Living a healthy, fit, productive, and happy life can be an infinite number of portrayals depending on the individual that you speak to.
But, what can’t be argued is that being fit and healthy goes beyond the physical aesthetics of abs and a head-turning butt. Besides the physical, there is also an emotional, spiritual, and mental side of fitness.
Search the internet for how to live the good life and you’re flooded with numerous options and suggestions for how to go about this. But, to make fitness great again doesn’t require complexity or any other type of special programs despite the ever-growing list of fad diets, detoxes, and “revolutionary workouts.”
If our internal world isn’t in order, then it doesn’t matter how hot we look nor how smart people tell us we are. Our wellness bucket isn’t complete.
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To make fitness great again, start by incorporating these 11 habits.
1.- Develop some affirmations
Anytime you hear the word mantra and affirmations, you may be thinking of looking at yourself in the mirror or sitting in a room full of candles chanting weird sayings.
Neither of these scenarios is necessary. An affirmation is simply a statement that you repeat to yourself on a daily basis for empowerment and confidence about a perceived truth. An affirmation helps with programming your mind with positivity and the pursuit of your goals.
Your mantras and affirmations will help you stay aligned with your mission.
2.- Ask yourself why 3x before indulging or making audacious decisions
Forcing yourself to pause and ask why 3x about something you want creates clarity about the situation. This system helps uncover why you’re making decisions.
When it comes to your situation, maybe you’re reaching for a snack due to stress from work, a friend, a family member, a partner, or something else. The point being is that you’re not hungry more so than you’re just seeking a form of escape and comfort from the present situation.
When it comes to relationships and dating, this is another area where this system helps with preventing regrettable decisions (hello one night stands, drunken kisses, and crappy relationships).
3.- Meditation
If our internal world isn’t in order, then it doesn’t matter how hot we look nor how smart people tell us we are. Our wellness bucket isn’t complete.
Meditation provides you an opportunity to get in tuned with your thoughts and some much-needed headspace from the noisy world that we live in. The type of meditation you choose isn’t as important as you being consistent with the habit.
4.- Set some goals
You want to get healthier and leaner. You want a great relationship. Great, but what does that look and feel like?
Get specific with your goals. With your fitness, it could be “I want to lose 10lbs and feel more confident in my body while improving my sex drive.” These are tangible goals that can be measured and completed with an end destination.
5.- Go to sleep
Sleep is the most expensive currency in the world of health and fitness. Without sleep, the rest of your life will slowly head down the drain.
Sleep is what rebuilds and restores your body after tough and stressful days. Sleep affects your waistline, mood, work, performance, and bedroom performance.
6.- Have some fun
At the end of the day, exercise isn’t rocket science or quantum physics. No need to get super serious or force yourself into a type of exercise that you dread as much we dread those depressing Facebook posts.
Life is far too short for punishing workouts and guilting yourself for having some carrot cake or a couple too many pastries. Make fitness fit into your desired lifestyle, not the other way around.
Bored at the gym? Try some salsa dancing, pole fitness, yoga, or anything else—just get moving.
7.- Drink lots of water
Simple, but how many of you actually pay attention to your water intake on a daily basis?
Water helps with our metabolism, muscle functioning, and keeps your skin looking flawless as well as helping with your cognitive functioning.
8.- Develop a strong love affair for vegetables and fruits
Micronutrients are pivotal to making your fitness great again.
Implementing an eating regimen full of micronutrients will lower the risk for almost every single common health issue that you can think of as well as improve your quality of life and longevity.
The best way to fight diseases is to prevent them from occurring in the first place.
9.- Move your body every day
The type of exercise you do doesn’t matter. What matters is getting your body in motion each and every day.
Exercising brings about endorphins and provides an outlet to relieve stress and frustrations from your friends, peers, family, work, and social media (the worst of them all).
10.- Read for 30 minutes
A healthy mind makes for a richer, productive, and better life. Quality information in leads to quality output and thus improving your professional and personal life in the process.
11.- Don’t be afraid to let go of your dead-weight friends
If you have a set of friends who are lazy, see the world in scarcity and spend all day trolling Facebook while getting into pointless internet arguments—it’s time for some new friends.
The circle that we hang and communicate with on a daily basis has more power and influence over us than we realize.
We become the environment that we submerge ourselves in.
Trying to become a millionaire or start a business? Hang around people with similar aspirations or find some people who have already done what you’re trying to accomplish.
Want to get healthier? Hang around people who are living a lifestyle that is conducive to those things.
Want to find a happy relationship and reframe your mindset around this? Stop listening and treating your jaded friends as the expert and seek out people who have successful relationships and learn from them.
Only surround yourself with people and environments that aspire you, not despair and drain you.
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Photo: Getty Images
Great fitness article! I especially like the “why” as I’ve used it in various areas of my life with amazing results! Also use it to help fitness clients uncover the real reason they’ve retain my personal training services: http://alternative-fitness.com/
Great to hear Cavakia, thanks for checking the article out. It’s a tool I use as well with my clients. Stay awesome!