If you have found yourself clicking to read this article, then it must mean that for whatever reason, you have decided to be more active and change your lifestyle and wish to know more on how to start doing so. Well, I am here to walk you through that by giving you some advices that have helped me get back to my fitness.
After graduating college, I have noticed that I became less active and my day-to-day life went on from my apartment to work and back to the apartment or sometimes with an occasional night out with friends.
In addition to this, my mental health deteriorated that resulted to my body becoming weak and me losing a significant amount of weight. This led me to the realization that my lifestyle needed to change. At first, I thought, becoming active would be impossible because of my busy schedule since I work from 8-5 and regularly travel for field works, but here are some steps that helped me get back to my feet and become active again:
1. Exercise
I suggest you commit to a sport that you can sustain. Nowadays, there are already a number of sports that you can try. If you’re only getting started and you still doubt that you might waste that gym membership, try running. Running is the easiest to learn and the most accessible to do. All you need is a good pair of running shoes, a set of active clothes, and a few minutes of your day to spare. You can also try to download apps like Nike Run Club that can be complemented by Nike Training Club to keep track of your fitness goals and have yourself guided with their video guided workouts.
2. Improve Your Nutrition
Active or not, consuming the right kind of foods is one factor you have to look at when building a better lifestyle. It isn’t necessary that you go all greens and fruits. Just make sure you give your body what it needs to sustain the activities you are doing and trying to do. If you’re used to ordering your venti latte everyday, why not switch to a grande or a tall to lessen you calorie intake. Just try to eat less junk.
3. Join a Fitness Group or Team
I remember one of my friends reminding me, “You can never heal in the same environment that made you sick.” This really opened my eyes and made me realize I had to surround myself with people that have similar goals as mine. The right people can give you an extra push at times you find yourself spiraling down. For my case, finding a gym and a trainer was my best choice since I travel a lot. I have people who help me keep track of my goals and progress in both running and strength training. There are actually several groups all around the Metro like in BGC, Makati, North Edsa, and etc. who meet up in some days of the week and train together. You need only to find the group who have the same goals as you and sign up to get started.
Related: Join the Pinoy Fitness Online Community
4. Build a Habit
As the great Greek Philosopher (Aristotle) has said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Making good habits and breaking bad ones will eventually help you build the lifestyle that you are going for. As many advice columns have suggested, do so for 21 days and you might not notice that you’ll pick up on it little by little. Although, one should note that this number need determination for it to be truly effective. Why not make it a habit to stretch after you wake up and before you sleep or go for a 20-30 min run three times a week.
5. Sleep More
It sounds a little bit ironic, but most people neglect rest and do not know important recovery is. In order for your body to function well, it needs to recover from any stress or activity you do. If you’re doing more, then that means it needs more recovery than you think.
It is not going to be easy doing all these at once, but just like anything else, it takes practice and the A LOT of motivation for any change to happen. If you have noticed, my list started with step number 2 and that is because STEP 1 of getting started is actually you setting your goal: that you want to become active and go for a better lifestyle. Also, patience is a virtue. TRUST. THE. PROCESS.
