How to be fit and health

At this extreme moment, we began working from home, away from campus, and keeping social distance for as many

people as possible. As we stay home and are stuck with the foods that have been in our fridge or pantry for a while,

we are temporarily living a sedentary lifestyle with increased odds of physical inactivity, excessive eating and sitting,

stress, anxiety, and depression. In particular, many of us will gain some weight during the pandemic and may keep the

extra weight permanently, which may carry considerable health risks for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart attack,

stroke, and other health problems.

Here, I’d like to share some basic tips and resources for how to maintain your healthy lifestyle, body weight, and

overall well-being while staying home and engaging in social distancing.

Get the ultimate fit and health

Here are some tips to maintain fitness and health:

1. Exercise regularly: Incorporate both cardio and strength training exercises into your routine for overall fitness. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week.

2. Eat a balanced diet: Make sure to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins in your diet. Limit processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats.

3. Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water and limit sugary drinks to maintain good hydration levels.

4. Get enough sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night to help your body recover and function optimally.

5. Manage stress: Engage in activities that help you manage stress, such as meditation, yoga, or exercise.

6. Avoid harmful substances: Avoid tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption, and drugs to maintain good health.

7. Get regular check-ups: Visit your doctor regularly for check-ups and screenings to catch any potential health problems early.

Get the ultimate fit and health

Remember, it's important to listen to your body and find a balance that works for you.

More and more research is showing that the key to lifelong good health is what experts call “lifestyle medicine” — making simple changes in diet, exercise, and stress management. To help you turn that knowledge into results, we’ve put together this manageable list of healthier lifestyle tips to help inform others how to have a healthy body!

We asked three experts — a naturopathic physician, a dietitian, and a personal trainer — to tell us the top five simple-but-significant lifestyle-medicine changes they recommend to improve your health and start living a healthier lifestyle.

Besides giving you three different takes on how to pick your health battles, this list gives you choices you can make without being whisked off to a reality-show fat farm — or buying a second freezer for those calorie-controlled, pre-portioned frozen meals. Read on to discover ways to live healthier.

A PHYSICAL THERAPIST AND OWNER OF Z-LINE TRAINING IN DENVER, COLORADO, OFFERING REHABILITATION, PERSONAL TRAINING, PILATES INSTRUCTION, MOTIVATIONAL INJURY-PREVENTION SEMINARS, EMPLOYEE FITNESS PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, AND CUSTOM FOOT ORTHOTICS CASTING.

1. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK

“I spend countless hours doing cardio and never seem to lose that last ten pounds!” is a common complaint I hear from clients. Give yourself permission to shorten your workout. Believe it or not, overtraining could be the problem. Your body can plateau if not given adequate rest to restore itself, ultimately leading to a decline in performance. Fatigue, moodiness, lack of enthusiasm, depression, and increased cortisol (the “stress” hormone) are some hallmarks of overtraining syndrome. Creating a periodization program — breaking up your routine into various training modes — can help prevent overtraining by building rest phases into your regimen. For example, you might weight train on Monday and Wednesday, cycle on Tuesday and Thursday, run on Friday and rest on Saturday and Sunday. You can also help balance your program by simply incorporating more variety.

2. THINK SMALL

Often the biggest deterrent to improving health is feeling overwhelmed by all the available advice and research. Try to focus first on one small, seemingly inconsequential, unhealthy habit and turn it into a healthy, positive habit. If you’re in the habit of eating as soon as you get home at night, instead, keep walking shoes in the garage or entryway and take a quick spin around the block before going inside. If you have a can of soda at lunchtime every day, have a glass of water two days a week instead. Starting with small, painless changes helps establish the mentality that healthy change is not necessarily painful change. It’s easy to build from here by adding more healthy substitutions.

3. KEEP GOOD COMPANY

You can do all the right things — but if you have personal relationships with people who have unhealthy habits, it is often an uphill battle. The healthiest people are those who have relationships with other healthy people. Get your family or friends involved with you when you walk or plan healthier meals. Making healthy changes with a loved one can bring you closer together as well as motivate you.

4. MAKE A LIST…AND CHECK IT TWICE

Take a few minutes and write down all the reasons you can’t begin an exercise program. Then look at the basis of each reason. For instance, if you wrote, “No time” as one of your reasons, then perhaps that’s based on a belief that an exercise program takes a lot of time. Starting with even five minutes a day will have a positive effect because you will have created a healthy habit where one didn’t exist before, and that’s a powerful mental adjustment. A closer look at your list will expose those false beliefs hiding behind each excuse.

5. SIGN UP FOR AN EVENT

Let’s face it, exercising just for the sake of exercising or losing weight can get boring. Spice things up by signing up for an event like a run/walk race or a cycling ride where you can be part of a team. Doing so gives your workouts a new purpose, and it’s fun to be around others who are exercising just like you — not to mention that most events benefit nonprofit organizations, which doubles your feel-good high.

Get the ultimate fit and health