Even though spring break may be around the corner, it’s not too late to get fit and be all-around healthier! There’s no better time than the present, so whether you want to tone your body for summer, make more nutritious eating choices, or improve your overall lifestyle and well-being, there are plenty of different ways to workout and get fit without spending all your time at the gym and eating nothing but salad for every meal.
Know your goal – and motivate yourself to stick to it
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Whatever you’re looking to do, whether it be to lose weight, tone your muscles, or get stronger, you need to fully commit to what you want to do. Sure, anyone can say they want to work out more, but unless you actually do it and put in real effort— you’re not going to get anywhere. Think “slacktivism”, but in regards to working out. If the drive and passion to change isn’t there, neither will you be when it comes to sticking to your plan.
Take Progress Pics!
It may sound silly, but many find it helpful to see their progression this way. Not only will it help you view yourself more positively as you see the progression of a healthier lifestyle, it’s essentially like a reward to yourself to see how far you’ve come. Even a week or two of committed workouts and healthier eating choices can make a difference, and no matter what your goal is, you should feel proud of yourself for putting in the work to live a healthier lifestyle.
Look up what you want to work on
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Do you want to work on your abs? Legs? Arms? Overall cardio? There are many short circuit workouts that don’t require any equipment that heavily target certain areas and burn calories through repetition. It’s easy to find them on YouTube or online, and many are as short as 10 minutes, so they’re easy to incorporate into your everyday routine. Remember to schedule your workouts in when you can; you’ll find it easier to stick to your workouts when they’re planned for certain days of the week, and short workouts can be squeezed in or moved around if life gets in the way.
Compile a workout schedule – and focus on variety
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While it’s important to target certain areas heavily when you want to get fit, it’s also important not to overdo it, especially because if you only do one type of workout, your muscles will only tone/strengthen so much until they get used to the routine. Doing alternating workouts and changing up your routine day to day will help you get the most out of your workouts, because you’ll be targeting different areas and continue to challenge yourself. Maybe one day you want to focus on cardio, another day you’ll focus on arm and leg strength, the next day a different cardio workout and some abs, etc. Working out 4-5 times a week will give you the best results, especially if you stick to it.
Don’t make excuses – keep your goal in mind
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One of the easiest things to do is excuse yourself from working out, but teaching yourself not to make excuses for not working out can apply directly to your lifestyle. If you want to become more fit, it is important to be able to fit that into your lifestyle – which sometimes means waking up a bit earlier, or doing as much homework as you can so that you’re not pushing off the gym because you’re swamped with work. If you’re really passionate about getting fit, the rest of your routine should reflect it too. It’s not just about looking and feeling better, but working out is important to your health and can also lead to less stress. Especially if you’re only working out for 10-30 minutes a day, it’s up to you to make room for that so it’s not an added stress on your life.
Make better eating choices
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It’s no secret that eating healthier can help you lose weight and achieve a more fit physique, so if that is something you’re striving for this spring, consider eating a bit healthier. This (thankfully) doesn’t have to mean heavy dieting, or religiously eating salad. It’s not nearly as difficult as you think, but it’s important to be conscious of what you’re ingesting. Focus on low-carbs and high protein; less bread and pasta and more meat, beans, etc. It sounds daunting, but it also doesn’t mean you have to cut out food groups completely. It’s all about minimizing your intake – little to no fast food, fewer sweets and unhealthy snacks and limited pasta to once or twice a week will already help you see a difference. Just be conscious!
Getting fit isn’t something that happens overnight, but if you really stick to it, it can happen sooner than you think. It really is a lifestyle that you can easily integrate into you life, with different levels of devotion to working out and eating healthier that can best suit your lifestyle. To some degree, if you really want to live a more fit life, it is something that is possible for everyone. There is no limit to what you can do, and even without a gym or even weights, you can do a lot just with your own body weight. It’s never too early or too late, and if you really want it, go for it. The only person stopping you is you!
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