5 Amazing Ways to Achieve your Fitness and Health Goals

It's an alarming reality that a lot of people today are experiencing a lot of diseases, even at such a young age. People aged 18 or even lower than that age are already developing heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems, etc. that would all be diseases for older people. The reason for this trend is that more and more people are living sedentary lifestyles. These lifestyles lead to people becoming excessively overweight or obese.

A statistic shows that there are 160 million Americans that are obese. When people are obese, metabolic diseases such as diabetes develop. Diabetes is a debilitating condition that affects how the body reacts to insulin, an important hormone that allows your body to use glucose and carbs for energy. It also makes it harder for the body to produce insulin.

Diabetes, if left untreated, elevates the sugar in your blood and urine. It also causes wounds to heal longer. In fact, people with diabetes often end up getting their foot amputated from wounds that seem to never heal. It's sad to see that people that are in their early 20's or 30's have this dreaded disease.

To stay away from diabetes and other terrible conditions, it's best that you lead a healthy lifestyle. Doctors and health experts will agree, that small, gradually increasing changes in your routine is enough to keep you healthy. Here are some tips that'll help you stay healthy:

Consult Your Physician

Talking with your doctor is an excellent way to start being healthy. By having a consultation, you'll get to see the current status and health of your body. You'll also get an idea of how much you can do during workouts.

Your doctor should also know about any pre-existing conditions you might have that can alter the way you sleep, eat, and exercise. Once you have an idea about all those essential things, you can start your routine immediately.

Setting Goals

Now that you're cleared to work out, you should set your goals. Of course, keep it realistic so you won't end up disappointing yourself. However, experts do want you to keep your goals high, so you'll work twice as hard. Whatever you choose, always know that it takes time to get there. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a healthy and fit body.

It's expected that you'll face a lot of challenges along the way. If you want to attain your goal, do everything you can to continue. If at some point, you feel like giving up, think of the reason why you started. Know that you're doing yourself and all the important people around you who are rooting for your success.

Working Out Properly

When you want to work out, it's best that you go to a gym where they have instructors that can help you with your goals. Instructors can provide you with a program that's tailored to your needs. He or she can also monitor your progress so you can better concentrate on your workouts. If you want to exercise at home or if you want to do it alone, you can also ask for some friendly advice.

Sometimes, people often workout without knowing that they're doing something wrong. Instead of developing stronger muscles, losing weight, and looking good, they often end up with injuries that take long to heal. To prevent that, you should work out the right way. A balanced workout involves pre-workouts, the main exercises, and cool-down sessions.

For a look at awesome workouts and top pre-workouts reviews, you can go to sites online or ask your gym instructor about what you should and shouldn't do. Always take note that these people are professionals and are more than willing to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Food and Water

Now that you're working out, you'll need lots of energy to keep working out. You mostly get that energy from the food you eat. However, the food you eat also depends on what goals you're trying to reach. For example, if you want to lose weight while working out, eat fresh eggs, avocados, berries, lean meats, whole grains, and fat-free greek yogurt.

It's also best to add foods rich in vitamin c to help you burn faster and build up resistance to common illnesses such as flu and colds. For those who want to gain muscle, eating food high in protein is ideal.

Although eating is essential, drinking water is just as crucial. Water helps your body replenish lost fluids through sweat and urine. Don't opt for sports drinks as these can contain high sugar which can ruin your progress. If you do feel the need to drink these types of drinks, keep it to a minimum and work harder.

Stay away from excessive alcohol, sodas, and other excessively sweet drinks. Instead of going for canned juices, go for freshly squeezed fruit juices and drink them with water afterwards. Don't stick to 8 glasses of water per day. Drink as much as you need to. When working out, you lose more fluids than the 8 glasses can provide.

Getting Rest

Always allow yourself to rest when you workout. Sleep is essential for the body to recuperate from a long day's work. It helps regenerate any damaged tissues you get when working out. Sleeping with the right hours and quality makes you feel more energized, making you eager to hit the gym.

If you don't get enough sleep and continue working out, your body can respond in a lot of negative ways. For one, working out while not having sleep can elevate your blood pressure and heart rates to dangerous levels. Muscles in the body also won't heal properly if you don't sleep. Instead of building muscle mass, your muscles shrink or become "emaciated."

You should also go for rest periods. Rest periods are typically a few days of staying away from strenuous activities. Use these few days to yourself. Of course, avoid harmful habits such as overeating and excessive drinking while you're on your rest periods.

Bonus Tip:

As a bonus, here's one more tip to help you become healthier. Do note that even without this step, you’ll still get a healthy and fit body. However, maintaining a healthy body is just as difficult as getting one. This reason is why we should always consider this last and final step:

Staying Positive and Mentally Fit

Staying fit and healthy is indeed tough work. However, the rewards you'll get are worth the trouble. By just eating healthy, working out regularly, and sleeping well, you can easily attain your fitness goals. However, also keep in mind that your mental well being is just as important as your physical health.

When doing a strict weight loss program or exercise routine, you're bound to have some failures along the way. When that happens, always have a positive outlook on your progress. Don't let the negativity get to you. Instead of sulking down, use the negativity as motivation and positive reinforcement so you can plough through the next obstacles you meet on your way to your fitness and health goals.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.