Thrive In 2023 And Beyond: 10 Power Habits For Physical Fitness
If you want to make physical fitness a priority in your life and maximize your health, well-being, and longevity, investing in ten power habits is the key this 2023. All good habits take dedication and discipline for a long-term commitment to optimal health but luckily these ten power habits can be achieved with patience and persistence. Get started today taking charge of your body’s health and wellness by weaving these powerful habits into your everyday routine.
Commit To Foods That Are Nutrient Dense
Struggling to get fit? Fitness goals can seem daunting and unachievable, but there are small steps you can take that will help you improve your overall health and physical fitness. One important tactic is to commit to foods that are nutrient dense.
Eating antioxidant-rich food like fresh fruits and vegetables, omega-3 rich foods like walnuts, or probiotic-rich foods like yogurt can help meet your micro-nutrient needs while also helping you reach your fitness goals.
Eating these nutrient dense foods will give you the energy you need for whatever type of physical activity that you’re doing. By replacing unhealthy foods with these nutrient rich alternatives, your body will start to understand how fuel should feel in your system and recognize the difference between what is healthy and what isn’t.
Hydrating With Enough Water Throughout The Day
Staying properly hydrated throughout the day should be an integral part of any person’s fitness plan. Drinking enough water helps support your body’s ability to repair and build muscle, burn fat, recover from workouts, and keep your organs functioning properly.
Not only does staying hydrated help better prepare the body for physical activity, but it also helps regulate body heat by allowing the body to cool itself off more efficiently. Proper hydration is necessary to not only perform workouts with much greater intensity but is also key for long-term wellness and fitness goals.
Get Adequate Amounts Of Sleep Each Night
Sleep helps to regulate hormone levels, reduces stress, allows for tissue repair and growth, and provides the energy needed to lead an active life. Numerous studies have shown that missing out on even just one night of sleep can have a significant effect on your body’s ability to properly function, as well as impairing your ability to learn new concepts and respond quickly. Additionally, sacrificing sleep has been linked to a higher risk of overeating day-to-day not to mention long-term health consequences such as obesity or even heart disease.
Stay Mindful Of What You Eat
It’s important to stay mindful of what we are putting into our bodies and how it will affect us. What we choose to eat can either be nourishment that helps our bodies become stronger or something that can take away from our hard-earned progress with one single bad choice.
Choosing whole, natural foods whenever possible, staying away from processed snacks, trading sugary drinks for water, and limiting sugar intake are simple steps to help make better food decisions.
Exercising Regularly
In order to benefit from exercising regularly, it’s important to set aside at least thirty minutes of time a few days every week. This could be time spent jogging, weight-lifting, swimming, biking – whatever activity you prefer that gets your heart rate up is ideal.
Be sure to consult with your primary care physician or a certified trainer before beginning an exercise routine so that the types of activities you do are best tailored for your individual needs and level of fitness.
Give Stress Management The Time It Needs
Stress can really affect our physical and mental health if it’s not managed properly. While we all deal with stress to some degree, unchecked stress levels can have a long-term negative impact on our physical wellbeing. An important aspect of living a healthy lifestyle is making sure that we give stress management the time and attention it needs.
This can be done through activities like yoga and mindful breathing or simply making time for a “mental health day” where you take the time to relax, reset, and evaluate all the things in your life that are causing you stress.
Don’t Skip Breakfast
Eating breakfast is essential for physical fitness, as it jump-starts your body by refueling your muscles and providing essential energy for the day ahead. Not eating breakfast increases the likelihood of overeating later in the day, leading to a decrease in overall physical fitness. Those who eat a well-balanced breakfast consisting of protein and fiber have increased alertness, improved concentration, and better performance throughout the day.
Don’t Be Scared To Be Picky When Eating Out
Eating out can have its perks, but often it is much harder to monitor what goes into your food. From unwanted preservatives to unnecessary extra calories, it’s easy to end up consuming far more than you would if you were cooking for yourself.
Ask questions about how dishes are prepared, request sauces and dressings to be served on the side, or get creative with positive substitutions–such as a whole wheat bun instead of a white one–to actively guide your dining experience instead of simply accepting whatever menu item is served.
Keep Up With Your Housework
As mundane as it may sound, cleaning up around the home is actually a physical activity that uses your energy to complete, which subsequently burns calories. It’s an especially great way of adding more movement into your day if you don’t regularly exercise at the gym or outdoors.
Get Up And Move Throughout The Day
Have you ever heard the saying, “sitting is the new smoking”? That’s because sitting for extended periods of time can be very detrimental to our physical health. The key is to get up and move throughout the day.
This doesn’t mean that we have to hit the gym for hours at a time–small, incremental changes in our lifestyle can yield amazing results. Simply setting reminders or alarms on your phone throughout the day to stand up, stretch and take a short walk can be beneficial. Even doing simple core exercises like planks during commercial breaks while watching television can help.
