Exercise regularly to become fit

I had covered healthy eating in my previous article and will be covering exercise hints which we can incorporate in our daily life.

Eating healthy is important for any individual who wants to be healthy but it is only half the battle won. Investing quality time in a week, exercising, is essential for one’s fitness. Eating healthy and exercising regularly are the rules each one of us need to follow to lead a life of fulfillment. I always believe that if the body is healthy then our mind also tends to be healthy -how valuable this would be in times like this!
Rules of Exercising:

I have been regularly exercising for a couple of years now and have realized that variety is the spice of life even with exercise. In the past couple of years, I have learnt a lot about exercise. Using the trial and error method has helped me figure out a strategy which will work on just about anybody who can invest some time in a week. Not only have I been practicing and learning but also investing substantial time in reading and browsing the latest breakthrough articles in health and fitness.

Start today and just do anything to get you going:

It doesn’t matter what exercise you do but do it from today. Even walking or running a couple of blocks around your apartment is good enough to begin with. There is magic in momentum and believe me when I say “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. So put on your running shoes or sneakers and begin the simplest form of exercise known to mankind and that is walking.

Stop making excuses:

I know from experience that giving excuses is the simplest reason not to hit the rubber. We all have excuses of not enough time, not a priority now, will start once summer is over, will start once my neighbor starts etc etc....there is no end to justification by excuses and the biggest wars we need to win within ourselves is giving excuses for not exercising. Just put a time and begin in earnest to make it a habit. It is easier said done I too went through the same phase and it has now become a part of my daily routine.

Make your goal public:

This helps because when you are aware that you have made a commitment amongst your family, peers and friends you are most likely to commit to it. Go ahead and Update your face book wall and twitter or any where you find it appropriate to make you more accountable. The more people know about your commitment the better it is for you.

Reward yourself:

Make a list of mini goals and next to it, fill up a small reward list for yourself to keep you motivated. It is imperative that you create a road map in your mind that you will be rewarded if you exercise regularly. Therefore exercise will not be only a health benefit anymore. Whatever works for you can be an ideal fit as a reward; the only thing you need to ensure is that you do not reward yourself with sweets and fried stuffs which are a big No No.

Allow yourself adequate rest:

All this commitment is of not much use if one does not rest. It is critical that we allow our body to rebuild itself and the biggest development of muscles along with fat burning usually happens when we are resting. Ensuring that we stick to the recommended shut eye hours is as important as healthy eating and exercising regularly. Be sensible and ensure all the electronic gizmos are away from your bed side when you hit the snooze button. There is a priceless advantage in resting regularly and I tend to maintain a strict sleep schedule. Even though I would tend to slip once in a while I work on it immediately.

Think Positive:

This according to me is probably the most important amongst all the tips mentioned anywhere. To replace any negative thought with a positive thought is a process which will be a challenge initially but once it becomes a habit then any barrier can be easily overcome. With respect to exercise, whenever a negative thought arises saying that exercise is too hard, I don’t have time or it is too painful then just replace it with a positive thought like I am strong, I can overcome this or if Satish can do it so can i. Eventually it is the positive thought which will take you through any exercise barrier.

Don’t consider only weight loss goal as your be all and end all:

Even though most of us tend to get into an exercise habit to lose weight, do not make it the only reason lest you be disappointed sooner rather than later. Everybody reacts in a different way and not necessarily everyone will lose tons of weight in the first couple of months or at a later stage. Get into the habit of regular exercise for feeling good, increasing your confidence and hearing those compliments from everybody around you. You can ensure that you are motivated enough by writing down the exact measurements you need to achieve with your body. Usually people with written and clear goals tend to achieve them without much of hindrance.(On Goal setting later)

If you fail, get up and start again:

We all tend to fail many times over. It does not mean that we need to stop doing whatever we are doing. I have failed many times over in reaching my goals for a week, a month or even a day but that has not stopped me from giving up. On the contrary I have learnt a valuable lesson from every failure and moved on. Failure is bound to hit you hard many times over but it is important to keep our focus and move towards our goals.

Practise exercising safely:

Safety should always be paramount in any kind of exercise. I notice that many of my fellow gym members use their mobiles or go about browsing (even though it is banned) in my gym. They tend to allow themselves to get distracted and eventually accidents do happen. It also makes you lose your focus and intensity. Another thing I notice is that many tend to run by listening to music which is not a bad idea if one is running in a park or a stadium but this is definitely not advisable if one is running in an open road with call centre and heavy vehicles zipping by. Also always make it a habit to walk or run facing the traffic so that you have enough time for reaction just in case any vehicle does tend to come too close for comfort.

Eat Healthy to become Fit

 

I was pondering over how one can work towards being fit irrespective of whether they can make time for exercise during the day.

Eating healthy is the key cornerstone of one’s fitness. I would like to share the lessons learnt by me over the years to help others to help cultivate positive habits with regard to eating. I would like to touch upon the key points which are the foundation of any healthy eating habit. The Word diet has not been intentionally used in my writing since I feel it tends to bring in a negative image in most people's mind and they tend to see themselves starving when the word Diet is used

Thumb rule of Eating Healthy:

Eating healthy is the One thing that most of us really want to do earnestly and it is extremely difficult with the office cafeteria being loaded with plenty of processed foods. There are also friends and colleagues around us who would not think twice before digging into food which is unhealthy. Do not make drastic changes immediately to your meal plan. Making a gradual change is something that can be sustained in the long run and will also be practical.

For example I eat healthy right now compared to when I did start a couple of years ago. I have mostly removed all processed foods from my meal plan and generally stick to home cooked food that includes lots of fresh fruits,vegetables and nuts.

I am working towards being a full time vegetarian from presently being a fish/eggetarian.All this is possible due to the small goals that I worked on over a period of time and it’s now become a habit.

In order to set small goals write down everything that goes into the mouth every day for at least the first 3-6 months to keep a watch on what we eat and learn our eating habits. It’s a simple exercise but a powerful one nevertheless.

Pick One or two things to change in your Eating habits:

It is prudent to be practical and work on making small changes to your meal plan . First thing that I removed from my meal plan was all the processed Sugar starting from my morning Cup of coffee. Even though it was terrible to drink coffee without sugar in the morning with my newspaper it eventually became a habit and now I tend to enjoy it.

Working on one-two small changes works to your advantage and it is easier to come back on track if we tend to trip. I have replaced white bread with Whole Wheat Bread and it’s now become a habit not only for me but also to the Shop Keeper who hands over the Whole Wheat Bread the moment he sees me. This is called ‘conditioning’ in NLP terminology (more about this later).

Find healthy options you love -make a list and keep it close by.

Replace Bad food options with a healthy and tasty option:

What I tend to avoid like the Plague are sugary and Processed foods. You can replace this with Freshly cut Salad and Fruit Bowls (you would find this in any cafeteria/hotels if you ask for it). I avoid eating out as much as possible. you will always find uncut fruits in my Gym Bag and car to take care of the Hunger pangs which tends to make us binge on refined foods. I was not a great fan of carbonated drinks and was drinking bottled fruit juices thinking it was a safe option. How wrong I was when I discovered the amount of sugar that is added to it. I switched over to plain water. Use the creative side of your brain (on this topic later) to replace guilty foods with healthier options.

Eating Small portion during the day:

Never wait till you get hungry. Keep eating every 2-3 hours. Even a small fruit will do the trick. When I was working full time, I would manage to eat every 2-3 hours. A handful of raisins/nuts or even peanuts is good enough to keep the hunger pangs away. This is especially difficult for students and working professionals but I would advise you all to work towards it. Eating small meals will spike your metabolism and eventually more calories are burnt which in turn leads to our desired goal of being fit.

Pack healthy Meals for the road and Plan your day ahead;

Another rule of the thumb is planning your day and packing a healthy meal in advance. It is always smart to plan for the day ahead by having a good healthy meal in hand. whenever possible pack healthy food for the day.

Drink Lots of Water:

 One of the Critical Mistake most of us tend to make is not to keep ourselves well hydrated. The rule of the thumb is to drink at the minimum 8-10 glasses (200 ml) of clean water. Another reason is that most of the time when we do feel hungry it is usually means we are thirsty. So a good glass of water usually does the trick

Set Long term Goals and don’t expect Quick results:

It is important that one has a long term objective to make healthy eating a habit. Do not expect to lose weight overnight as it is extremely unhealthy. Work towards making the above mentioned points a habit over a period of time and you will start noticing the difference in a couple of weeks itself. Be ready to hear compliments from your friends and loved ones who do not see you regularly. There are many more tips but if one gets these basics right then rest of the things can be worked on. Incorporate these small changes and you will eventually Love yourself for doing this.

Will cover the Exercise part in my next article

How to plan for a doable exercise regimen

Most of the people i interact nowadays who is in pretty poor physical fitness level has got the Only excuse other than lack of time  is that they are not able to plan and implement a doable exercise regimen be it running /swimming/lifting weights or any physical activity under the sun.So i figured out that let me share some inside secrets of how to ensure you walk on the road of disclipline towards a fitter you.which i have walked through

Start with small goals:

Most important thing would be to start with a small doable goal in mind at the beginning of the journey,say by example someone decides to run then he/she would like to probably do about a km or two of walking or running according to their  fitness condition at the initial stage .Even investing 20-30 minutes of your time in physical activity will take us a long way inculcating  the habit.Even a small commitment from your side in being fitter will put you in the 20-30 percentage of enlightened people who value health and ensure they work toward it.So it is a big achievement nevertheless.

Begin with the end in mind:

This is a crucial part of planning which most of the new bees will miss out.Its like the saying "the road to nowhere will lead to somewhere.So it is very important that one knows what one is aiming to achieve it might be loosing 10-15 kg or reducing the waistline by 3-5 inches,or even just to be fit(which is too general).The more a goal is specific the chances of reaching it is that much more.So do put a realistic goal in place and go one step further by visualising yourself being that 2-3 months from now.

Make it pleasurable:

Any exercise regime needs to be made into a activity where one looks forward to it 5-6 days a week.So make it more pleasurable by listening to your favourite music or better some Audio books which would also exercise your mind along with your muscles.I would like  each one of you to be more creative and come out with your own unique way of making this activity  more pleasurable.If your mind looks at daily exercise as a pleasure activity and not a painful activity i would guarantee you that within no time this would become a habit.I always pictured myself hitting the gym in a positive way and whatever my energy level was at the time of entering the gym it  would magically be five folds when i start my exercises.

Maintain a clean diet:

Exercise and diet  are the two face of the same coin and each one would compliment the other.So working on your diet is paramount to one reaching his/her fitness goals.To make it more simple ensure you reduce eating out regularly and include more fruits and vegetables in your diet which would help you in consuming more fibre which is critical in loosing weight.I would suggest to eat mostly home cooked food and if that is not an option do stick on to simple foods which is oil free and baked(options are many if you consciously search for it).Another important factor along with diet is drinking enough water especially summer round the corner.Ensure you consume at least 2-3 Lt's of clean water in between the meals to reduce any hunger pangs.

Plan your work out schedule:

For most of the people who tend to get busy in the evenings try to fit in a session early in the morning so that however the day goes by rest assured you would not miss out on the workout and feel guilty.Some time i see people waiting for their cabs/buses for 15-20 minutes standing idle and chatting up.If they can be innovative and start walking around then they would have accumulated on an average of 75-90 minutes of physical activity in a week(this is been creative).In times of high stress lifestyle and increase in lifestyle related disease every minute of physical activity is precious and i would urge each one of you to become a leader and come out with your unique way of exercising.

Ensure you pass the 30 day challenge.Usually if a habit is followed for 30 days then probability of it becoming a habit is extremely more.So i would urge you to start investing some precious time of yours into some kind of physical activity and it is never too late for anybody to start being fit.Be it a teenager or a grand old man/women of 80 years only thing to remember is to be practical and reasonable.Even if you fail at times do not give up and remember the saying from the great Confucius

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall".

Welcome to my Blog

First of all i would like to thank you in taking time to visit my Blog.Since i am a full time Life and a

Wellness Coach i would most likely be writing Blog on healthy lifestyle and will also touch upon

metaphysics.Do feel free to put your comments on my posts and also share my Blog link with

family/friends and co-workers who also might be intrested in picking up life's lessons and taking

positive steps forward.

Best regards

Satish Rao