Keeping fit and healthy– including daily and weekly exercise and eating a nutritious diet is NOT always EASY! We know that in our busy world of work, commuting, family responsibilities, social events and the stress that accompanies all of this, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be a huge challenge. Have you ever commented on an acquaintance that seems to always manage to keep fit, look great and maintain a positive attitude - that he or she “doesn’t have to work very hard" at looking and feeling great? Think again! Chances are, if you interviewed that person, you would find out that a considerable commitment has been made to keeping healthy. You would also find out that such a commitment comes with a price – be it time away from social events to work out or refusing delicious but incredibly unhealthy restaurant meals when out with friends or colleagues.
Keep a diary. Include what, when and where you eat and what, when and how you exercise. Keep track of your stress levels and stressors during those times. Researchers know that when you keep track, you become more aware of your stress points, your habits, your emotionally vulnerable times as well as your caloric intake and time in exercise. How does this help? Once you know your stress patterns, eating patterns and exercise patterns, you can establish a BASELINE and then develop your short and long term goals, based on your history and stress patterns.
Keep it fun. We also know that if you do not ENJOY your workout, or consider at least a portion of your exercise regimen to be FUN, you won’t maintain your routine. If you have friends who are runners and they love running, they will tell you that running is a rewarding and fun experience. In turn, if you run and positively hate it, the thought of it, and dread going on a run, you are not likely to maintain your exercise regimen. In fact, you are probably adding more stress to your life by doing something you don’t like! If you’re not sure what might work for you, try out different activities and give yourself a few weeks to decide. Join yoga or Pilate’s group. You may enjoy dancing, hiking, playing tennis, taking long walks, or swimming. Whatever it is that brings enjoyment, do it and forget about routines or activities that cause you stress. Don’t forget variety in your workouts – include two or more activities into your routine - such as weight lifting and swimming to optimize your health.
Keep it a priority. Whatever it takes to keep your health regimen a priority, do it! Schedule workout times into your Outlook calendar. Make your food diary easily accessible; download an App if that makes it more do-able. Find ways to stay consistent and realize that you will have to sacrifice at times in order to maintain. Soon you will realize what researchers know - keeping fit to counter stress – both psychologically and physiologically will help you to cope and feel good more often. Keeping fit to maintain your health, your sense of well being and your physical appearance will be the best reward of all.
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