The Dangers of Inactivity and How to Change Your Lifestyle Today
Inactivity can lower your immune system, cause you to burn less calories, and promote poor blood circulation. It can also put you at risk for chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and even osteoporosis.
But you can turn it around and change your lifestyle today with the following tips.
Balanced Diet
Begin by committing yourself to eating a balanced diet as you cut out fast foods, junk foods, and other unhealthy foods that contribute nothing to health. Eat less sugar and simple carbs while including more high-quality proteins, fruits, and lightly cooked or raw vegetables. Diet is half the battle to succeed at fitness or weight loss.
The benefits of a balanced diet go beyond weight loss. Eating healthier foods greatly lessens the risks of metabolic syndrome and other diseases. But it will also provide you with more energy so you can get off the couch and get moving. As you move more with exercise, your energy will increase even more and a healthy diet will help you see the benefits of your hard work even sooner.
How to Become More Active
If you have been inactive but want to begin moving today, begin with activities that are easier for you to stick with. Walking for weight loss is one of the quickest ways to begin, and is doable for just about any fitness level. Tailor your walk to your comfort level and then push yourself slightly more each time.
For some, the challenge is simply to begin while others may be used to walking but need to challenge themselves to walk for longer or faster.
Set easy goals for yourself and use a fitness app like Yes.Fit to keep track of your walks and your progress. Those who track their progress are more likely to reach their goals. This is a motivational technique to help you recognize that your hard work is paying off. An app like Yes.Fit includes many interesting and fun virtual races that you can walk at your own pace. The goal is to complete the races to win trophies and personal challenges, while striving to push yourself just a little more each time.
Fitness Challenges
Fitness challenges are another way to turn your inactive lifestyle into an active one. Yes.Fit has challenges for beginning yoga, a sit-up challenge and even one for couch potatoes to get moving from sitting to completing a 5k challenge. Challenges are a fun way to learn to set fitness goals and follow through with them. They are easy enough to get started and tough enough to challenge.
Beginning an exercise routine may sound daunting for those who are not used to exercising. But following some simple rules can help you get started and stick with it.
- Begin with short workout routines of just 20 -30 minutes so you don’t feel overwhelmed
- Stick with your short workouts to ensure you don’t run out of time and only increase your time when you are comfortable
- Include fitness challenges that have a set time, like 14 days or as long as 42 days, so you can monitor your progress
- Keep track of your progress because it can keep you motivated
- If eating healthy is difficult for you, begin by adding fresh vegetables to each meal or commit to at least 1-2 healthy meals each day
- Include a protein drink each day for energy
You can do this.
Inactivity not only leads to sickness, but can greatly reduce the quality of your life. But getting up and moving can increase your enjoyment of life as you gain energy and self-esteem.
