Maintaining an active lifestyle allows me to be a better person physically and mentally. Also, I can’t deny the fact being fit allows me to rock my favourite pair of skinny jeans, a little black dress, a crop top, eat a pizza once in a while. And trust me when you’re so disciplined and fit, you can occasionally indulge without any guilt.

Consistency vs Intensity

My fitness routine is about consistency not about highly intense exercises which initially may seem interesting but one starts to dread and loath the whole workout thing after a period of time. It should be about quality over quantity, right? A 10 minutes a day is better than doing nothing! You don’t have to be extreme, but consistent.

My Fitness Secret

Sticking to a daily workout routine is the best thing you can do to your body and overall health. Please note that you can change the frequency and pace of the below workout routine as per your fitness level. However, I would suggest you to get out of your way and push yourself a bit. Let’s get moving!

Walk walk and walk

I love my walks and try to strive for 15,000 steps a day.  I often challenge myself to do 20,000 steps a day and keep doing it now and then.  I believe walking is the least intimidating form of exercise and helps toning up the body! Since 20,000 steps seems like a difficult goal, I divide them and try to do 10,000 in the morning and the rest in the evening because it’s difficult to do in one go. You can make it easy and interesting by listening to your favourite podcast, book or by calling up someone while walking. You can track your steps with the fitness band or can download pedometer on your phone to track your steps. I rely on pacer app and iPhone’s inbuilt health app. Remember, I didn’t start with 20,000 steps; key is to just get moving. Keep realistic goals as per your lifestyle, slowly you will start squeezing in extra steps once you get going. Not to mention, staying active not only benefits you physically, but it is also incredibly important for your mental health. I can’t tell you how much I love my walks, although it did become difficult during the lockdown but ‘will and dedication’ is also something! I didn’t let that dampen my spirits and used to do in-house walks, and so could you. Trust me, it’s all in the head.

Keep your Workouts Short

I consider my workouts like an essential, like brushing my teeth, eating food or taking shower. I personally like to keep my sessions short and interesting. My workout lasts for about 30 minutes and do it 4-5 times a week. I start with a warm up, and have set specific body workout per day. It’s like upper body, lower body, arms, abs, yoga and Pilates. And when I’m not in the mood to do an elaborate workout, I swear by this quick 15-minute workout which goes like this-

 20 jumping jacks           20 knee highs        10 burpees          10 pushups

 20 squats    60 Seconds plank          20 crunches            20 donkey kicks

Eat a healthy diet

I know we hear it all the time from all the fitness junkies and health experts but you know why because that’s how it is! Don’t eat mindlessly, keep a check on what you are putting in your body. If you eat healthy, you feel healthy. It’s that simple. It’s all about calories. To reduce you got to burn more than you eat and vice versa. Plus, needless to say from where those calories are coming from. I start my day with a glass of warm water and later have a bowl of fruits. To get some quick healthy recipes for breakfast check this out.

A good night Sleep

A good sleep is needed to reset and restore. Sleeping properly improves our metabolism, energy levels and overall ability to work towards all of your healthy living goals. For quite some time, I had an erratic sleeping pattern but now I’ve a pretty much fixed routine and I can’t emphasise enough what wonders it has done for me! To achieve it, I leave my phone an hour before I intend to sleep and try to wake up at a fixed time in the morning except for Sundays! Sundays are for sleeping in and lazing around, don’t you agree? And, I endeavor to have at least 8 hours of sleep each day.

Hydration is the Key

Water can do pretty magical things to your body. And do you know that it can help you lose weight as well? It‘d actually make you feel full and curb your snack cravings. Drinking water before you have a meal can do wonders as you won’t overeat. Moreover, drinking more water would help you in a healthy weight loss and flush out the toxins from your body. I have two glasses of water when I get up in the morning. You may not feel thirsty but your body really needs to be hydrated as you’ve gone 6+ hours without drinking water. I drink two glasses of water before every meal. I often infuse water with lemon, mint and cucumber to make it interesting. I also make sure to load up on fruits and veggies which are rich in water content. I try to have as much water as possible. I know it’s a hard habit to start but once you do, you will be hooked.

So guys, make these changes in your lifestyle and you’d definitely see the magic. Don’t worry if you aren’t able to follow or stick to these tips completely but you’re trying and that’s good. Slowly and steadily, you’d reach there. Try switching and tweaking it up here and there a bit. Find things that work for you. When you make this a priority, healthy and mindful living will become a way of life for you too! And remember that working out doesn’t have to be an hour or more commitment. Be consistent and set realistic goals which you’re likely to stick and that’s what matters the most.

Until then

Stay healthy, Stay Happy

Glam Adventuress