Fitness centers around the country are preparing for a flood of New Year's resolution clients. It happens every year. Regular gym rats hate this time of year, and so should you. Physical fitness should never be a New Year's resolution. It should be an every day resolution, because it is that important.
Can you still run and play with your children? Have you been able to take long walks with your significant other without losing your breath a few minutes in? How do you feel when you look in the mirror? Is it possible for you to get dressed without fighting with your clothing?
If your pillow talk is more about physical ailments than romance, that is a problem. However, it is one that is solvable, and you deserve a solution. The negative impact of poor health and physical condition on a relationship and a family is tremendous.
Poor physical health limits your ability to enjoy the life you have and the people who are in it. Health scares take a psychological toll on everyone. A life spent in doctors' offices and taking medication is not the optimal life one could lead. Although some physical ailments are out of your control, there are many that can be prevented with better decisions about what you put into your body and the energy you exert with it.
Experts interviewed by Weight Watchers extol the benefits of losing just ten percent of your body weight. With a ten percent loss, they say you gain:
- A healthier heart
- Lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes
- More pep
- A mental edge
- Reality check
- Fitness is not just about losing weight. You can have a "normal" body weight and still suffer from hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes due to poor eating habits, inactivity and stress. A healthy life is about the daily decisions you make for your health. What you do to your body will impact your physical and mental health as well as that of the people who love you the most.
It is too hard
Getting in shape is difficult. But the difficulty is a mental difficulty not a physical one. The fear of being unsuccessful in your journey toward a healthier lifestyle is usually what blocks your success. In order to be healthier, you merely have to do healthier things each day.
Physical fitness is a product of more energy being exchanged, and your body being increasingly trained to burn energy more efficiently. It is very similar to tuning up a car. You get better gas mileage when your engine is in better condition. You get a better life when your body is in better condition.
Quite frankly, getting in shape is as easy as taking a few steps each day. For example, Beach Body coach "Brother B" has a simple plan for getting in shape based on three core principles:
- Motivation: Find things and people who motivate you.
- Food: Eat body boosting foods that you would more likely find at the farmers' market than at a convenience store. (Trade in your candy bars for these healthy granola bars.)
- Sweat: Do something every day that makes you sweat a little. It could be as simple as taking a long vigorous walk.
For more from Brother B, check out his "Poor man's workout plan". If you need help getting started, sign up for a chance to win a get fit starter kit from the blog YBBG. The contest runs until January 5, 2012. If you do not believe you are capable of getting in shape at your age or size, check out these YouTube channels for motivation:
Remember you are important and you deserve to enjoy the life you have. Your health is essential to having a life worthy of who you are, and who your loved ones need.
Love and basketball
You now know it is easy to get in shape, but what about the romance of it all? Do you remember the film, "Love and Basketball"? The two main characters were both star athletes. They forged their love as kids on a basketball court. Who did not want a love like theirs?
You can have a Love and Basketball kind of love. Spending time together working on a common goal will definitely increase the friendship aspect of your love. Better still, physical activity actually boosts your libido. Sweat is sexy!
Comments