The Importance of Staying Fit

Your body doesn't have to undergo aches and pains your friends and co-workers talk about every time you see them. Instead, you can experience new life with your body and perpetuate a feeling of being free and happy with your health! Getting moving and finding new ways to enjoy yourself from day to day will get you half way there-dull routines are not going to keep you consistent with your goal as will an energetic outlook on life. For some inspiration, avoid the gym and spend the time in a peaceful outdoor atmosphere with lots of sun and fresh air if you are in the mood for a new perspective.

The natural route to weight loss

Weight loss controversy is on the news, in magazines and television yet it is mostly a side effect of negative choices and poor eating habits. Emotional eating, binge eating and going many hours without eating at all hurts your metabolism over time which causes weight gain. Depression, fears and other emotional problems cause people to put on weight in strange places and even with diet and exercise it is hard to get off. So then why is weight considered the enemy when it is only a side effect of poor behaviors? The natural route to losing weight is to stop focusing on it so much and be healthy to be healthy.

Hidden reasons for weight gain

The following reasons for gaining weight are usually just overlooked-you might not even be that overweight but still realize some of these bad habits as the “missing link” for your fitness problems. Doing all the workouts and eating healthy but still not getting the body you work for? Maybe you are working too hard! Studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep (at least 7 hours a night) tend to eat more than they would if they got more sleep. They eat more on average than people who get more sleep than them. The reason? They need food to provide energy and repair cells that sleep did not provide.

Not resting enough

Your rest is so important to your overall fitness that is it up there with drinking enough water and staying clear of junk food. You NEED rest! A lot of people who work a lot or like to focus on hobbies or other high energy activities don’t even know they are tired until they sit down! Have you ever heard that if you are thirsty it means you are already dehydrated? Well, with sleep the same rule can apply. This doesn’t mean you should be lying around the house all day and not getting exercise-it simply means that when you do get it you should get quality time in for yourself instead of running yourself ragged.

Confusing thirst with hunger

I know this sounds weird, but eating when you are hungry is something that some people do subconsciously. There is water content in some foods but unfortunately, eating it just makes you more dehydrated. This is something you are going to really want to avoid because eating when you are thirsty is counterproductive to a balanced body. The human body is hardwired to eat as much as it can to protect itself from famine. Since there is no risk for famine, this survival trait often works against people with these thrifty genes and confuses one need with another.

Drinking when you are hungry

When your body wants food, it won’t do to “supplement” it with sugary energy drinks and candy bars. Your metabolism will fail to operate efficiently over time and this results in it holding onto calories and storing them as though your body is starving. That’s because it is! Eat at least two solid meals a day and don’t go on protein shakes and other liquid diets unless you have taken a few years to transition into them. There is a lot of talk about liquid diets and meal replacements in bar and powder forms. But are they good for you? Usually they are mostly sugar and soy oil. That is certainly not the kind of thing that is going to keep you fit.

Forgetting to breathe

Breathing burns calories. When you sleep, your breathing is much deeper than it is when you are awake. Breathing exercise will burn fat and tone your organs better than any exercise you can find. I love the feeling I get from breathing deeply and naturally. When you are practicing conscious breathing, you are making every breath a part of you. Breathing is supposed to work in harmony with your natural rhythms and not hurt or feel uncomfortable. Chest breathing is a shallow form of breathing and it doesn’t burn calories or encourage your body to expel toxins like sophisticated breathing techniques do.

Stressing about life

When we begin to replay the events of yesterday they tend to take over the tomorrow without us even realizing it. Energy begins to loop in our bodies, a sign that stress is taking over. When you feel stress, it enters a part of your body and stays there, making you tense and rigid unless you work it out. That’s why you might have heard that going for a walk or doing cardiovascular or aerobic exercise when you are upset or angry can help you cool down. This helps you to convert that stressful energy into something new and productive, not linger and stagnate. 

As you can see, keeping fit is a lifestyle and not just one or two things that make it count.  I like following these guidelines for a higher level of fitness because it really works and is not just a temporary adjustment that is incompatible with my life. Instead, treating yourself well by getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night and refusing to let stress take over is a discipline that will touch all areas of your life. Mentally, you may be even be more inclined to make big changes, including exploring your own road to health and fulfillment!