pack abs seem like a galaxy away, they will one day be yours to behold if you keep exercising.
Author’s Bio
Anne Andrew is a fitness trainer, and she loves to write on topics related to health and fitness.
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