Anyone who lives an overloaded lifestyle can understand that all to often the first thing to get left behind is our well being. I tend to do a whole lot of focus on the mental aspect of this, keeping our sanity. However, just like many others, I generally struggle with treating my body how I should. I am only at the beginning of my journey, but I’ve learned some tips and tricks that can benefit us all!
First and foremost, it is imperative to track yourself. There are countless ways to accomplish this. It can be simple as keeping a food and/or activity log in a notebook, or advanced as using a high tech watch that monitors throughout the day. For those who choose to fall somewhere in the middle, there are numerous and free apps available to download right onto your phone. While this step is easy to quickly dismiss as unimportant, it can get you on a fast track to where you want to be. Many of us have extremely poor diets for one reason or another. Some students over eat while others don’t take in nearly enough. At the same time, we may be eating the perfect amount of food, but is it full of the vital nutrition our bodies need? Keeping track of these details in some way can open your eyes to something you were oblivious to! Additionally, hen we see which foods really jack up our allotted calories for the day, it may curb the want for those particular items.
Never stop planning! Whether it’s food or exercise, having a plan of action for how we want things to go can make the difference between staying on track or never getting on to begin with. I just highlighted how important the things we put into our bodies are. It’s always easier to pick up a less-than healthy choice than make a salad when on the go. We can’t expect the world to accommodate with our newfound healthy decisions, therefore, preparation has to happen. Take one day of each week to cook and portion things out. Have a good balance of options both with and without refrigeration in case you need a meal on the go. Planning certainly doesn’t stop at food. Schedules are never empty, if they were then all of this would be easy. Time needs to be set aside for when workouts can be crammed in. The time slot needs to be established, but so does the exercise! Not necessarily down to each push-up or lap, but have a general idea of what your fitness goals are before you get started. It makes it just slightly more difficult to skip out on a planned workout in comparison to the vague idea of some exercise.
Find other ways to hold yourself accountable. Keeping track of what you consume and your fitness levels will make a huge difference in your fitness. Unfortunately, there is nothing to prevent us from having lazy days, off days, busy days, pain-filled days. Each day is different and the only consistency for us to count on is the inevitable challenges we know will arise. You have to find the accountability plan that will work for you. Some choose to workout in groups, others create Facebook pages with daily posts of encouragement, and people can also make a competition out of it! What is a must for all of us to remember in the accountability process is that while we want to make each other feel responsible for workouts and nutrition, we are all human! Sure rigid diets and high intensity workouts twice a day can be done as a quick belly blaster, but is it a lifestyle? For some, yes! This is where we must acknowledge that we are all vastly different and require different steps to get where we want to be. Stick to your plan, but if you mess up, just know that you can still make it to where you want to be.
It’s in our nature to strive for improvement. Sometimes it can seem too big if it’s something we are unfamiliar with. Most importantly, we never give up.
HXCO!