Exercising your right to a better body means having one that functions
well on the inside and outside. This does take time, but the rewards
are worth it. You will feel positive about yourself and project
that to those around you. Begin with an assessment of where you
are and where you want to be.
Then, make your move with these five steps:
1. Get Your Heart Going
The technical terms for this type of exercise are cardiovascular
or aerobic training. Exercises like walking, running and swimming
will help you build strong heart and lung muscles and help you control
your weight. This type of exercise also tones your muscles.
2. Build Muscle
While walking and running will help you tone, you can also lose
muscle with too much aerobic exercise. And since your goal is to
look good on the outside as well, you will want to build some muscle.
Maybe you don't want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, that's
okay. Using weights to strengthen your muscle will add more mass
to them. Muscle needs food to thrive. Building muscle will allow
you to use the food you eat more efficiently so that you can reduce
body fat and get the shape you want.
3. Eat to Live
Learn to eat to live not live to eat. Eating a balanced combination
of foods in the balanced quantities will help you get and maintain
the body you want. That means you need to eat carbohydrates (starches),
protein (meat and dairy products) and yes even some fat. Every body
is different, but the general rule is to eat what your body will
use.
4. Get Your Rest
You've heard the saying, "Too much of a good thing."
Exercise and rest go hand in hand. You actually wear your body down
during exercise and build it up with rest. Too much of one or the
other can have different, yet disastrous effects. For those over
thirty, it takes the body about 24 hours to fully recover from an
hour of strenuous exercise, so it's a good idea to take a couple
of days off a week. Daily rest is also important, get it.
5. Keep at it and Reward Yourself
Most people start off well, yet finish poorly. A fitness program
is a lifetime commitment, not a short term project. In order to
keep a level of persistence, you need to reward yourself periodically.
Maybe it's an extra day off from training or a piece of chocolate.
It's your choice, but don't forget it.
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