I am a bookaholic. I’m sure if you are also one, you must have read “Ikigai” or at least have heard about it. I read that book towards the end of last year and was fueled with motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So I made up a new year resolution to follow fitness tips for daily routine. “New year, New me” Boom!
It’s the first month of 2024 and we all know that the concept of “New year, New me” lasts only as much as our motivation to keep up with the resolutions. While resolutions are a great way to start a new habit, the problem is maintaining it. Repeating it enough so that it actually becomes a habit. Habits are build over time, but sometimes, the motivation gets lost somewhere in our busy schedule.
If you are also struggling to find time, or to keep up your motivation, we have brought some mindful and healthy habits that you can form around your everyday routine. These fitness tips and tricks for beginners are also perfect for everyone else whose excuse to not being fit is “I’m short of time”. You will find some useful insights about your long-standing habits surrounding food, movement, sleep, and social life.
Get Enough Sleep
You must have heard about the term “beauty sleep”, It’s more like “healthy sleep”. There are almost too many benefits to list. A good circadian cycle helps reduce stress and improves your immune system. It sharpens your memory and enables you to learn new things easily. It long term benefits include reducing the risk of heart disease.
One of the best ways to develop a good circadian cycle is by doing it on a schedule. Sleep at the same time and also wake up everyday on the same time. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep everyday.
For better sleep, make sure you stay away from digital devices at least 30 minutes before going to bed, dim the lights, maybe put on a nice relaxing music, mediate or do some breathing exercises. Build a ritual around your sleep cycle. It will help with getting a better, deeper and more relaxing sleep.
Watch Your Food Choices
Ah, here comes my favourite. Being a foodie (I mean c’mon. I live in Chandigarh, heart of Punjab. My bong genes don’t help either.) I know how hard it is to develop good eating habits.
First, eat live food. It is the single most thing you can do to preserve your health if nothing else. Live food usually includes food such as fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. Live food are the food that are consumed raw or in a condition as close to their original state to retain their nutrients and active ingredients.
Second thing you can do is mindful eating. Mindful eating is the most wonderful of all the healthy habits to stay fit forever. To avoid overeating, drink a glass of water before meal. Never skip your breakfast. Choose a nutritious meal with more protein and fiber for breakfast. Cut down on fat, sugar, and calories. Limit your exposure to temptations.
Thirdly, try to eat the rainbow. Rainbow means the more the colors on your plate, the more nutritious your meal is. Different colors in your food are known to have different types of nutrients.
Lastly, remember to incorporate seasonal fruits and vegetables in your meals as much as you can. Seasonal food is more nutritious, tastier, and fresher than non-seasonal food. Even though we all enjoy strawberries year-round, the greatest time to eat them is when they are available for purchase directly from a local farmer soon after harvest. Also, stay away from alcohol.
Stay Hydrated
It is one of the most important fitness tips for daily routine. According to the reports, a large chunk of the population drinks less water than is required. Working out raises your body’s demand for water, and if you don’t try to compensate it, there is a danger of weariness, memory loss, irritation, and kidney stones.
What can you do to remind yourself to drink plenty of water throughout the day? Well, my professor in college had found a unique way around it. She had asked us to keep pinging her about her water intake. I’m sure she was trying to make the session more interactive by doing so but it actually worked in her favor as she used to get multiple texts throughout the day from us children reminding her to “DRINK MORE WATER”.
Another way you can do this is by putting reminders on your phone. There are several apps that help you do that such as Aqualert and Waterllama. Aqualert is great for customization. These applications send you notifications throughout the day to keep you hydrated. They calculate your daily water requirements based on your activity level.
Cold Showers
The other day I read up about the benefits of cold showers and took a plunge into cold water. Mind you, its January going on and the next day I found myself in bed popping Paracetamol and sneezing my lungs out. Don’t do that! So, its certainly not one of my favorite fitness tips for daily routine, but its definitely worth a try.
Nevertheless, cold showers have become a popular method to begin the day due to the alleged benefits they provide, such as improved mental health, vitality, and muscle soreness. Cold showers are a type of cold-water immersion, or cold water therapy, similar to ice baths and cold water plunges.
According to research, cold showers may offer health benefits by improving circulation and stress response. Some researchers say that, hot and warm baths can dilate blood vessels and reduce tension in the muscles as well as pain. However, hot showers can dry up and irritate skin, so if you have to choose between the two, cold showers may be the way to go.
Regular Exercise
The other day, Mr. Boyfriend asked me whether I am exercising regularly (he’s in a habit of asking so), I responded, “It’s January. It too cold to exercise plus I don’t have time these days.” There have been umpteen articles on the topic and thousands of medical professionals vouching for the benefits for regular exercise. But the most common reason given for not being able to exercise enough is “I don’t have time”.
But, regular exercise is one habit that healthy people have picked up over time. It is the secret sauce of fitness tips and tricks for beginners. They get up an hour earlier than usual and religiously and vigorously give time to exercise. Is it ok to workout everyday? Of course yes. Consistency is the key when it comes to exercise.
To answer the question “How should I workout everyday?” _ As a beginner, you must start with an exercise routine of a few minutes. Then slowly increase it to an hour or more depending on your schedule. Know more about how to develop a daily exercise habit.
Try to include a variety of exercises in your routine and do not forget the warm up. Warm up has its own importance when it comes to mindful exercise.
And if you are like me, who prefers their mat over anything else, don’t forget to take your yoga mat out for a stroll everyday. I picked up yoga during the first wave of COVID 19 pandemic and slowly, it has become my ritual now. I never thought I’d romance yoga for this long, but I’m glad I was able to take up at least one healthy habit out of that chaotic situation the world was in!
Reduce Sitting And Screen Time
Do you identify yourself as a social media junkie? If you do, damn I’m sorry to say that its definitely not a part of the fitness tips for daily routine. You must cut down on your sitting time. Sitting in the same position or simply sitting for longer hours at a stretch has several health repercussions.
Ask yourself, do you really need to watch them go happily on a trip to Caribbean while you sulk in your bedroom battling the cold waves in your city? Do you really need to feel lonely by seeing people post pictures with better half while your person lives miles away in a different city? And if the answer to all these questions is a NO, you don’t need to use social media for more than an hour. It can be excused, if you are a social media professional like me, but definitely not otherwise.
Cutting back on screen time allows you to do other things. Go for a walk, read a book, or help your cousin cut vegetables for their next delicious dinner. Exercise cannot protect you from your sedentary lifestyle. Spending too much time sitting in front of a computer can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, even among regular exercisers. Consider taking breaks from sedentary activities.
Spend Time With Friends And Family
It is OKAY to have feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness, and uncertainty. It is also OKAY to lean on to people to help us deal with them. Remember, you are not alone. Find ways to manage your emotions. One way can do it is by spending time with your friends and family.
Quality time with your people promotes mental well being. It allows you to cultivate deeper and meaningful relationships. It improves your psychological well-being. This is the best fitness tips for daily routine in my eyes. According to one study, persons who consider their friends and family to be supportive report a higher feeling of meaning in life and a stronger sense of purpose.
A strong family tie enhances your ability to cope with life’s changes and challenges. Being with family offers you a sense of belonging, care, and need, which gives you a sense of meaning and purpose. This assurance provides motivation to move forward, grow, and succeed.
The Bottom Line
Cultivating healthy habits to stay fit forever is not difficult. All you need to do is decide and take a step forward. Remember not to rush through the process or be in a hurry to see multiple results in least time possible. Habits develop over time and, these habits will show results over a period of time. So, don’t be impatient if results aren’t visible almost instantly. Brush away thoughts like “I look the same in the mirror” and keep showing up everyday.
Second thing you need to take care of is not to try to change too many things at once. You will be overwhelmed with keeping track of all of these and will get exhausted in not time. Rest assured, these habits are one of the most common habits that anyone can develop and you can easily incorporate them in your daily routine.
Last modified: September 10, 2024
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