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Pranit Shilimkar, fitness entrepreneur and founder of Fitnesstalks, tells you how simple lifestyle changes can help you take control of your life.
When we look back at 2021, it's necessary to understand how the year treated us both physically and mentally.
As we enter the New Year, there needs to be a massive change in our lifestyle and that includes our habits, fitness, and dietary patterns.
With each passing year, research has shown that lifestyle-induced comorbidities and illnesses will be on the rise.
In order to make 2022 a healthy, happy, and fit year for us, it's time to rework our health by following these simple habits.
1. Invest in professional fitness counseling
Regardless of your fitness levels or your dietary habits, it's necessary to get professional help so as to ensure you are on the right track.
Most of the time, the 'healthy' habits we're so sure of are detrimental to our health.
Inadequate knowledge is harmful especially when it comes to imitating someone else’s fitness or diet regime.
A health professional will identify your issues and suggest adequate countermeasures so you can have a healthy 2022.
You can start by visiting your family doctor to take stock of your health and understand how you can improve your overall fitness.
If you have a fitness goal in mind, you may hire a personal trainer and nutritionist to help you plan your day and change your lifestyle.
2. A balanced nutrition plan
The root cause of all your health issues is your relationship with food.
A well-balanced meal can provide you with the nutrition needed to stay mentally and physically fit as well as build a good immune system.
Most of the time, we all have a few dietary deficiencies that we are clueless about, and paying attention to our diet can be extremely positive.
Always make sure you plan your meals and they are well-balanced, instead of quick fixes and junk food.
3. Consistency in activity levels
Your physical activity can make or break your fitness goals.
Often, people work out for a few weeks then go completely off-track and make up for it with rigorous and unneeded intensity in the next few days.
These highs and lows can damage you and lead to serious injuries. Also, they can break your morale when you look in the mirror.
Good physical activity levels and discipline are essential for 2022.
4. Meditate
A highly under-rated aspect of fitness, meditation can be a game-changer for you in every possible way.
Meditation helps you to focus as well as arm your mental health for every setback.
A lot of athletes meditate to align themselves with their goals and ambitions. Additionally, meditation helps to reduce stress- a major cause of weight gain.
5. Take mental health seriously
A lot of times your physical health is affected because your mental health is in ruins.
Anxiety, depression, or any other mental health-related issue can severely affect your eating habits, increase stress, and cause you to lose focus.
Consult a mental health professional as soon as possible so your 2022 can start on a positive and light note
6. Focus on strength training
Lift weights, period.
People fall for excessive cardio in order to lose fat and in turn lose muscle as well.
Strength training gives you better results, helps your mind-muscle coordination, and also helps you to build your immunity.
A good balance between cardio and strength training can aid you in consistent fat loss as well as looking and feeling good.
7. Consult a physiotherapist
Untreated injuries, soreness, stiffness, as well as any sort of discomfort can hamper your fitness regime.
Fitness is all about consistency and progress. And for that, you need to ensure that your physical ailments are taken care of.
A good physiotherapist will help you to treat your injuries as well as everything else that affects your performance.
A strength and conditioning coach along with a good rehabilitation plan is the key to a good fitness regime without any hurdles.
8. Sleep and hydration
Often ignored, these two aspects are the pillars of your health.
Sleeping is the best way to detox, repair, and rejuvenate your physical and mental health for the next day.
Ensure you get a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep regularly irrespective of your schedule or lifestyle.
Water intake is also important for your body's optimum performance.
You'll soon notice that you tend to confuse hunger for thirst once you start hydrating adequately.
Keep a bottle of water at your work desk or any place where you spend a lot of time.
9. Plan your day
Fitness and health are all about planning and conscious efforts.
Guilty workouts after a weekend of binging and drinking are not sustainable and won’t give you the desired results.
Always plan your meals, your sleep schedule, your workout routine, as well as your recovery window.
Be mindful about what you consume and how your body reacts to external distractions.
Once you have a grip on your self-control, your actions won’t divert from your fitness goals.
10. Acknowledge your failure and success
A cheat meal won't kill the progress you have made so far and neither will an extra set of lifting weights give you the desired body.
However, every small victory or loss needs to be accounted for, that's how you'll evaluate your progress.
Don't get disheartened or over-confident. Patience is the name of the game and you'll need a lot of it in 2022.
You have 365 days, 365 opportunities to make your body your best ally. Don't give up.
