Make Fitness a Lifestyle

By Suparna Sil

Make Fitness a Lifestyle-Ways To Stay Active and Physically Fit

Sadly, there are too many people that do not understand the importance of physical activity in one's daily life. Physically active people tend to have much better health when compared to sedentary individuals. A physically fit person always enjoys the benefits of good health and thus can lead a disease free life.
To keep ourselves healthy we should participate in some type of moderate physical activity on a daily basis besides our daily work schedule. This is because when we work for 8-10 hours a day, many of us are only working mentally but not physically (office workers versus labor workers). We feel tired because our brains have worked but our bodies have remained sedentary on a chair in an air conditioned room behind the screen of a computer. We travel back to our home after work to relax and get the rest we need to wake up the next morning and go back to the same schedule.

This sedentary lifestyle results in a reduction of our basal metabolic rate (BMR) due to inactivity. When we are young we remain more active because of our lifestyle consists of playing, going to school and taking part in various other activities and thereby our BMR is much higher because our activities have increased. As we age we start earning more money which leads to a much more comfortable life by traveling in an air conditioned car and doing minimal physical activity as we feel we have done a lot and now it's the time to enjoy our life. In the long run we end up getting additional help to do our normal household chores (house cleaners, landscapers, etc).
When this comfortable lifestyle leads to inactivity, the result is the increased rate of various diseases at an earlier age of between 45 and 50 or even younger. In earlier days, our grandfathers and grandmothers had a lot of overhead in order to do their daily chores but with the advancement of science and technology, it has resulted in us now doing almost all of our work with the help of some type of equipment. This has resulted in reducing our physical exercise to a bare minimum.
In earlier days, people used to get blood pressure and suffer heart attacks predominately after the age of 60 but nowadays young adults around the ages of 21-25 are being affected by major cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Young children have stopped playing outdoor games which normally involved physical activity like playing football and riding bicycles. Now kids just sit inside and play video games or watch TV all day long with minimal exercise. As a result, many young children are also falling prey to some deadly diseases like diabetes and obesity at a very young age.
Studies have shown that maintaining moderate physical activity on a daily basis can reduce the risk of getting affected by the following diseases:

• Cardiovascular diseases
  
• High blood pressure
  
• Stroke
  
• Type 2 diabetes
  
• Colon cancer and breast cancer
  
• Anxiety and depression
  
• Fatigue and insomnia
  
• Early death
  
• Severe falls

Children can be equally affected by leading a sedentary lifestyle. They may develop weaker bones and muscles and they can also develop juvenile diabetes at an early age. Kids can also be easily affected by a common cold due to a underdeveloped immune system and may become obese from excess calories and decreased activity. Unfortunately, we all know how obesity can cause major life threatening diseases in one's life.
Being physically fit is the ability to perform our scheduled duties without causing any fatigue to our body and mind. Other terms of being physically fit include muscle fitness, cardio respiratory fitness, muscle and ligament strength, salt and electrolyte balance and muscular endurance. A physically fit person should be able to perform his daily duties and also should have enough energy for his leisure time to enjoy his life completely.
To remain fit and healthy, we should include some form of physical activity on a daily basis. Some of the steps that you can take are included below.

Change Your Sedentary Lifestyle
If we can motivate ourselves to get up and move we can really live a healthier life and also save a lot of hard earned money that we would end up paying for future medical bills.

• Take a break from work and take a walk within your office campus.
  
  
• Take the stairs while going up and down floors in a building. This will keep your heart healthy.
  
  
• Park your car a good distance from your office and walk that extra mile.
  
  
• On the weekends, go to a shopping mall. This will allow you to walk and shop.
  
  
• Include daily exercise for 30-45 minutes.

Change Your Eating Habits:

• Eat a balanced and nutritious diet with lean protein, fruits and veggies.
  
  
• Avoid processed and junk foods as much as possible like biscuits, burgers, pizzas, ice cream, candy, potato chips and fast food.
  
  
• Eat less refined carbohydrates like white rice, white bread and pasta. Switch to brown rice, whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta.
  
  
• Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.
  
  
• Avoid drinking excess alcohol.
  
  
• Avoid using refined sugars like those found in sodas. Instead choose all natural choices like honey and stevia to add sweetener to your drinks.
  
  
• Read food labels in the grocery store to learn what you are eating.
  
  
• Eat more protein like chicken breast, lean steak and egg whites to build lean muscle tissue.

Keep Yourself Motivated:

• Keep a food dairy and make a habit of documenting everything you eat throughout the day. This will automatically reduce your food intake while you go through it and analyze the food you eat.
  
  
• Instead of sitting on the couch watching TV, get up and go for a walk to keep yourself healthy.
  
  
• Allow your children to go to the park or play outdoor games rather than playing video games inside.
  
  
• Find a hobby like gardening or landscaping on the weekends. You will enjoy the activity and also burn calories.
  
  
• Decrease the amount you eat out at restaurants. Many of these foods are packed with sugar, fat and salt.
  
  
• Everyday look at yourself in the mirror, smile and feel happy. Happiness is a secret to good health.
  
  
• Follow a diet plan that fits your needs. The one you choose depends on your lifestyle, food habits, work schedule and your overall fitness goals (building muscle versus losing fat).
  
  
• Before you start any fitness routine or diet plan see a qualified professional (personal trainer or dietitian) to make sure you are physically able to perform the workouts and follow the diet safely.