It doesn’t matter what workout program you’re doing or what diet you’re on, the following 10 simple rules apply to all.
Be Active
Beyond your regular exercise routine always try to incorporate some form of physical activity into your daily life. Take the stairs instead of an elevator, join a sports team, bike to work, or simply go for a walk.
Sleep
Get proper rest so that your body has the chance to recover properly and so that you have enough energy the next day.
Do Not Deny Yourself Anything
Just because you’re on the diet it does not mean you can’t have that cookie. Sure you can, in moderation.
Variety
You’ll have a better chance of maintaining a healthier lifestyle if you change up your exercise routine regularly and consume a variety of foods.
Learn
Always be learning, not just from books or experts, but also about yourself and what works for you.
Have Fun
If you can’t enjoy yourself, then what’s the point? If you follow all other commandments, then fun will come naturally.
Listen to your Body
Your body is the greatest messenger. Listen to it. If you feel pain, stop. If you need to rest, rest. If you’re thirsty, drink.
Eat Often
There are many benefits to eating more frequently, but my favorite are appetite control and keeping the metabolism active.
Control Your Portions
Consume appropriate amount of calories according to your goals.
Accountability
At the end of the day, you’re in charge. Be accountable and take responsibility for your actions. You cannot place blame on anything or anyone for your unhealthy lifestyle.
*Image Courtesy of mrbill
We all know that with the right motivation we can accomplish a lot of things. But finding the right source of motivation can be a little difficult. Here is a list of 6 source of motivation that can help you achieve your fitness goals.
Success Stories
Some times it can be overwhelming to think about how much work you’re going to have to do and time to invest to reach your goals. It can be discouraging. The best thing you can do to overcome this is by learning how other people in similar situations done it. The more you learn about how other people achieved their success the easier it is to get motivated.
Friends and Family
Friends and family can be the best motivators and supporters of your cause. they can do a great deal to motivate you. they can provide positive feedback and words of encouragement, help you eliminate unhealthy habits, ensure you don’t miss your workouts, ensure you eat healthy and the list goes on. Recruit your friends and family. Let them know to kick you’re butt if you’re starting to slack off.
Dreams and Goals
You need to have them. Period.
Health History
This can be a very potent source of motivation. Most people will not start living healthier until their doctor tells them to or when they are confronted with health risks. Look into your health history and your family’s to see if you’re susceptible to any health risks. Even if you and your family have a clean record, you still need to live healthy and exercise regularly to keep that clean record. Don’t use health history as the last source of motivation, but instead use it as a first line of defense.
Unfit People
Next time you’re in public, look around. See how many unfit and unhealthy people you can spot. Beside unattractive appearance, observe how hard they are breathing from walking, how difficult it is just to perform simple tasks such as tying a shoelace, and how they drag their feet. Ask yourself, do I want to be like that?
Sick and Tired
Most people will come to a point where they had enough and will be driven to do something about it. They are just simply sick and tired of being sick and tired. Reflecting and always reminding themselves of their unhealthy lifestyle can be a great motivator not to slip into the old habits of lounging around and indulging in junk food.
We have internalized the common belief that weight is the only measure of our fitness and weight-loss success. Typically, before starting a workout program or a diet we take initial weight measurements and then we keep on going back to the scale to regularly monitor our progress. Some times the weight drops, sometimes nothing changes and other times when you think you had the best week ever the weight increases. As you can imagine and possibly relate to, it can be very discouraging. Although weight is a standard and amazing measure of overall health and fitness success, but when undertaking a new fitness or diet program you should focus on inches and not weight. Read More
Do it. Simple as that. Everyone should track their workouts. How else are you going to know whether you’re improving or not? I use fat little notebooks to record the following:
For Strength Training
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For Cardio
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This is all just the basics, but it provides me with enough data to analyze and reflect on during my next workout. Every new workout I push towards performing better than previous. Meaning, either lifting more weight, doing an extra rep or going for longer distances and so on. It also allows me to analyze areas of improvement. Lastly, tracking progress provides motivation in a couple of ways. First, it encourages inner-competition because you will try to do better each time because nobody wants to fall behind. Secondly, it paints a good picture of how close you are towards achieving your goals.
