Many of us make plans to be in better health, to lose a little weight and just generally be fitter. Whilst we always start well it’s hard to keep it up and many of us give up within a few weeks. Nearly all of us set ourselves up for a fall by trying to do too much at once. You can begin to work towards feeling fit and healthy by making small changes. Most importantly these changes shouldn’t feel like a punishment and shouldn’t be short term. These should be life style changes which you keep up and will naturally become part of your daily routine.
Move A Little More
What we don’t realise is small daily decisions can make a big impact on our level of fitness. For example choosing to take the lift every day instead of the stairs. Here are some small changes you can make that will not hugely impact your daily life, but will impact your fitness-
- Take the stairs instead of the lift or the escalators at every opportunity.
- Walk short journeys instead of driving.
- Pace the room while on the phone…or maybe even do squats!
- Stand on the bus or train rather than sitting.
- When watching TV do sit-ups, squats and lunges during the advert breaks.
Work Out At Home
You don’t have to join an expensive gym in order to get fit. There are some great work out DVD’s available at all levels. Studies show that half an hour of exercise a day is more beneficial than doing an hour three times a week. Doing half an hour of exercise a day is also easier to work into your routine and more manageable.
If work out doing a work out DVD does not appeal to you download an exercise app. There are loads of free options which show you how to do exercises to target certain areas. Invest in some dumbbells and put the radio on for a fun but effective work out.
Join A Club
It is true that you are more motivated when exercising with others, especially as a team. Plus it’s fun to take part in team sports, and you will meet new people with similar interests. Taking part in a team sport once or twice a week will make all the difference when it comes to getting fit. You need some variation in what you are doing so as not to become bored and stop. If you are only working out at home you will probably become tired of it quickly, working a sport into your routine keeps in fun and you are more likely to stick to it.
Great sports clubs in terms of the level to of exercise are- Girls football classes, netball clubs, lacrosse and swimming teams.
Eilidh MacRae works for Sport 4 Kids. She reccomends changing your exercise routine to keep it interesting and keep it up!
