Achieving personal fitness goals is the key to staying focused and consistent with your fitness plan. When it comes to physical fitness, there is no shortcut. You have to put some effort every day to get to a place where you feel proud and happy about your body, both in shape and strength. To get there, you need to plan both short-term and long-term goals to see the results. It gets smoother when you follow a few tips which form an overall lifestyle impact.
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Six of those tips are here under:
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Set Realistic Goals
Realistic goals are only possible once you have in your mind precisely what you want. It can be hard when you are just starting to work out. You are unhappy with your body, and you want to change it. But know what exactly is it that makes you miserable? Is it your weak muscles? Is it your abs or your thighs? Or do you are just lazy due to inactivity? Once you know what the reason you want to start working out is, it gets easier to set the goals. Also, do not expect your body to transform overnight. Start with baby steps. Give yourself attainable goals. For example, aim at going to the gym every day for the first week. If you do not set realistic goals, chances are you will soon stop going to the gym, which will result in low self-esteem about the whole fitness thing.
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Stay Hydrated
It is essential to keep your body hydrated whether you are a fitness freak or not. But if you are an athlete or you go to the gym every day, it becomes even more critical to make sure you are drinking enough water. When you exercise, you sweat, which means you are losing a lot of water from your body. It becomes your responsibility to make sure you compensate that if you want to keep your body healthy and active. If you do not take care of your water intake, your kidneys might get severely affected, and you can have problems digesting your food, which can lead to a decrease in your strength.
Moreover, you can feel nauseated, your heart rate might get faster, your sweating can decrease, your skin might get dry, and you can also have muscle cramps. You can be the person who does not like to drink water, so try a flask instead. Keep it with you and sip a little bit of it now and then. This way, you will not have to drink water consciously. Looking at some health benefits of staying hydrated can also help you built this essential habit.
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Focus on what you Eat
You must have heard the famous saying that you are what you eat. You will be surprised to know that 80 pc of your body transforms through what you are eating, and the rest 20 pc is your exercise. If you are an athlete, you probably already know how important having a balanced diet is. Also, healthy food is what motivates you to go to the gym every day. You need to include protein and carbohydrates in your everyday diet. Protein works wonders for muscle recovery, as intense workouts can put a strain on your muscles. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are your energy boosters. Your body needs the energy to exercise. You possibly cannot starve yourself or instead give in to your cravings and have a great shape at the same time.
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Strength Exercises
Now that you are in the gym, the best workout for muscle building is strength exercises. You need to focus on as few strength exercises as possible, which will affect every muscle of your body. As per Nathan DeMatz, if you include these three exercises in your everyday gym routine, you can change the game for your muscles: Squats, the hip hinge, and the overhead press. There are many variations to these exercises, and you can put them for different days. This way, you will not only be motivated to do these every day, but you will also enjoy your time at the gym while doing these.
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Push-ups
It is one of the best no-equipment exercises to strengthen the upper body. Pushups help triceps, back, shoulders, pectoral muscles, and core. Also, you can add this exercise to your everyday gym routine. It is one of those exercises which gives you quick results. They do not have any health risks until you have had a wrist or ankle injury, in which case you will need to consult your physiotherapist. Also, it is essential to have the correct posture for pushups to see the results. It can be challenging to perform pushups if you are new and about to start a regime. You can try doing them against the wall or on your knees in the beginning and then move to your ankles.
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Warm-Up and Cool Down Exercises
Last but not least are the warm-up exercises that you do before your actual workout and cool down exercises and stretches which you do after your workout. These are extremely important so much so that if you do not do these, your muscles might go into a shock, leading to severe strains. Also, not doing them will eventually lead you to lose track of your fitness goals as you will feel more sluggish and heavy. It is incredibly unsafe and unprofessional to work out without warm-up and cool-down exercises and stretches.
The final word
As per stats, only 5% of adults in the US spend 30 minutes on physical activity per day. Unfortunately, it may be due to the increased screen time (either on phones or laptops), people are unable to remain motivated to perform physical activity. Because of this, people are leading unhealthy, short, and unhappy lives without realizing the reason behind it. Thankfully, there is a lot of awareness regarding it, and all you need to do now is get yourself up and sweat a little.
