It’s Never Late, Challenge Yourself and Make Some Sensible Fitness Goals

How to Challenge Yourself and Make Some Sensible Fitness Goals

If your fitness goals are’t realistic enough the diet boredom and tough exercise regime will make it impossible for you to carry your decision for long.

How to Challenge Yourself and Make Some Sensible Fitness Goals

How to Challenge Yourself and Make Some Sensible Fitness Goals

Let us make some smart, sensible and achievable fitness goals this year.

Realistic, healthy decisions you need to make

Stay Hydrated-

It is recommended that females should drink 2.7 liters of water and men 3.7 liters of water every day. However, the general recommendation may vary depending on temperature, physical activity, any health issue and specific medication.

Stay hydrated

Stay hydrated

Proper hydration is essential to detox the body and proper functioning of liver and kidney. It also promotes digestion. The best way to detox your body is to have a glass of lukewarm water every morning empty stomach. Drink water every time you empty your bladder and also half an hour before meals.

Eat pre-biotics-

Pre-biotics stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the intestines that promotes digestion. Prebiotics encourage the absorption of calcium and maintains bone health. By rendering satiety, pre-biotics refrain you to munch extra calories. A few examples pre-biotics foods are whole wheat, banana, soybeans, garlic, onion, dandelion leaves and asparagus. Yoghurt is a probiotic. Go for fat-free Greek yoghurt.

Eat 3-4 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each-

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and are low in calories. Focus more on whole fruit rather on fruit juices. Eat seasonal fruits to subside your sugar cravings.

Eat 3-4 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each

Eat 3-4 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each

Mashed banana on your bread can be a better alternative to jam or mayonnaise spread. Instead of chocolate shake have Banana, papaya or apple shake. You can have banana and egg pancakes or apple pie as dessert instead of icecreams and sweets. Swap a bowl of instant noodles, pasta or chips with a bowl of vegetable or fruit salad. Consume baked, grilled or boiled vegetables.

Minimize intake of pro-inflammatory foods-

Have a meal with limited sugar, fats, salt and processed foods as they promote systemic inflammation and over the time leads to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Focus more on anti-inflammatory foods such as nuts, whole grains, citrus fruits, and vegetables.

Consider healthy food swapping-

I am not saying to entirely ban your favourite foods but swap them with healthy choices. Instead of regular pasta, you can have whole grain pasta. Choose brown rice over white rice. Prefer oats, daliya, roti and brown bread over white bread.Choose jaggary and honey over refined sugar. Instead of fried foods eat grilled, poached, stemmed and roasted food.

Mindful eating-

Eating and talking on mobile phones, watching TV, working on laptops are distractions that tends you to overeat. Practice mindful eating, pay attention to what you eat Chew your food properly before swallowing. Enjoy your food.

Eat less but more often-

Instead of 3 big meals have six small meals to promote metabolism and energy level, control the blood sugar level and starves off hunger. Small but frequent meals encourage our body to burn extra fat.

Do not skip any meal especially breakfast-

Skipping meals is the worst thing to do. When you skip a meal, your body goes into conservative mode. Metabolism slows down. You crave for food and tend to overeat later. Eventually, you gain weight, and it becomes hard to lose weight.

Get enough sleep-

Do you know you are likely to gain weight if you are short on sleep. Deprived of sleep your brain becomes dull. The brain gets its energy from carbohydrates. In need of energy, sleep denied brain increases craving for high carbohydrate and energy-dense food.

Get enough sleep

Get enough sleep

Sound 7-8 hours sleep is nutrition for our brain and ensures a strong immune system, maintains an ideal weight, improves mood, temper and concentration.

Be physically active-

Regular physical activity magically improves the quality of your life Some of the fitness activity choices that do not require equipment are cycling brisk walk, run, jog, skip, swim anything. You may even join a yoga or aerobic classes. Try to devote 30 minutes of your everyday life to physical activity you enjoy. If your schedule is so tight that you cant spare even 30 minutes, try walking or cycling to your workplace.

Climb stairs-

This is a small change that you can make in your daily life. Instead of the elevator or lift go for stairs. It’s a great way to strengthen the core muscles, burn belly fat and tone up your body. Run up the stairs, take a break if needed. But make sure never to run down the stairs to prevent accidents.

Climbing stairs an exercise for which you don’t have to steal extra time from your busy schedule or spend money. Being low impact climbing stairs is safe for your knees.

Mind full shopping-

when you buy edibles read the label of every food items correctly. Select the food that is low in fat, salt and refined sugar.

Mind full shopping

Mind full shopping

Better start with one change at a time and then continue to add healthy choices. I am pretty sure you will succeed in completing your fitness goal this year.

Dr. Ritu Kumari Gupta
Dr. Ritu Kumari Gupta:  Professionally a homeopathic doctor and a dietician Dr. Ritu Kumari Gupta is passionate about writing health and parenting blogs. She believes in holistic approach towards health and well being.