If I ask you the question, are you ready to do all it takes to become healthy and fit? And your first response is a sigh, followed by statements like “exercise is so difficult” or “I hate dieting or starving myself” etc. Chances are you already have a mindset about getting fit and no matter the exercise or meal plan prescribed for you, you will think it is extremely difficult and will struggle to maintain it.
Here’s three things that you can do instead of exercising and you’ll become fitter and healthier, regardless of how you feel about workouts and eating right. The list is not exhaustive, but if you get these on lock-down, it’s a great starting point.
Firstly, stand more often, an average person sits to eat thrice a day, sits in traffic to drive to work, sits in meetings at work, sits some more at their work space, then sits in traffic all the way back home, and if an avid TV fan, sits to watch an episode of their favorite series to unwind after a long day.
Everyone, especially sedentary workers need to stand more often, and once standing, crank it up a notch by taking a walk, pace your sitting room as you watch TV, fit in some planks, squats and lunges during the TV ads, take a walk down the corridor in your office, park your car furthest away from the entrance to your office and enjoy the scenery as you stroll into the office, take the stairs once you are in the office, position the water dispenser, photocopiers and printers far away from sitting area so you are encouraged to walk within your office often. If you are not driving, alight from the bus at a bus stop away from your stop so you can log in 10 minutes or more of walking to the house after a long day at work, it will clear your mind and your body will be thankful for it.
Secondly, drink more water, most people do not drink enough water, dehydration can mask itself as hunger and cause you to overeat, it can also make you cranky, tired and irritable. Proper hydration keeps you healthy by detoxifying your system and of course giving you a beautiful glowing skin.
About 60 percent of the body is made up of water, if you drink enough water, your body is able to maintain its fluids balance and can effectively transport the nutrients in it, regulate its temperature and digest food more effectively.
Thirdly, you need to sleep, when most people are pressed for time, sleep is the first thing to get thrown out the window. Even though sleep is not a guarantee of great health, but it helps to maintain a person’s vital body functions, when you sleep, you give your body adequate time to recover from the stress of daily living, major restorative functions like tissue repair, muscle growth, and protein synthesis occur almost exclusively when a person is sleeping. Lack of adequate sleep will decrease productivity and ultimately negatively impact life expectancy in anyone. Experts confirm that between 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily is perfect for you.
Do these things consistently and watch your health improve. Chances are you will love doing them so much, you will start adding more healthy habits to your lifestyle.
