It’s the start of a brand new year, and as one of the entries on my bucket list for the year, I want to get fit and healthy again, maybe lose a bit of weight along the way too. I have really thought about my fitness for the last few months and I have really looked into what I want to do to achieve my fitness goals. As part of my exercise, I plan on making healthier choices with food & drinks too. Please contact your GP before you make any decisions about losing weight. Maybe just get a quick health check first. I’m not doing this solely to lose weight, I am doing it for my Health and fitness levels. Running is completely out of the question for me, I have Asthma which is made worse by high impact exercise. I used to dread Athletics in school because it would 100% bring on my Asthma attacks, so I always ended up walking around the track. As part of my plan I have decided to introduce some new activities to help me along the way. Walking – I already do quite a bit of walking, We own two active dogs, so it is the perfect excuse to get out and keep moving. Walking increases cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness, reduces risk of heart disease and stroke, reduces body fat. You can go for a walk absolutely anywhere.
Swimming – Swimming is good for someone with Asthma so I really want to start swimming again, I used to do swimming quite a lot when I was younger, but for whatever reason have found myself far away from a swimming pool.Swimming keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stresses off your body, helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs.
Yoga – I have been in & out of Yoga for many years, and I really want to stick with it this time and give it a real good try. Yoga improves the Cardiovascular system (heart and arteries) – asanas are isometric, which means they rely on holding muscle tension for a short period of time. This improves cardiovascular fitness and circulation. Studies show that regular yoga practice may help normalise blood pressure.
Tai Chi – Tai chi is one of the ‘soft’ martial arts developed by the ancient Chinese. It is practised increasingly in the West as a means of stress management and exercise. Regular practice can increase flexibility and strength, and improve cardiovascular fitness
Meditate – I have meditated for a few years now and I have seen massive improvements.Meditation is a habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts.You can use it to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Many people think of it as a way to reduce stress and develop concentration.People also use the practice to develop other beneficial habits and feelings, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns and even increased pain tolerance.
A few other ways I am going to improve my Health, fitness and wellbeing.Give up unhealthy drinks Eat better Reduce salt intake I barely use salt to start with but I wouldn’t mind reducing it even more.Keep stress levels to a low meditation will help with this!Improve my sleep surroundings by keeping a clean, decluttered, cool room.Always have breakfast, the most important meal of the day.Choose healthier snacks like nuts or raw veg and totally forget about chocolate.Breathe.