In an age of convenience, humans are becoming lazier, and this is having negative effects on our fitness levels.
If you’re looking to become more active and improve your physical wellbeing, there’s good news – it’s easy, and you don’t even need a gym membership!
Read our 8 top tips for leading a more active lifestyle below.
- Join local sports clubs
If you’re new to fitness or if you find motivating yourself to go to a gym or go for a run incredibly hard, you may benefit from joining a sports club or attending classes.
Almost all communities have a local gym or fitness center that offers classes – for example, running clubs and dance clubs in Sydney – which means you can link up with other likeminded people and be guided by a trained professional. You may also find local clubs to be enjoyable because of the social aspect, and going along to classes with friends is always a great incentive.
- Walk-in nature
Another way to become more active all-year-round is to get outside and spend time walking in nature. Walking in fresh air is good for the body, the mind and the soul, and being outside will improve your happiness.
Walking is so good for the body – both for weight control and muscle toning – and takes little-to-no effort. So, grab your family and head on a woodland walk, mountain trek or coastal stroll.
- Get a fitness tracker
Setting goals and seeing results written in measurable numerics is another way to keep you motivated along your fitness journey. Invest in a Fitbit or use your Health app on your Apple device to track your steps and distance when running or walking.
In terms of step count, 10,000 steps a day is a good achievement, and it’s not hard to achieve if you incorporate a couple of 30-minute walks into your daily routine. By using fitness trackers to set goals, you will improve your fitness levels and enjoy the process.
- Incorporate activity into your social life
Another easy way to be more active is to incorporate fitness activities into your social calendar. For example, if you have plans to meet a friend for coffee, why not get a coffee-to-go and walk around a park or along the beach? Or, why not kill two birds with one stone and invite your friend to come on your morning run with you – you will get your exercise done and get to catch up with your friend at the same time.
- Have exercise equipment at home
For many of us, we can’t always bring ourselves to go to the gym, even if we have a membership. Plans can change, moods can change and it can be weather-dependant. However, if you have simple fitness equipment at home, you can still do a short workout in your garden or in the living room and feel healthier for it.
If you don’t have room/budget to get a treadmill or cross-trainer in your home, pilates-style hand weights or bands are just as great for workouts.
- Make changes to your daily routine
When it comes to being more active day-to-day, the biggest impact is made with the smallest changes. For example, if you drive to work because you are always in a rush, try waking up earlier in the morning and giving yourself time to walk to work instead. Or, if you ride public transport to work, figure out how you can cover some of your journey on foot. Walking just 30 minutes more every day will drastically improve your fitness levels.
- Buy a bike
Leading on from the above point, you should also consider buying a bike for your work commute. A bike is often as quick as a car (sometimes faster, depending on traffic), is environmentally friendly and is practically free. Better yet, riding a bike is a great workout!
- Find a type of activity that you enjoy
Finding your “thing” is important. Maybe yoga is your jam; maybe you love to lift weights; maybe you swim and surf or weekends, or maybe you just walk everywhere and count that as your daily workout. Everyone’s bodies are different and everyone’s bodies react differently to different types of exercise. So, find the activity or activities that you most enjoy and that make you happy, and give those activities a starring role in your life. Not only will you be fitter, but you will feel more fulfilled.
Good luck!