Written by Nicholas Gonzales
Getting into shape should not only be about losing weight. Sure, many people embark on a fitness journey to lose weight, but once they reach their goals, they begin appreciating the other benefits of being in good shape.
If you have decided it’s time to get into shape, it is crucial to take a balanced approach. This means focusing on lifestyle changes that are easy to maintain long-term. Focusing all your efforts on one area won’t yield good results. Here are the three main areas to focus on:
A Balanced Diet
Fad diets don’t work long-term. Following a strict diet helps shed pounds, but as soon as you begin eating normally, you may likely put the weight back on. Additionally, diets that eliminate entire food groups are unhealthy.
To make your healthy eating sustainable, follow the 80-20 rule: ensuring that 80% of your meals are healthy and enjoying unhealthy foods 20% of the time. Avoid empty calories, like refined carbs or sweets and aim for nutrient-dense foods like protein, healthy fats, fruits, and veggies.
As hard as you may work to eat a balanced diet, getting optimum amounts of all the nutrients you need from food sources is usually impossible. In such cases, supplements are a great alternative. People take supplements for various reasons.
- Limiting the risk of food allergies
- Health conditions such as anaemia, difficulty digesting food, and lactose intolerance
- Following a restrictive diet especially for vegans or vegetarians
- Maintaining the body’s general health in the elderly
- Supporting energy production for athletes
A great regimen to support weight management is IV vitamin therapy which offers calcium, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin B complex, vitamin C supplements, and more. Vitamin B12 contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and a reduction in tiredness and fatigue, which can help you stay more active and thus prove helpful in your fitness journey.
The way you choose to take supplements is a personal choice. Some people prefer oral supplements, while others favour IV drips. You should determine what works best for you. IV drips are typically more effective because vitamins and minerals are delivered to your body faster. Also, taking a supplement via IV drip eliminates some side effects from oral supplements, like irritation of your digestive tract or acid reflux.
Regular Exercise
Besides boosting your confidence, exercising is an energy booster that improves your mood and helps you manage stress.
Exercising three to four times a week is ideal, but this doesn’t mean you have to go to a gym or do workouts that you don’t enjoy. Designing a convenient routine that fits your lifestyle will help you remain consistent.
If going to a public gym isn’t your thing, you can set up a gym at home. You don’t need lots of space. Set up an unused area in your house, like a part of your living room or garage.
You can achieve a fantastic workout session with a few pieces of equipment – something for cardio and strength training. Treadmills and bikes are most preferred, but since these are expensive, you may spend some time researching different options before buying one. Look at online reviews, like Barbends’ list of best bikes or Runner’s World, to get an idea of what’s on the market.
Strength training equipment like a set of dumbbells, a kettlebell, or resistance bands is more affordable. If you like using weights, you don’t need to invest in a complete set of dumbbells or kettlebells for every weight. Instead, begin with one or two weights; you can add more to your collection if you want to later on.
Mental Health
Most people prioritise their mental health more than ever before. Still, it can be challenging to manage the stresses of life, like the rising cost of living, job instability, family responsibilities, and other commitments.
While exercise helps reduce stress, feeling stressed can result in overeating. This might help you feel less stressed but can derail your healthy eating habits and cause you to gain weight.
Nick is a personal trainer and fitness enthusiast by profession, and a freelance writer by passion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided it was the best time to extend his love of health and fitness into his love for writing. Ever since then, Nick has been sharing his knowledge and insight with his readers, teaching them through his informative, interesting articles.
