When you were younger you could spend the entire day in front of the television and not experience any signs of being physically unfit. But you’re older now, gaining weight fast and struggling to breathe. Isn’t it time to become physically fit?
There are several signs of being physically unfit. They can either be externally visible or be physiological. Whatever signs that are displayed of a lack of fitness need to be remedied – fast.
Tips to not be unfit
The visible signs include:
- Obesity
- Laboured breathing
- Mood swings
- Chronic illness
The physiological signs include:
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Malaise
- Increased resting heart rate
Your body needs movement to be more energised and to help pump oxygen around your body. Unfortunately, owing to the fact that we spend most of our lives, sitting in from of a computer, we don’t move around as much. This means that we are more predisposed to becoming stagnant, lethargic and lifeless.
When we move, we become energised and alive because our lymphatic systems get pumped, our blood gets moving and oxygen gets delivered to our cells.
Becoming physically active can prevent, reduce or even reverse these signs and symptoms. Here are some ideas and tips on how to start an exercise habit when you are physically unfit and how to make your new habits sustainable so that you can start to live the fitness lifestyle.
Before you can even think about exercising, you need to bring more movement into your life. You can do this by simply walking and standing more throughout the day. What you should be aiming to do is to build up to walking 10 000 steps per day.
How can I stand and move more?
Here are some simple things you can try working into your daily routine:
- Walking to work or part of the way.
- Having walking meetings or walking catch ups with friends, instead of meeting for coffee.
- Using a standing desk for parts of your day or doing phone calls standing up.
When you have got this foundational of movement in place, you can add some exercise and training:
Resistance training
Resistance training helps build muscle strength, keeps you toned and helps to build energy. It also improves your body’s ability to burn body fat.
Start with body weight exercises, including:
- Squats for 30 seconds
- Push-ups for 30 seconds
- Bridges for 30 seconds
- Horse stance for 30 seconds
- Knee ups for 30 seconds
Once you have started getting into a routine of exercising, you can focus on developing these three components:
Cardiorespiratory endurance
This is the ability of the heart and blood vessels to carry oxygen to your body’s cells. You can try aerobic activities for building endurance. You can become physically fit by doing 30 minutes of moderate physical activity over the course of most days.
These activities include:
- Brisk walking
- Running
- In-line skating
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Rowing
- Aerobic dance
Muscular fitness
This is also known as strength training. Perform moderate-intensity resistance workouts twice a week lasting at least 15 minutes per session.
Flexibility
This is the ability of the joints to move without discomfort through their full range of motion. It protects the muscles against pulls and tears. In terms of flexibility training, do this type of exercise three to four times a week.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Becoming physically fit doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to suddenly focus your entire life around exercise. However, try walking and standing more to keep your blood flowing and muscles working. Want to help others attain a state of physical fitness? If so then Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Personal Training Diploma – with their range of complementary courses – is just what you need! For more information about this and our other online fitness courses, please visit our website.