First steps to fitness

Physical fitness is a must to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. So, what is fitness? It is the ability of the body to perform physical activities, without added stress. Many elements contribute to the overall fitness levels of the body such as muscular strength, aerobic fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance and body composition. A good fitness program should have all these components, in a balanced manner so that you can achieve, complete fitness. A high fitness level helps you to gain complete control over the workings of your body.

Understanding the few basics of fitness mentioned below, will help you achieve better success in your endeavor:

Enjoy Exercising

If you do not enjoy a particular thing, you surely cannot gain anything from it. Hence, you should have fun while you are on your fitness routine. If a particular exercise bores you, drop it and ask your trainer to come up with some other options. You can even start with hiking, power lifting, yoga and trapeze or join a running club. Pick up something that motivates you to do more.

Set your Goals

Whether you need to lose few pounds to fit into a particular dress, or you want to add lean muscles to boost up your metabolism; you should have set guidelines. Chalk out a plan about how you are going to achieve this goal. By following the plan meticulously, you can easily reach the goal.

Drink Adequate Water

Everyone knows that you need to drink eight glasses of water every day, and yet, many of us do not follow it seriously, despite the knowledge. Again, this is also important because your body can easily mistake thirst as hunger; and as a result you end up eating more than what your body needs. This way, you just pile on more calories and are left dehydrated.

Add more protein to your diet

Although protein requirements vary from person to person, one should include adequate amounts of protein in the everyday diet, to build the body’s lean muscles. At least one gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight every day is the basic ratio for protein intake. You can divide this intake into three to four meals. A diet rich in proteins, makes you feel fuller for a longer time and also fuels your muscles after your workout sessions. You can also add protein supplements to your diet such as fish oil tablets and so on.

Increase your Greens

Adding vegetables to your meals increases their nutritional value. Veggies add vitamins, antioxidants, fiber and minerals to your diet and also help you feel fuller for a longer duration. Merely following a disciplined exercise routine is not going to make you achieve your goal. You need to balance both your diet and your exercise to reach it.

Be Prepared

You do not know when the hunger pangs will strike! Hence, whenever you go out, always pack a snack and carry it along with you. This will help you resist the temptation of stopping at a food joint and binging on junk food, when hungry. Always keep healthy snacks at home, so that you never end up eating the wrong type of food.

Sleep Well

Sleeping well is very important as you actually lose weight and develop muscles, during the sleep. Your body recovers during sleep; so, if you want to start another day with 100 percent energy and vigor, you need to sleep for at least six to eight hours.

Discipline and commitment are the two things that can help you get the body of your dreams and maximize your fitness level.