If you’re living an active lifestyle by hitting the gym 3 – 4 times a week, and walking 10K steps most days, you should be really proud of yourself – you’re definitely in the minority of Canadians!
Believe it or not, only 15% of us Canadians are getting in the 30-60 minutes of moderate physical activity that we need daily. Research shows this amount of activity helps reduce the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. It also helps lower BMI (Body Mass Index) and increases energy so you can enjoy your life to the maximum!
The benefits to an active lifestyle are endless; health and fitness can lead to:
- increased energy levels
- reduced body fat; increased strength and muscle tone in addition to increased cardiovascular health and endurance
- reduced risk of diseases
- improved mental health & clarity and reduced stress
- renewed confidence, self-esteem and motivation
- …and more!
Here are 3 ‘Active Lifestyle’ tips I share with people who begin working out with me:
1. Have fun.
Get on a program that motivates you. It may be a team sport or a fitness class, joining a gym, walking group, or even personal training. If you’re in the gym, be sure to insert exercises that you enjoy after a really hard, challenging move. Pushing yourself is important, but in order to stick with fitness for the long haul, you have to enjoy yourself to some degree.
2. Create accountability and build consistency for yourself.
Building out and sticking with a regular fitness routine is key. If you’re having problems fitting exercise into your daily routine, start by blocking off 15 minutes a day to get active and build up from there. The key times my clients are most successful with fitting in exercise are either immediately after waking up, during lunch or as soon as they leave work – before they get home. Figure out what time of day works best for you, block that time off in your calendars and stick to it!
3. If obstacles arise, reach out and ask for help.
If you’re having problems sticking to the routines you’ve built for yourself, you may want to work with a fitness professional. I build small, weekly goals for my clients building on their goals after seeing success. I hold my clients accountable through weekly tracking. If we hit an obstacle, we figure out how to break through that obstacle together. Having a coach to help guide you through your health and fitness journey, is sometimes what you need to get started.
In summary, there are many reasons to get active. Try focusing on fitness for 30-60 minutes a day and you will probably see pretty quickly that you are able to enjoy more life! A healthy life is what we all aspire to, isn’t it? Please share any comments you have have, I would love to hear from you.