This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNCW chapter.
Walking into the perfectly polished rooms where squats and bench presses are being performed can be intimidating. What’s also difficult to manage are the overwhelming amounts of greens, reds, yellows and oranges all lined up to choose from in the “healthy food” deemed sections of grocery stores. New Year’s resolutions are currently kicked into high speed, which help explains the overcrowding populations in the weight rooms, and in the produce section of the grocery stores.
Whether you are trying to get into shape before its bikini season, or working on cleansing your body from habits that you dislike, the gym can be an intimidating place and eating healthy is a struggle for many people to maintain. Multiple reasons hinder us from going to the gym. One of which is that it is difficult to choose what to do with all of the options of workouts and equipment, but doing a little research will calm that state of panic. Googling workouts that concentrate on specific body parts, or total body workouts will help narrow down your options so that you will have a list of exercises to perform.
According to ChooseMyPlate.gov, adults need a minimum of two-and-a-half hours of moderate aerobic physical activity or one hour and 15 minutes of intense aerobic activity a week. And it is said that this may be best over a span of three days a week. According to ChooseMyPlate.gov, it is crucial to include at least two days of strengthening exercises, as well. Strengthening exercises include, push-ups, lifting weights and sit-ups.
However, if it is a struggle to make your own workout plan, UNCW offers students group exercise classes. These classes are great because they are free to attend, the instructors make them enjoyable and fun, and there is a wide variety of classes to go to, such as cycling or power yoga. Being in a group situation helps you feel like you are not the only person in the room trying to accomplish a workout, which can boost your motivation to get to the gym.
Along with working out to achieve your New Year’s resolution goals, it is important to remember to keep up a healthy diet in order to have an active and energized body. Eating the right kinds of foods is just as important as exercising and many people forget to incorporate the benefits of nutrient rich foods into the process of attaining a fitter body. In order to find out about eating habits that are healthful it is also necessary to do some research.
ChooseMyPlate.gov is a legitimate source that can be used to help decide on the proper proportions of food you should be consuming, but the site also has plenty of articles to help discover options for healthful eating. This website describes the five food groups that should be eaten daily (fruits, vegetables, grains, protein
and dairy products) and provides information on examples of the proportions and types of foods in these categories.
Remember that the maintenance to exercise and maintain a nutrient rich diet includes a sufficient amount of mental motivation–powering through the first couple of months is the hardest part. But over time, practicing these habitually will become easier to uphold and achieving the goal you hope to reach will be extremely satisfying in the end.