So, it’s February. If you made New Year’s resolutions you fully intended to honor and now find yourself lamenting the fact that you haven’t gotten around to getting that done, this post is just for you.
So what if your good intentions have fallen apart? It’s not the end of the world. Sometimes, people set themselves unrealistic goals. And that’s the worst thing you can ever do. Instead, set yourself achievable benchmarks you know you’ll honor. An unsustainable fitness goal is a fitness goal that does you no good, as it’s too easy to give up completely.
Keeping active in the New Year is a priority we should all put at the top of our “to do” lists. No excuses! Let’s talk a little more about it.
30 minutes a day
You’ve got a brand new gym membership and you’ve only used it twice since the beginning of the year. This is timeless story about New Year’s fitness resolutions – they fall apart rather lamentably often.
But you can still take a 30-minute walk every day to get yourself moving. Walking really is one of the best things you can do for your body. Start slow. Don’t push yourself too hard to begin with. As you make that 30-minute daily walk a part of your life, you’ll soon find that 30-minutes isn’t enough for you. Before you know it, you’ll be walking an hour and wanting to do more to get your fitness level up.
Your circulation and muscle tone will improve dramatically if you stick to this simple regime. You’ll find that your mood is greatly improved, too!
Conquering the plague of sitting
It’s easy to get in “the zone” if you sit at work. You’re on a roll, getting things done. Before you realize it, you’ve been sitting for 3 hours straight. Your brain is telling you, “Get up, already!”, but you’re in the zone.
If you need to, set a timer on your computer to remind you to get up, stretch and walk around. Go to the washroom, grab a coffee from the break room. Take a few moments to stretch. Your body will thank you.
And get this – your metabolism slows down after only 30 minutes of sitting continuously, so it’s on you to conquer the plague of sitting, to maintain blood flow and to keep your metabolism where it needs to be.
And while you’re stretching, don’t forget about your hips and back. These can really suffer from sitting for long periods of time, so keep them nice and loose to prevent problems in these crucial areas.
Not doing so causes your muscles to shorten, resulting in tightness. A lunge stretch is a great way to deal with hip flexor tightness. When sitting, remember to hold your abdominal muscles in to protect your back, also.
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