Fitness

Fitness, just like diet, is a constant struggle. Even for elite athletes, it never ends. You are never finished. It's a lifestyle. Do I want to be fit or not? If the answer is yes, then it's time to get to work.

For anyone just starting out on their road to fitness, there are many ways to get started, and it all depends on what your goals are. The most important thing is to begin! You can't say tomorrow or next week, start right now. With that, you don't need to rush out and hire a personal trainer and buy a new gym membership. These are options for everyone but not requirements. I always tell people, and practice this myself, find hobbies that keep you active. Many of us don't necessarily want to grind away in the gym for hours and hours. We just want to maybe lose a couple pounds, tone up, or gain a little lean muscle. Most of this can be accomplished without ever going to the gym and with no difficult work out programs. Hiking, biking, walking with a friend or partner, swimming, sports.... there are so many things that you can do to increase your fitness level, and you can have a great time while doing it! Additionally there are tons of groups out there for these types of things so you might even meet some cool new people in the process!

I like to stay active as much as possible. For me it's all about having a routine. I wake up early almost every week day and hit the gym or get a run in. It's tough at first, but once I got used to it I couldn't live without it. It's my favorite time of the day. It's the one time of the day where nothing matters except myself, and we all need that. Then on the weekends or in some evenings I enjoy active hobbies like I mentioned above.

For me fitness isn't about being overly vain or impressing anyone. It's about quality of life and staying healthy. I have a pretty rugged career and I see what happens to folks who don't take care of their bodies. By their 40's they are broken down and wore out. I don't want this for myself. I want to run through the woods and climb trees and use my body the way it was meant to be used, as my vehicle through life. If you don't take care of your vehicle it will break down and leave you stranded. No one wants that.

All it takes is that first step. Or if you have already started, push yourself harder. The only one stopping you is YOU! Your not going to get the body you want by hoping for it. If you can't make it to the gym today that's okay. Take a few minutes after reading this knock out a couple crunches or push ups or whatever! That's what I did ;-)

Grab what is yours. It's waiting!

Diet

Diet..... this one is tough for a lot of people. Ask anyone who is really strong, really fit, etc. and they will usually tell you that working out is the easy part. Diet is a much more difficult process. Hours of meal prep every weekend, this or that is so bad for you, how many grams of protein do I need, how many calories should I be taking in..... Argh! So many things to think about and it gets so overwhelming!

I chose to simplify things for myself, and it's my recommendation to anyone else who wants to be more healthy. Additionally, this really goes for anything life, not just eating better. Start small. Take baby steps. Maybe at first you just take away something like drinking soda. A couple weeks later maybe you try and limit fast foods to only once or twice a week. Things like this are very beneficial and have a huge impact. As it stands right now, I try and keep my daily consumption of added sugar as low as possible, and I avoid processed foods as much as I can. These are the things I have done so far. In the future I may take a crack at going vegetarian/vegan and keep my diet super clean, but I'm not there yet. If I tried to go from how I was a few months ago to being a strict vegan overnight it would fail miserably I'm sure. These things are tough and need to be approached gently.

I will tell you that any change you make is a step in the right direction. Since I have limited my sugar and processed food intake, and just generally trying to make good diet decisions daily, I feel better already. I have more energy, I'm in a better mood, I'm more motivated to stay busy, I'm more motivated in the gym. I just generally feel good, and that in turn fuels a desire to push things even farther. Lately I've become so interested in the diet and the way our bodies intake food that I've even contemplated completely changing my degree path and focusing on health and nutrition. We shall see though, remember, one step at a time.

Back tracking real quick to the sugar thing. The American Heart Association recommends daily intake of sugar not exceed 37.5 grams for men and 25 grams for woman, sorry ladies.... One 12 oz can of Mountain Dew has 46 grams of sugar. 46 grams in one can! So if you drink one soda you are over your daily limit. How many people do you know that drink soda, sweet sea, sugar filled coffees, energy drinks, etc. all day long? A lot of people do. These drinks do nothing for you and in my opinion should be the first thing to go in any new health plan. If you need the caffeine boost now and then, black tea or black coffee is great! Yes it might not taste like dessert but your pallet quickly adapts to changes and before you know it black coffee/tea will taste A-OK! Maybe try purchasing a higher quality brew to help with the transition.

In closing, take baby steps with your health and fitness goals. Don't try and become super strict about it overnight. Ease into this new lifestyle a small piece at a time. And ditch the sugar filled, nutritionally empty junk!