No one wants to be overweight, out of shape, or unhealthy. However, plenty of us fit into all three of these categories. The frustrating truth is that life happens and we don’t always make our own health a priority. We are busy putting our careers, our children, our spouses and even our schoolwork ahead of our health. We get sucked into a self perpetuating cycle in which we don’t exercise, sleep or eat properly, which leads to exhaustion, which leads to lack of sleep, exercise and nutrition – you see the pattern. Whether you’re a busy executive or a stay-at-home mom, it is easy to get into this rut and before you know it, you no longer recognize the person in the mirror looking back at you. It sounds a little depressing, but don’t fret – there is hope!
If you can chisel out just a few minutes a day to devote to exercise, you’ll quickly begin to see increases in energy levels and decreases in stress levels. To start with, make a conscious decision to get short spurts of exercise wherever you can fit it in. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator or park in the far parking spaces at stores or at work instead of parking a close as you can. Try to do some crunches before bed each night and do some squats when you wake in the morning. Start with just 10 repetitions and work your way up to 50 or 100. Just do something – something is always better than nothing at all. If you commit to this in the beginning, you’ll find that as time passes, you’ll feel motivated to do just a little bit more, and then a little more after that. Before you know it, you’ll be working out for 20 or 30 minutes a day. You’ll quickly find that you have much more energy to accomplish your daily tasks. You’ll also find that you’ll sleep better at night if you’ve exercised at some point during the day. And, as a benefit of improved sleep…you guessed it, you’ll experience increased energy!
To accompany your commitment to daily exercise, try to make healthier food choices. You don’t have to plunge head first into an extreme diet plan. Simply make small changes to your existing diet. Try to think about what you’re eating before you eat it. It’s very easy for busy people to eat blindly, grabbing whatever is convenient just to ease the pains of hunger. To avoid grabbing candy and chips, buy prepackaged healthy snacks. Protein bars are great for this. So is low-fat yogurt, vegetable platters, fruit salads or cottage cheese. Improving your food choices even just a little bit will make a big difference in your overall energy levels.
It doesn’t take a lot of time or discipline to lose weight, get in shape and improve your overall health. If you can convince yourself that your health is important enough to devote just a few minutes a day to, you’ll look and feel younger and more energetic in no time at all.
Nov 10, 2008 @ 19:53:10
One of the obstacles that deter people from working out is laziness. After a long hard day of work the last thing people want to do is to work out. This may not be due to lack of motivation, but a lack of energy. One method I use to boost my energy for a rigorous work out is through energy drinks. Energy drinks have received some flack for being dangerous, but I’ll have to disagree. As long as you consume them in moderation, eat right, and get proper rest they’re pretty safe. Anyways, feel free to check out my Energy Drink Reviews
Cheers!