Today’s collaborative post is about something near and dear to my heart, my health! Whether you’re thinking about making a New Year’s resolution to get healthier, or you’re just doing it because you want a better quality of life, these resources are perfect for you!
There are all kinds of fitness routines out there, and a lot of them are completely focused on making you train as hard as possible. You’ve probably noticed that trend going around social media and the like. Fitness “bootcamps” overseen by men dressed as drill instructors who promise to ruin your life and leave you unable to walk for a week. CrossFit talk about being “tougher than anyone else” and all the rest.
Intense training can work for some people, in some circumstances, but it’s generally not the kind of thing that’s sustainable — or even necessarily healthy — for most people. And it’s definitely not very likely to improve your overall sense of wellness.
Fortunately, it is possible to make strides towards achieving your fitness goals without completely burning yourself out on a daily basis. Here are a few suggestions on how to get fit and increase your wellness at the same time.
Try fitness systems that are designed to build strength and balance, while also increasing body awareness and addressing muscular imbalances
One of the most important jobs of any fitness routine or system you might care to try, is that it should help to address and correct muscular imbalances, while simultaneously building strength and balance.
Ideally, it will also increase your overall body awareness.
Certain exercise programs and styles have been created particularly and specifically for this purpose. BeatBarre is one example, and Pilates is another. BeatBarre relies on workouts inspired by hyper-fit, agile, and athletic ballerinas, while Pilates was invented precisely by a doctor who wanted to create a system for the rehabilitation of injuries and imbalances in his patients.
Yoga is another workout style that does an excellent job in this regard.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with heavy weight lifting. But it might not have the same holistic effect as these other forms of exercise.
Walk more — especially in nature
Over and over again, research has consistently found that people who walk around more on a regular basis, are healthier across the board than people who spend more time sitting around.
And research has also found some startling evidence that people who spend more time in nature are healthier than those who don’t — wish it even being suggested that hospital patients with a view of a tree from the window recover faster.
It doesn’t take much to put two and two together and figure out that going for regular walks, especially in nature, is really good for you.
Spend less time in front of electronic devices, and more time playing and doing things outdoors
Not too long in the past, if people were bored and wanted a bit of fun and excitement, playing physical games outdoors was one of the number one solutions. Not only does this kind of outdoor play provide some exercise — sometimes pretty intense, in fact — but it also releases feel-good endorphins and helps you to bond socially with whoever you’re playing with.
These days, though, most of us don’t play sports or Frisbee with our friends when we’re bored. Instead, we surf the web endlessly. But researchers have found that the more time people spend on social media, the more anxious and depressed they’re likely to be.
Wherever possible, try and reduce the time you spend in front of screens, and increase the time you spend playing and doing things outdoors.