Staying in shape is important, especially for the modern woman. You don’t need to be able to lift a 100kg or even a 10kg dumbbell, but you need to be physically fit enough to go about your daily activities without hassle. Plus, being fit comes with a myriad of benefits such as a boost to your immune system, protection from cardiovascular diseases, and improvement in your confidence. Whoever you are, wherever you are from, whatever you do, staying fit is a favor you owe to yourself.

Getting Started

A lot of people are stuck at the beginning, wondering how they should start. Just decide on why you want to be fit. It doesn’t have to be a deep, philosophical reason. A simple reason as ‘to pass time doing something beneficial’ is more than enough to get you going. Whether it is weight loss or disease prevention, pick a reason and commit to it as long as possible.

Usually, fitness is measured against certain parameters such as cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular endurance, body composition, and flexibility. There are exercises and practices explicitly catered to address each of these aspects to ensure peak performance and gains. However, not all of us are athletes or professionals. The time and even the resources to dedicate to the art of physical fitness may be a challenge. This doesn’t mean you cannot engage and stay healthy in your way because there are ways to stay healthy and fit, regardless of your budget or time.

So How Do You Stay Fit?

Well, it’s quite simple: eat well, exercise, and take care of yourself mentally. That’s it, folks! To take care of your body and ensure that it is able to perform as well as it possibly can, just monitor what you put in it, how you engage your body, and how you treat it. Let’s break these further down:

1. Eating Well

The importance of diet cannot be understated when it comes to fitness. “You are what you eat,” and that is truer than you realize. Your body depends on the nutrients in the food you eat to build itself up. Eating a well-balanced diet can help you get the calories and nutrients you need to fuel your daily activities, including regular exercise. You can get a personalized nutrition plan tailored to fit your needs precisely by talking to a nutritionist or follow some general eating behaviors if you cannot afford the time or finances required to do so. These include:

• Starting on the Right Foot.

Breakfast is an important meal. The first food you eat in the day supplies your body with the calories and nutrients used during the day. It only makes sense that you feed yourself first thing in the morning (and properly too). Your breakfast makeup can vary widely so long as it contains enough to sustain your body, which means that you should eat a decent amount early in the day. Good breakfast habits have been linked with a lower risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Plus, eating well in the morning means you are less likely to opt for an unhealthy snack during the time before lunch.

• Boosting your fruit and vegetable intake.

Fruits and veggies are rich sources of natural fiber, vitamins, and minerals needed by your body to function properly. They are also low in calories and fat, which means consuming large portions does not affect your caloric balances and fat storage as much as eating other foods in similar amounts. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that you fill half your plate with fruits and veggies at every meal, but if you cannot, spread it over the day and eat as much as you can within the day.

• Stay hydrated.

You don’t need to drink fancy to keep your body healthy. Water will do just fine. Keep your body hydrated, especially if you exercise. Drinks with electrolytes and calories are good when you engage in sustained exercises. They replenish your body and keep your stamina levels up but are largely unrequired during your everyday daily life. Besides, they add the worry of calories for people attempting to watch their weight or caloric intake during the day.

• Choosing healthy snacks over junk foods.

No matter how tempting oily junk foods are, they aren’t exactly good for you. What you can do instead when you are craving a small snack is to go for something healthier. Fuel up before exercises and opt for unsaturated fats when possible. Snacks between major meals of the day help keep your body fueled and prevent it from dipping into its reserves, so keep some nuts and berries around you, or a biscuit or two for the times before your next big meal and after your last one. There is nothing wrong with the guilty pleasure of ice cream sundae once in a while or a cheat day cake, but they should remain rarities.

• Balancing your diet as much as possible

Devoid of a health risk or issue, your daily diet most likely contains all the nutrients your body needs except, perhaps, in the wrong proportions. Aim to fill your diet with proteins and vitamins, watching your carb consumption over the day. Since most of our staple foods are carbohydrate-rich foods, it is essential that you consciously balance them out with other food groups over the day. Remember, the best way to know what suits you will be to visit a nutritionist.

Keep your fridge stocked with health goodies, drink a lot of water during the day, eat regularly, and never skip breakfast – simple tips that go a long way in the absence of a nutritional plan. Before going on any diet, consult a professional.

2. Exercising

The sedentary lifestyles we live these days, together with the recent pandemic and general social trends, means that we cannot stretch and utilize our muscles as much as necessary. Our body and cells lose function gradually over time if they remain dormant. For the average person who has physical activities incorporated into their day, there is no need to worry that much as their muscles get worked out just enough to keep them strong to do what needs to be done. But for true physical fitness, even for the physically active woman, exercising as regularly as possible is necessary, whether at home or the gym.

• Have a plan.

Having a plan for exercising helps condition your mind and body to look forward to it. The easier part of exercising is the beginning, but keeping to the plan could grow tedious over time. It is just how it is, but stick with the plan you make, and you will be reaping benefits in no time. The best plans start slow and ramp up steadily with the growth of the body. Whatever the case, however much you exercise, make sure there are days of rest between workouts for your body to recover from the exercises and grow tougher and sturdier.

• Rest is important.

Your body requires rest to recover from all the exercise and physical activities you put it through. Your body, during rest, repairs the micro damages caused to your muscles and adapts to the stress it faced during the day. As such, you must give yourself adequate rest in-between workouts. Help your body achieve such recovery in calming, comfortable environments.

• You have options.

Gyms provide the equipment, instructors, and motivation to work out properly, and you can hit one near you to reap the benefits. You can also achieve a similar result from home by stretching and exercising at your comfort. Yoga, Pilates – they are all beneficial. Just make sure that the time and environment are suitable without distractions and that you plan your workouts over the week to target every muscle group in your body. Jogging and runs are also excellent for endurance training and cardiovascular development.

3. Taking Care of Yourself

Your mental health is tied to your physical fitness and wellbeing. Taking time to deal with stress however possible, maintaining a positive attitude towards life, and loving yourself is essential. Being in a better state mentally will motivate you to try even harder to maintain your body, and lifestyle changes are also required to stay healthy and fit. Drugs, alcohol, and smoking can be detrimental to your health in the long run, so even if you engage in them, do so in extreme moderation (although it is best to avoid them).

Now, we’ve laid them out for you – our latest fitness tips for women. Your health is important, as a woman and as a person. Put some commitment and effort into the cause of molding yourself into the better person you have always wanted to be. Also, share your thoughts with us in the comments!

References

1. Breaking the Fast, Harvard Health Letter, health.harvard.edu, June 2011,

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/breaking-the-fast

1. Dana Sullivan Kilroy, Eating the Right Foods for Exercise, healthline.com, February 27, 2019,

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise-eating-healthy

1. Nutrition & Fitness, hhs.gov,

https://www.hhs.gov/programs/prevention-and-wellness/nutrition-and-fitness/index.html

1. The Science of Muscle Recovery, fitnesstogether.com, May 13, 2019,
   https://bit.ly/3tUtJg9