One Step At A Time

Change is always hard to do. If you’ve always been sedentary, increasing your activity level is difficult. If your diet is full of products with added sugar, eating healthy may seem impossible. Getting fit can be a challenge for anyone. You make it easier by taking one step at a time. Even small changes make a difference. Create a plan of action and include your ultimate goal. Then start taking baby steps to reach that goal. Eventually, you’ll see big changes that make a difference in your fitness.

Start by walking more.

Find ways to increase your activity level. Take a sack lunch and go for a walk. Eat your lunch at a park or on a street bench. Relax and enjoy the scenery and walk back to work. You can judge how long it takes you and adjust your distance daily or do an extra lap around the block if you’re back at your work building ahead of time. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or park further from the store. You can increase your speed, add extra minutes to your walk, or carry weights. Once you’ve conquered walking, add other exercises.

Cut out food with added sugar.

It’s difficult to do, so you might start by cutting out snacks with added sugar. Instead of eating donuts as a mid-morning snack, eat fruit or nuts. Once you conquer snacking, start reading labels and eliminate food with added sugar. You’ll be surprised at how many foods do. Condiments like salad dressing might be surprising. White bread and crackers are two others. Read labels and try to eat more whole foods that have less processing.

Get more sleep and drink more water.

Your body heals, and your brain reorganizes when you sleep. If you lack sleep, you won’t have the energy required to be more active. Your body will also produce more hunger hormones and fewer hormones that make you feel full. Creating a sleep schedule can help. Increasing your intake of water and staying hydrated also helps. You’ll feel better and have more energy when you’re fully hydrated. If you don’t like plain water, make infused water.

• If you drink coffee or tea with sugar or cream, learn to appreciate it au naturel. If you drink fancy coffees, you’ll save hundreds of calories every month and eliminate a lot of inflammation-causing sugar.
• Eat slower and enjoy each bite. Adopt a process called mindful eating. You chew each bite until it’s all liquid, noting the taste and texture as you do. It slows eating down so the stomach has time to tell the brain it’s full, so you eat less.
• If you want to lose weight, change the time when you eat. Try intermittent fasting. You eat within an eight-hour window and fast the rest of the time. You might start at 10 a.m. and finish at 6 p.m.
• Learn relaxation techniques. Stress is a killer. It can cause weight gain, especially on the belly. It can cause inflammation that leads to chronic health conditions. Learning techniques like meditation or deep breathing helps.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio