Those who make fitness a lifestyle engage in regular physical activity for both fun and personal satisfaction. Training becomes an integral part of the general sense of well-being; movement becomes a hobby that often helps to connect with people who share similar interests. In addition, those who adopt fitness as a lifestyle are often more attentive to other aspects of their life, such as nutrition, sleep, and self-care.
Integrate Fitness Into Daily Life
1. Throw The Scales Away
To make fitness and health an integral part of daily life, you first need to go beyond your physical appearance or weight. You train because you love your body, not because you hate it!
2. Establish A Flexible Exercise Routine
When fitness becomes a lifestyle, it is naturally easier to fit it into a busy schedule. The key is to create a flexible schedule that allows you to move when and where it suits you best. Try using different places and styles. For example, you can do a workout at home when you’re short on time. Or, you can join friends for a weekend mountain bike ride, alternate outdoor workouts with weightlifting in the gym, and test your stamina by running long runs with Adidas Runners.
3. Live The Sensations
Most people start a workout routine because they have a physical or health goal they want to achieve. So why continue to train after reaching the goal? Because the path has its benefits regardless of the finish line. This is why fitness is a way of life.
For many people, the feeling of being fit is more important than actual physical results. Plus, feeling fitter can encourage other healthy lifestyle changes. Once they have become more confident in their physical shape, many people begin to train in the company and harmonize nutrition with training (instead of training only to compensate for the consumption of food), making fitness a lifestyle.
4. Trust
Living in the name of fitness means taking advantage of the lessons learned during physical activity even when you leave the gym (or put away the mat at the end of the workout). Physical activity and a balanced diet often influence other areas of life.
It is not so much about the physical appearance in front of the mirror, but about the trust that is acquired in the workplace and in interpersonal relationships. Fitness as a lifestyle instills the courage to share your ideas, express what you think, and aim for the maximum. Self-confidence is one of the best reasons to keep fit!
5. Accept Your Body
When it comes to body image and fitness, the secret is to appreciate your body for the amazing things it can do. For many women, childbirth is a more impressive endeavor than any physical exercise. After giving birth, many mothers set fitness goals to improve their quality of life, not to get six-pack abs. Sometimes it is through extreme physical exertion (childbirth) that one realizes what really matters: being strong, healthy, and happy with who you are.
6. Find you are “Why”
Why do you exercise? Could the reason be more emotional than physical? For example, your “why” might be: to be able to live healthily and see my children grow up. Find a new “why”! It could make your workouts more frequent and enjoyable.
7. Embrace Body Neutrality
Physical activity increases endorphins and gives a sense of accomplishment. Each workout is a small challenge and a small success. For many, regular training builds confidence in their abilities.
Because our bodies are incredibly complex, regular exercise may not produce visible changes in the physique. For example, some people will never have a defined six-pack, regardless of how healthy they are. Exercise as a lifestyle embraces “body neutrality”. For many people, body neutrality is more emotionally sustainable than body positivity.
A neutral attitude towards the body sees fitness purely for what it makes happen inside the body, not outside. This appreciates the body’s ability to function efficiently, not its appearance. Indirectly, body neutrality also leads to an appreciation of physical anatomy. In today’s world, where exercise is promoted as a mechanism for changing one’s appearance, body neutrality can turn unrealistic workouts into enjoyable movements.
When Fitness Is Not A Lifestyle
The Daily Routine Is Not Fitness
Physical exercise integrated into the daily routine consists in transforming daily activities into opportunities for exercise. It’s true that raking leaves in the garden is a great way to get around (and save money). But fitness as a lifestyle is also made up of real workouts (in the gym, outdoors, or at home). Sometimes, the transformation of daily activities into physical activity leads to exercise addiction.
Exercise Addiction Exists
Like anything else, exercise can sadly be abused. “It is the dose that makes the poison”, as the saying goes. Fitness is a lifestyle when it integrates the other aspects of a balanced life. It is NOT a lifestyle when training becomes obsessive, exhausting, and anxious.
As a Hungarian study, conducted by scientists in collaboration with health professionals explains, “regular physical activity plays a crucial role in maintaining health and preventing disease. However, excessive exercise can have negative effects on physical and mental health ”.
In a world that glorifies “being fit,” exercise addiction is a sneaky predator. It usually starts off innocently, like a search for a better appearance/life. But when exercise starts to override all other activities, it’s no longer healthy.
Fitness A Lifestyle: A Question Of Fun
Making fitness a lifestyle means finding time for physical activity in creative ways: wearing resistance bands when accompanying your children to soccer training, and training next to the playing field, for example. Or invest in home fitness equipment to work out during your lunch break.
It does not matter the duration or the intensity of the training. You move to have fun and feel energized. And to enjoy the ride. Always respect and appreciate your body.
Read Also: Is Running Every Day A Good Habit?
