Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.
Here are few of my personal favorite and simplest strategies for staying fit. They work for me and I hope at least one of them works for you too...
1. Mind over matter.
2. Keep a fresh routine.
3. Amp up your strength training.
4. Fuel your body for fitness.
5. Put it in perspective.
1. Mind over matter.
Move your mind out of its comfort zone before you ever start moving your body. Every morning when I wake up, even after years of exercising habitually, there’s still that small part of me longing to linger in bed a little longer. And, if I’ve scheduled an afternoon exercise session, there’s always something else on my ‘to do’ list calling my name, taunting me to throw in the towel and try again tomorrow. But because my plan to exercise is as firm as my intention to cook dinner for the kids, I overcome the temptation.
Before you ever put your gym shoes on or roll out your yoga mat, make your mind up: exercise is the ONLY way you’ll ever get fit. You’ll never get stronger, feel more functional, tone your muscles or increase your flexibility without exercise.
Speaking of your mind, exercise enhances focus and feel-good hormones to help us get through a day with a more positive perspective. Essentially, moving more makes for a healthy mind! think earnestly about what fitness means to you because if you attach some real, personal meaning to physical fitness you’re FAR more likely to make your intentions a consistent reality.
2. Keep a fresh routine.
I know our minds may rebel but our bodies thrive off of CHANGE! Find a variety of kinds of exercise you enjoy to keep your body guessing and responding with results. (Key point: ‘you ENJOY’…we often don’t keep up self-care habits we loath.) If you constantly take the same classes, exercise at the same intensity or go through the same motions when strength training, try switching it up. Instead of the elliptical, try some swimming. Instead of walking at the same pace all the time, incorporate some faster intervals or hills a few times throughout your cardio sessions. Do different videos, go hiking, try a dance class and integrate exercises that challenge more than one body part at a time into your fitness routine.
3. Amp up your strength training.
Along those same lines, while your fitness level will improve by simply moving more and changing things up from time to time, your body will also respond when you increase the amount of weight you use to challenge yourself. That may mean you use your own body weight to increase the load (like doing standing lunges or single leg squats instead of floor exercises) or using dumbbells or cable machines to add intensity to your strength routine. I’ll personally testify to this. After a long time of primarily using lighter weights and body weight for my fitness routine, I decided it was time to hit the heavier weights again. Within two months, I felt significant strength gains and saw my muscles respond (and, no, ladies, we will NOT get bulky by strength training!).
4. Fuel your body for fitness.
Eating clean and drinking plenty of water lay the foundation for fitness. If you’ve been exercising with consistency and intensity but not reaping the rewards of your precious time spent, take a deeper look at your diet.
5. Put it in perspective.
God created us all with equal value but with different strengths, skills and attributes. That’s true for our physical bodies also. Yet perusing the internet and fitness magazines would have us believe fit bodies all look alike. The truth is, even an unfit body is worthy of honor and respect simply because God created it and it was purchased for the devastatingly high price of Christ’s blood. So, when you resolve to move that beautiful body of yours, no matter what it looks and feels like today, do it in deep appreciation for the physical vessel He created for you to navigate this life with.
