Fitness 101: Complete Your New Year Resolutions In 2024
Well, New Year or 2024, is just two months away…
Again, there will be so many people taking up New Year resolutions like
“This year, I will exercise every single day.”
or
“This year I will maintain a healthy diet.”
or
“This year I have to get abs.”
These are just some of those unrealistic resolutions and goals that people make every year and break every year.
Again this year, there would be a plethora of new gym-goers booming gym and dietician sales in the beginning, which will soon plummet to very few.
Well, to be honest, I was one of those people at the time.
Then, I realized that my goals of getting abs in one year or working out every day weren’t realistic.
I can’t work out every single day; everybody’s body needs rest.
I can’t eat clean and healthy every day if I want to still go out to parties and enjoy myself with my friends.
And I cannot get abs if I don’t work out or eat healthy at all.
The baseline of what I understood was that I can’t expect to be consistent with doing something every single day of my life without making each day of my life monotonous and dreadful.
And what is the point of being healthy or having those abs if you can’t go on a vacation to rest and relax, go party with your friends, or not enjoy even a single bite of your favourite sweet treat?
Isn’t that right?
Well, the key to maintaining health lies in maintaining a good lifestyle.
Now you may ask me...
Well, how do I maintain a Healthy lifestyle, Krish?
I mean, everyone struggles in the beginning, but I will summarize what I found is the mantra to maintain a good lifestyle in a few points:
- Eat Healthy: Well, there are only two things that matter to eating healthy.
One is that you eat a lot of vegetables.
Two, remove all of the sugary foods from your diet. I know that this might be a tough one, as sugars are addictive, but isn’t that what breaking the cycle is about?
One piece of advice is to try substituting your sugary soft drinks or cereals with natural sugars like dates, fruits, and homemade fruit juices.
(I will be writing more on this diet and how to get over sugar cravings, so follow me and stay tuned for my future stories and articles ^^) - Exercise Everyday: Exercising every day in any form is not just to burn calories but to keep your body fit both physically and mentally.
Exercise in any form, whether running, dancing, weightlifting, cycling, swimming, or any other sport, not only keeps you fit but also boosts your body’s immunity and keeps you free from diseases. - Move Everyday: Human bodies from our origin are made to move, either for hunting, farming, fighting, or even to play.
In recent years, with the increasing use of computers and phones, our lifestyles have become extremely sedentary and involve a lot of sitting.
This is not just against the nature of our bodies but also fundamentally incorrect.
So, move a little every day. Go for those morning and evening 15-minute walks; walk to the supermarket to buy groceries if it is not that far from your house; try walking to school; try walking to explore a new place when you are travelling or moving to a new place.
Walking and moving do not just help you become physically fit; they also make you more connected to your environment, atmosphere, community, and neighbours. - Sleep Well: There is no big brain theory about the logic that if you work hard, you have to rest harder.
This is not just applicable in terms of fitness but in all aspects of life.
This is also the reason why you shouldn’t try to go to the gym all day, year-round.
Your body needs rest after exercising; otherwise, it becomes detrimental to your body.
And... what is the best way to get more rest than to sleep?
So, get on your bed, pull on your quilt, and go to sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, read my article on sleep ^^. - Be Happy: It is very important to be happy, feel alive, and not be depressed and sulky all the time to be fit, because what is the point of having those muscles, abs, and hot body if you aren’t happy?
So, go meet your friends, go to a club or a beach once in a while with your friends, family, or partner, and meet your family members on festivals (Christmas is coming; you got your chance).
Enjoy your life.
Make your life worth living. - Take Breaks: It is important to take rest days to let your body recover from the workouts or runs, and even take cheat meals after days of clean eating.
Think of your body as a machine, and like any other machine, even your body needs some time to cool off before starting again.
Avoiding taking rests and breaks sounds productive and smart, but it is counterproductive.
It will make you more vulnerable to injuries and binge eating.
And, anyway, what’s the hurry?
Your fitness and healthy journey is supposed to be a lifestyle, not a race; and if you consider it a race, you won it the moment you began trying, my friend. ❤ - Return to Do It Again: Now, hear this very carefully: as much as it is important to take breaks, way more times it is important to come back on track.
You might sure take a rest day or a cheat meal, but what matters is if you can come back to work out the next day or again follow the healthy diet from your next meal.
Well, this all might sound like too much to do, but take it all one by one if you want. Take those baby steps.
Something is always better than nothing!
And please never get overwhelmed and sad if you ever fall off track or things don’t go as planned. That is entirely normal, and as I said, “What matters is if you can come back or not.”
Again, to wrap things up, fitness is not a goal; it is a journey and a lifestyle.
Enjoy every moment and make it a habit, not a punishment.
What is the point of abs if you can’t eat your favourite chocolate, my friend?
So, just wear your shoes and get started; don’t wait for the new year to come.
As Nike says,
Just Do It.
Until then,
Happy Reading!
:)
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