As we approach the month of March, the fitness and health lines have pretty much already been drawn. Most of those who committed to getting healthy, losing weight, exercising, etc., have already given up. More than 80% of new year’s resolutions have already failed by the second week of February! But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is help out there to help you get fit, improve your diet, and feel good!
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Many of us have already given up on our fitness goals by mid-February! Here are 5 tips to help you get fit, improve your diet, and feel good! #fitness #nutrition, Click To Tweet5 Tips to Help you Get Fit, Improve Your Diet, and Feel Good
Before we go on, it’s time to regroup. If you have already given up on your resolutions (or goals, plans, whatever you called them), now is the time to get a fresh start. I’m here to give you some great tips that will help you get fit, improve your diet, and feel good! Let’s rewind that clock and start afresh!
1. Start Moving
You don’t have to run, you don’t have to work out to exhaustion, you don’t have to do things that will hurt. Too many times people set themselves up for failure by setting giant goals without thinking through the necessary steps to achieve them. That is why this first step is to just start moving. Take a walk after dinner. Dust off that cruiser bike and take a ride. Just start moving your body and you will start to feel better.
2. Eat More Vegetables
This is a great first step to improve your diet. Americans eat too much of just about everything except vegetables. Pick a few of your favorites and add them to your meals. Even a big vegetable salad is a great choice. And if you’re one of those who “hates vegetables,” there is hope. Try cutting up your veggies into small pieces and add them to sauces. Or blend them into smoothies. I promise you, you won’t taste them!
3. Slowly Add Regular Exercise
Now that you’ve been moving awhile, it’s time to start thinking about regular exercise. The main tip here is to start slowly. whether it’s a weight training program, running, hiking, or any other form of exercise. Check out my video below for a simple strength workout that takes only about 10 minutes! It’s perfect for beginners and can easily be made more challenging as you progress by adding extra sets, repetitions, or weight.
4. Take a Good Look at Your Sugar Intake
Much of the sugar that we eat comes from processed foods. Start reading labels and look for products that are lower in sugar and have fewer ingredients and no chemicals. That includes sugar substitutes, most of which are bad for you and don’t allow you to get rid of that sweet tooth.
5. Get Professional Help
Sometimes you just can’t go it alone. Then it is time not to give up, but to get some help. Hiring a personal trainer, coach, or getting help from a dietician or nutritionist is an investment in your health. You can also try a program like Noom, which is like all of the above rolled into one.
10 Minute Workout for Beginners
This 10-minute workout video requires a little equipment (a mat, a chair, and a pair of dumbbells) which most people have on hand. I would suggest adding some movement before doing this workout just to make sure your muscles are warm when you begin. Simple moves like walking, jogging, arm swings, done for about five minutes are fine.
Did you make resolutions this year? How are they going?
I’m linking up with Darlene, Michelle, Renee, Jenn, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday.
Weekly Linkups
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Inspire Me Monday with Janet
Tuesday Topics with Kim and Zenaida
The Runners’ Roundup with Deborah, Lisa, Jenn, Laura, and Me!
The Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim
Fit Five Friday with Darlene, Michelle, Renee, Jenn, and Zenaida
Thanks. These are great tips.
I am definitely moving more these days.
I am also choosing baked apples for dessert every evening instead of ice cream.
I need to add more strength training – baby steps.
Good choices. During lockdown I tended to snack on nuts and really didn’t move much (though I kept running). Now I buy raw veggies and cut them up ready to eat and I’m moving a lot more. And I feel a lot better.
There are so many small changes that you can make to improve your health. Little things can make such a big difference. Walking more and keeping track of sugar and salt and huge for me
Sometimes people don’t realize how much sugar is in processed food so that even though they’re taking in less actual sugar they’re still eating a lot of it.
Ha ha… “Americans eat too much of just about everything except vegetables.” So true!!! I would add that roasting them can make them extra delicious.
All good tips Debbie! This breaks it down into simple steps that anyone can do.
Good point, I love roasted vegetables! My husband is better with raw though.
I’m a big advocate for daily movement. Not necessarily daily hard-core workouts, but just some action. I’m working on the vegetable thing. Not being a smoothie gal makes it challenging, but the baby steps are happening.
Beyond making a salad I do best by cutting up a lot of fresh veggies so they’re easy to grab out of the fridge when you want a snack.
I was eating really well until this week, LOL! I don’t know why, but I’ve been very munchy this week.
I agree that you don’t have to run to stay fit! In some ways I actually don’t think its the best way to stay fit. There are SO many options out there these days!
Moving frequently throughout the day is one of my secrets to stay fit. 🙂
Just moving is one of the most important things people can do. I discovered that during the lockdown when I wasn’t moving very much even though I continued to run and work out. And I managed to put on a few pounds, even though every thing else was pretty much the same.
There’s a lot to be said for making small positive changes – they really do add up and helps you to build momentum. For me, right now, I’m working on reducing my sugar intake.
I like to break it down so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming to people who are just starting their fitness journey.
Great tips! I agree that just by focusing on increasing your veggies and decreasing added sugar you can start to feel better…also just drinking more water. I think its easy to get overwhelmed with big goals so starting small and gradually increasing is the way to go.
Ay! Drinking water is my Achilles heel! I’m not sure why I’m so challenged but I’m always dehydrated.
Great tips, Debbie. It’s always so funny to see the influx of new members at our rec center every January. You are so right – by the end of February most of them stop coming. I had no idea how important eliminating sugar is to your health until I did it. I still eat sugar naturally found in fruit, but I don’t eat added sugar anymore. I lost 8 lbs. and lowered my cholesterol by 50 points when I got rid of added sugar!
That’s great! Sugar is hidden in so many things! I’ve had a terrible sweet tooth lately which I know basically feeds on itself, the more you eat, the more you want.
Many great points here. I am guilty of not eating enough vegetables and eating too much sugar. I like my coffee to be sweet. Though sometimes I will use almond milk instead of creamer. A little bit helps.
These are all great suggestions. Getting healthy and in shape can be overwhelming, but if you break it down into manageable parts like this, it’s really not so bad at all!
Best Article keep it up!