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by Michelle Sutton-Kerchner
Are you allowing your workout to truly change you? Let fitness be more than a daily check-off. Use it to motivate a healthier self …
Health transformations often conjure images of extreme weight loss or champion bodybuilders. However, a transformation can take place every time you work out. Rather than throw a time commitment at healthy living—for example, a 60-minute workout, five days a week– you need to live it. Transform your fitness efforts into a healthy lifestyle. That’s the not-so-secret way to maintain results.
You may only want to drop 10 pounds for a special event. Or, wish to lower your bad cholesterol for an upcoming annual exam. If you just want these types of short-term results, set a timer and follow strict guidelines. You’ll probably quickly achieve results and likely just as quickly lose them.
Instead, let your actions be transformative. Turn your efforts into a lifestyle to maintain results for your healthiest life possible. Here are ways to take your dedication to health beyond the Fitness Floor.
Move More Throughout the Day
Don’t let exercise be a one-and-done. Be the picture of health all day long. You will inspire others and further inspire your own healthy choices. Last week’s F&W News article, “Momentum: Motivation in Motion” (https://fitnessandwellnessnews.com/momentum-motivation-motion/) explained how success begets success. Those who exercise are more likely to make healthier choices in other areas throughout their day compared to their sedentary counterparts. Capitalize on this momentum.
Let your workout be the catalyst that gets you biking to a friend’s house instead of driving, walking your dog (walking anyone’s dog), washing your car, or shooting hoops instead of channel-surfing. Ride that fitness high into a healthier life. Be the change you want to see in the mirror.
Eat Better
You can’t expect a daily workout to counteract a day’s worth of unhealthy habits, including a poor diet. Banish the food-reward mentality. You may have worked out for two hours today. That does not afford an evening of junk-food binging.
Reconstruct your thoughts. Two hours of sweat and strenuous exercise deserves a healthful meal. It is not permission to spend the rest of the day lazing around with your hand in a bag of chips. Consume fuel that is worthy of your body and all its amazing functions. You deserve healthy.
Live Like You Mean It
Everyone has some unhealthy habits. Think of them as restraints holding you back from higher levels of achievement, both on and off the Fitness Floor. Consider your workout the motivation to tackle these negativities, not permission to continue to indulge.
If you smoke, skip a cigarette; try skipping again the next day. Switch your vanilla latte to a mug of green tea. Eat an extra piece of fruit to appease your sweet tooth. Shut off the late show and get more sleep. Use your actions to complement your fitness program. Use your fitness program to inspire a healthier lifestyle.
When glimpsing your form in the Center mirror, really take notice of yourself. You are full of life, vibrant energy in motion. You are a bodybuilder, swimmer, kickboxer. Live up to that reflection long after you slip out of your gym shorts and sneakers. Become the person you are working so hard to create: a strong, healthy individual who radiates goodness long after your fitness session.
Image Credits
Ripple: pixabay.com/en/stones-pebble-water-wave-244244
Drinking water: pixabay.com/en/drinking-water-filter-singapore-1235578
