Six fitness tips to get you in the pink of health, from head to toe
When you think of being fit, you probably think of six pack abs and a great tush. However, when you stop to think about it, fitness involves more than bodybuilding and those admirably well toned muscles you see in magazines and on TV. It's possible to have the image of health while not being what your doctor would call fit. If your body looks good, but you're unhappy, you're not really fit! You can be picture perfect, but anemic. On the other hand, you might have a poor self image, yet be physically fit as a fiddle! So the point here is that when you're looking to be fit, you want to have a holistic approach that addresses appearance, nutrition, mind and spirit. Let's take a look at some fitness tips that get you in the very best state of health.
Your state of mind and mental health play a primary role in true fitness. Most of us work too much and play too little for our own good. Sure, a good work ethic is a fine thing and should be developed. Have you ever heard anyone say, “You've got to work on your play ethics?” Probably not, yet many of us feel downright guilty at kicking back and doing something fun. Leisure time is important for a healthy, positive attitude towards life. A negative attitude can literally make you sick. For example, a major study, conducted in the 1940s, found that people who thought they would ultimately develop a major disease, such as cancer, eventually did! So, our all-over fitness tip here is, take time to relax, laugh and enjoy life! Your state of mind does affect your health.
Now, exercise is an essential fitness tip that we all know about. People who aren't really into a formal program of exercise come to think of this as a dreaded task. After a long day at the office, exercise may be the last thing you want to think about doing. Fifty sit-ups? Yuck! Jogging? Hey, it's raining! The trick to getting enough exercise is redefining it, according to your lights. Do you like to dance? Turn on some music and dance! On a recent daytime talk show, they showed a video of a middle aged woman who danced, while listening to music, as she did her daily chores, from vacuuming to hanging clothes on the clothes line. It was funny, but it was obvious she really enjoyed it. Do whatever you truly enjoy that gets your muscles working and your heart pumping. Your exercise need not be and shouldn't be, a grueling task!
One of the best fitness tips concerns those 6-8 glasses of water. Yep. If you dislike water, flavor it with lemon or pomegranate juice, but drink it. With all the environmental pollutants and food additives and preservatives, you accumulate a lot of toxins in a lifetime. Water helps flush these from your body, easing the toxin induced stress on all of your organs. If you really hate water, try a 'sports drink' that athletes are so fond of drinking.
Americans are notoriously fond of soda and sweets. Try to reduce your intake of sugar. This fitness tip may well save your life. Even if you don't develop full blown diabetes, excess sugar will mess up your pancreas, tax your liver and kidneys, ultimately landing you in a poor state of health. There's really no such thing as too little sugar in a balanced diet. Implement a gradual reduction of sugar. You'll find that mood swings disappear.
Most fitness tips you hear about focus on a low fat diet. Here, we say instead, watch the types of fats you consume. One of the healthiest fats you can use with abandon, is olive oil, which contains no cholesterol, trans fats, saturated fat or any of the bad stuff. Instead of using butter, try brushing a slice of bread with olive oil, then pile on some sliced olives, diced tomatoes and a little basil, Italian style. Your heart will thank you.
Good nutrition and a balanced diet work from the inside out to make you beautiful. Practiced over a lifetime, you can avoid many illnesses associated with aging.
The best fitness tips are just common sense. You don't need a personal trainer to be fit! To your best health!
