Step Up to a New Level of Fitness
By Sandy Schroeder
Ready to commit to a new level of fitness? If your exercise and diet routines are lagging, now may be the perfect time to pull it all together. What better time to look better, feel better and actually be better.
WellAndGood.com says it may be easier than you think. Here's the plan.
Take five minutes a day - Make fitness the focus with five minutes of consistent movement. Pick something you really enjoy like dancing, yoga, or tai chi and run through a few simple poses or steps. Pick a comfortable time and stick with it. Start the day with an early morning exercise slot or try a mid-day routine. When that five-minutes becomes a habit, add another one
Eat healthy and make meals special - Stock up on your favorite wholesome foods that boost energy and keep you satisfied all day. Choose fresh fruits and veggies paired with low-fat dairy, eggs, nuts and lean meats, fish and poultry. Bake and cook your family's favorites and make time for evening dinners.
Reach out to your pals - Stay in touch with your friends who also exercise regularly and eat healthy. You will be less likely to order takeout and more likely to take your daily walk. Link up with an exercise buddy and keep looking for more friends who are into fitness.
Stay active from morning through night - Keep fitness in mind from the moment you get up until you relax at night. Take five-minute breaks every hour when you are working at your computer and build exercises into your mid-morning and afternoon breaks.
Get your whole family involved - Call a family meeting and figure out how everyone can exercise more. Join your kids' soccer or basketball practices. Walk with the senior members in your family and keep evenings active with less furniture and more sports equipment in the family room.
Activate your weekends - Plan to bike, camp out and take nature or wilderness walks. Also make room for work at home. Clean out the garage, trim the bushes and repaint and redecorate for the holidays.
Celebrate your successes - Start tracking your family's activities and reward weight lost and new activities added. Take pictures and hand out awards to keep everybody motivated.
When exercise becomes a daily habit for everyone, you will know you have made it.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Flower Mound, Tex.