"Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do not a punishment for what you ate."
In the ingredients for the spice of life, you'll activity. Getting moving is important in creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself and integral active lifestyle necessities. It is supported by essentials like healthy habits, sustainable living, and even rest.
As a creative, I find it important to keep an active lifestyle for a number of reasons including health, well-being, and artistic inspiration. But how do you get started? When it comes to gathering your active lifestyle necessities, you can start with some items and points to take the leap.
Prep the body
If you want to get up and start moving, you must lay the groundwork. That means cleaning out your pantry, adopting more healthy eating habits, and adding some color to your fridge – and not the processed kind.
In case you haven’t been introduced to super-foods, we are here to get you acquainted. Super-foods are jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fiber – all the necessary micro and macro-nutrients you need. These will provide you with energy, help you shed those few extra pounds, and even take care of your digestive health and immunity.
The best part is when it comes to making healthy recipes, be it a pre-workout smoothie or a healthy meal for dinner, you can find simple, straightforward, and easy instructions. This means that you can pull it off even if you aren’t the most dexterous person in the kitchen, so you are literally out of excuses.
Matcha for the win
All the hype around matcha tea (a much stronger version of green tea) is completely justified. Matcha comes in the form of a finely ground powder. It contains ‘137 times more antioxidants than regularly brewed green tea’. What does that mean for you? Well, since you’ll be drinking plenty of delicious and nutritious smoothies before your workout, and sometimes even after, matcha is the perfect addition to whichever healthy concoction you come up with. It helps detoxify the body and provides you with the needed energy boost. It can even help with weight loss as it’s known for its positive effect on your metabolism. Get your matcha on, make sure it’s organic – natural is always better, and get your stride back.
Prep your gear
When deciding to join the gym, take up yoga or simply start running in the morning, the easiest thing to do is quit before you’ve even started. According to numerous studies, if you have all the right gear, you will definitely feel a higher level of motivation. This psychological phenomenon is called enclothed cognition, which represents a ‘systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer's psychological processes. Therefore, if you lay out the gear – your tracksuit and a vest (for the colder days) on a chair in front of your bed, you are more likely to get up, get dressed, put your supportive Reebok sneakers on, and hit the road. So, you know what to do – start shopping for clothes and footwear that speaks to you and you’ll get the push you need to get moving.
Never forget it
Forget about the general rule of thumb – the one that says a person needs somewhere between 6 to 8 glasses of water. Experts say that this number highly depends on external factors such as the climate you live in, the level of physical activity, and many more. So, when you’re breaking out a good amount of sweat, whether lifting weights, doing push-ups, or giving it your all on the treadmill, you need to replenish the amount of water you lose. So, ditch the rule and drink as much water as your body needs. The best way to remind yourself to do so is with a nice and visually appealing water bottle. It’s silly, but it works.
Extras
Sometimes you need just a little something to keep you going. The list of these ‘boosters’ includes a killer playlist that will keep you pumped and a great gym bag that will make you look stylish and proud to go to the gym. Finally, there is nothing more important than good support. Nothing can kill your will to exercise like a bad bra, so make sure you scout for the best, most supportive one that will ensure nothing stands in the way between you and your fitness goals.
Finally, if you’re not the most driven person, a workout buddy or a personal trainer can be the answer to your motivation problems. Knowing that you made a deal with someone and that it’s not just you makes you want to be more responsible. And, if you have a trainer, you will hate feeling like you’ve left them waiting in vain, not to mention that you’ll feel bad for the money you spent on a trainer and aren’t using their services. You have all the essentials, now go, fly, run, jump and beat the sedentary lifestyle.
