This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Waterloo chapter.
When it comes to finding motivation to get into a healthy lifestyle, many often find difficulty in where to start, from finding Youtube videos to having your own home gym. There are many ways to get fit and enjoy the outdoors. Here are some tips for you to engage in a better lifestyle regime this summer.
- Make use of the outdoor spaces near you, whether it is a park or a local neighbourhood. I always wake up early in the morning, right before sunrise, in order to get in my daily steps and enjoy the beauty that Mother Nature provides us with.
- Meditation is another great way to destress. You can easily incorporate this during your morning walks as a break, or to release tension. By bringing alongside your yoga mat and water bottle, you can embrace nature and the refreshing air. Oxygen helps regulate our bodily functions and clarifies our thoughts. I often go to my nearby pond to do my meditations for 10-15 minutes everyday.
- To ensure you are accountable for your lifestyle changes, incorporating technology to track your health can be useful. Fitness trackers like Fitbits, smart watches and Samsung Active Gear are user-friendly, and can be customized according to your personal fitness goals. I recently invested in a Samsung Active Fit Watch, which helps track my sleep, water intake, steps, calories burned, overall stress, and heart rate. Additionally, I am able to customize the design of the watch interface. Along with the tracker, I also bought the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro to help motivate me during my fitness sessions. These wireless headphones are noise-cancelling; they are also adjustable to voice recognition and surrounding noise. They are Bluetooth-enabled and can easily be recharged with a portable case. These earbuds are able to keep me focused whenever I exercise. While you walk, you can listen to podcasts or jam to your favourite tunes. Meditation apps like Headspace and Calm have been helpful for me to destress and relax before heading to bed.
- Lastly, the fun part of fitness exercises is that they are customizable according to your personal goals. If you love jamming to tunes, dancing can be a fun way to burn calories while listening to your favourite music. One suggestion is to launch YouTube and choose a fitness channel that incorporates music according to your taste. If you love watching fitness vlogs and routines, find motivational instructors and personal trainers who know proper form and feature timers in their videos. This can drive you to complete all of the sets in particular exercises. For more cardio-based exercises, I like to do kickboxing and Zumba dances. I usually follow MadFit, TML Crew, and Marlon Alves. On the other hand, for strength training, I use small weights and an abdominal roller while following YouTube fitness gurus’ routines, such as Linda Sun, MadFit, Pamela Reif and Blogilates.