Fitness Tips That CHANGED My Life For The Better

Do you feel like you are in a rush in losing weight or achieving your body goal? Starting a journey with fitness goals is never easy, and you must remember this is not a crash diet. It is a lifestyle. You may also find yourself giving up because crash diets are not sustainable. The best approach is to make simple changes to your daily habits over time.

Drink more water. With any diet the most important thing to remember is to stay hydrated. Drinking water will support your body with digestion, transporting nutrients to your bones and muscles and even improving cognitive function. Ideally you want to drink about half your body weight in ounces per day i.e. if you weigh 150 pounds you should drink 75 ounces of water a day.

Add some lemon and apple cider vinegar to your water. It is recommended we sleep for about eight hours a day, but this means we spend about eight hours per day dehydrated therefore hydrating your body first thing in the morning is absolutely necessary. The best way to achieve hydration is by starting your day with a glass or even two of water for that extra boost. Add lemon juice and half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. The lemon and apple cider vinegar will help your body detoxify, cleanse and digest.

Stop drinking your calories. Keeping hydrated is important but try to avoid high calorie drinks such as soft drinks especially coffee and juices as they are full of fast-acting sugar. Really push yourself to stop drinking such drinks and before you know it you will notice the benefits.

Start stretching more often. The benefits are vast and the repercussions of failing to stretch can be dramatic. Do yourself a favor and always stretch before and after a workout. This will promote a healthy cool down, improve flexibility and reduce next day aches. Failure to stretch can lead to injuries and muscle damage.

Add in some high intensity interval training. You may have heard about HIIT training. It works and should absolutely be included in your fitness goals. The benefits include lower body fat, increased stamina, leaner muscles and fantastic hormonal benefits. HIIT is where you perform an intense exercise for a very short time frame, about 30 seconds followed by a slower exercise for about 90 seconds. Performing a HIIT routine one to three times a week will lead to great results.

Focus on your breathing. When you work out for the most part, breathing is second nature but when exercising you may find yourself holding your breath and this can have negative consequences. It is important to consciously take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth as this will fill your lungs with oxygen and give you the necessary energy to continue your workout.

Build more lean muscle. We all want to have lean muscles. Not only does it look good but it also has great health benefits including improved posture, reduced body fat, improved metabolism, strong bones, protects and improves joint health and improved stamina.

Decrease body fat. This may seem like an obvious one but it is one of the most important steps to a healthier you. Reducing your body fat has a lot of benefits such as improved joints and tendons, lowered risk of diabetes, reduced risk of heart disease, reduced inflammation, better performance and endurance, improved appearance and confidence and better hormonal profiles in your body. Remember, it is not a race to see how quickly you can decrease your body fat. Healthy weight loss is around one to two pounds a week for your fitness goals. Crash dieting or pushing yourself too much in the gym can lead to you achieving an unrealistic target and you may find yourself gaining all the weight you have lost. Think of it as a lifestyle and take it slow and steady.

Eat more greens. What you eat is the most important factor in a healthier living plan. It is important to ensure you are getting as many nutrients and vitamins from the food you are eating as possible. Focus on dark leafy greens as they will provide you with a wide array of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants, all of which your body needs. Don't forget to avoid processed and manufactured food. They are usually high in fat and have minimal vitamins.

Start eliminating sugar. Another top goal you can start immediately is reducing the amount of sugar you consume. It also won't cost you anything and will save you money and improve your health in the long run. There's no surprise we eat too much sugar and this should be one of your top fitness goals moving forward. Cutting out liquid calories is a great way to start. If you're looking for something sweet, turn to fruits or even dark chocolate. Be careful to eliminate sugar from your diet slowly. Cutting it all out at once can cause symptoms of sugar withdrawal which can drive you back to sugary snacks.

Allow yourself to rest and recover. The workout is where you go to break down muscle tissue and it builds back through proper nutrition, rest and recovery. It might be tempting to go to the gym for two hours every day as hard as you can to achieve your goals, but that's not the most effective approach. If you don't allow for proper rest and recovery it can set you back a few steps. Your body is more prone to injury and even illness as you can weaken your immune system from all the progressive intensity the body is facing.

Get more sleep. When you are deprived of sleep, you make it next to impossible to achieve your health and fitness goals. Lack of sleep can increase stress hormones in your body and over time this can lead to inflammation and chronic diseases. Make sleep a priority to let your body heal and rejuvenate. A good approach is seven to eight hours. Allow yourself some wind-down time and a pre-bed routine to help get more consistent sleep every night.

Focus on the habit, not the result. It's easy to get caught up in trying to achieve a certain look or shed time off of your mile but the more important focus is on the habit that will bring you closer to those fitness goals. Don't look at the scale, the tape measure or the body fat percentage. Focus on the habits that will lead to those achievements. Don't compare yourself to where others are. You're right where you need to be.

Take your fitness outside. This may be hard depending on the weather you experience, but the more you can be outside exposed to fresh air and sunlight the better. Being stuck in the gym doing cardio while staring at a wall won't do much for your mental stimulation. Try to challenge your body more by getting outside. Hiking is great, and also running and walking. Give yourself more access to nature and a constantly changing environment. It also beats breathing in that recycle gym air.

Do at least one pull-up. This is a great last goal to focus on because it's a great test of strength and to see how you are progressing with your fitness. Doing at least one pull-up will not only show you how far you've progressed but it is a great way to become dedicated and motivated.