5 Ways You Can Stay Fit With Less Effort

Often, it is easy to ignore the blatant signs from your body telling you to change your lifestyle. When you get a little overweight, you dismiss it as holiday weight. Or when you're skin gets a little bad, you just blame it on the pollution. However, these are all indications for you to make some changes to how you live. 

Achieving at least an intermediate state of fitness should be part of each one of your goals. It is essential to follow a healthy lifestyle to continue to operate at a high level as you get older. It also has a significant impact on your mental health. 

It's also never too late to make changes to your lifestyle. Don't get disheartened if you don't see immediate results. You should trust the process. Small changes can make a big difference when followed for a long time. 

Below are a few changes you can implement into your daily routine to help you get healthier in the long run. 

Tracking calories

This isn't something just for gym freaks and professional athletes. Everyone can make use of tracking calories. Quite often, it is us ordinary folk who can benefit the most from tracking calories. 

By tracking calories, we eliminate the need for luck to reach our goals. If we want to lose weight, we stay in a caloric deficit, and if we want to gain weight, we do the opposite. Making the process organized makes it easier to follow. We can also set realistic goals and expectations instead of following some "hack" we found in a video. 

At the start tracking calories might be a bit cumbersome. But there are many apps and websites that help note down what you ate and calculate your calorie intake based on the portion size. You can make use of one of these apps to make the process easier. 

Staying in a particular calorie range will ensure you do not overeat or undereat. It also sets you up for success to reach your fitness goals. 

Intermittent fasting

In intermittent fasting, you only eat during a specific part of the day. You might only eat during an 8-hour window or you might just have a single meal throughout the day. 

Fasting is known to have many health benefits. It helps you to stay in a calorie deficit and thus helps you lose weight. It also helps regulate blood pressure and improve resting heart rates. 

I personally have included the 16:8 intermittent fasting into my lifestyle. I feel lighter, my brain functions better, and I have a much better quality of workouts. 

To start experimenting with different kinds of intermittent fasting you can start off with a 14:10 schedule. So you would eat for a 10-hour range throughout the day and fast for the rest. As you get accustomed to it you can try out other intermittent fasting routines like the 16:8. 

This is also something you can do for a few days in a week or even a month. In the long run, you will be able to get the benefits from fasting. 

Exercising regularly

There's no way to get around this. Diet can take care of 70–80% of our health. Exercise needs to take care of the rest 20%. The good news is that there isn't just one type of exercise. There are countless types to ensure that there is something for you. You need to put a little effort into finding something that you enjoy.

It is important to have a good mix of cardio and strength training. For cardio, there are so many options-walking, running, cycling, swimming, and sports. For strength training, the most common route taken is going to the gym. But there are also many other options like calisthenics, Zumba, boxing, etc.  

The point I'm trying to get across is that exercising doesn't have to be difficult. We can make the process easier by catering to our interests. 

For example, I enjoy running, cycling, and badminton, which helps me meet my cardio goals. I also enjoy going to the gym, which allows me to complete my strength goals. 

Well balanced diet

Photo by Travis Yewell on UnsplashThis is something that gets overlooked when you focus entirely on the number of calories. But quality is also very important. You can't expect to be healthy if your calorie intake comes completely from junk food like chips and can't snacks. 

A well-balanced diet ensures you receive all the essential nutrients. It helps you achieve your protein goal of at least 0.8 gm per kg of body weight. It also makes sure you obtain good portions of healthy fats and carbohydrates. Your diet also needs to have lots of fiber which has many other health benefits.

Eating a well-balanced diet and tracking your calories will help you reach your fitness goals smoothly with very little resistance. The best part is you will also have a good mental state when you eat healthy foods. 

It's hard to make a complete change in your diet all of a sudden. I would suggest slowly swapping out unhealthy items with healthy ones. The easier you make it to follow your diet, the more time you will follow the diet. Find healthy options that you enjoy and add them to your diet. 

Drink adequate water

Photo by Manki Kim on UnsplashThis is one of the most effortless changes you can make to your lifestyle and reap the benefits. Just by drinking adequate water throughout the day, you will see changes in your body. Staying hydrated will keep you energized and make it easier to complete daily tasks. 

Drinking water has tons of health benefits. It helps to regulate body temperature, aids in muscle repair and improves your skin. 

I've personally felt the benefits when I increased my water consumption to the recommended amount. I felt more active and was able to perform physical activities better. 

Final thoughts

With a few minor changes, you can positively impact your lifestyle. It is important to create a routine that is easy to follow. 

Getting fit and staying that way doesn't need to be complicated. You need to optimize all the above tips to meet your needs.