Now God didn’t etch these in stone and send these down through the clouds nor did I perform any miracles like part the Red Sea. So, in that respect, they’re up for debate.
However, after being around the fitness industry for a while, reading, studying, doing continuing education credit hours on top of training clients and teaching group exercise classes, I’ve got a pretty decent handle on how to get fit.
That being said, there are multitude of options to shed the weight, build muscle and be your best shelf. A Google search of ‘health and fitness’ generated over 2,990,000,000 hits, so you’ve got plenty of choices.
However, this is a classic case of information overload, hence the need to take the view from 10,000 feet and not majoring in the minors, which is easy to do when trying to support or improve your health and fitness.
Think of these commandments as a guide on how to best navigate through the world of health and fitness that exists on the interwebs and mainstream media.
Hopefully, you and the man upstairs approve.
1.You shall engage in some sort of resistance training
It doesn’t matter what type of resistance training you engage in because the body can’t tell the difference between a dumbbell, a stone or your own body weight.
Having a decent amount of muscle mass and strength will act as amour for whatever the world throws at you and you’ll look better naked. It also helps to keep bones strong, increase your energy levels, helps support good posture and increases your metabolism to help you lose weight.
It’s a win-win.
2. You shall eat fruit and vegetables
Personally, I never seen some get overweight by eating too many fruits and vegetables. Because it’s hard to eat too much of because of the chewing it takes and the amount of water they have.
Both provide the body the energy to perform in and out of the gym. Fruits and veggies are rich in vitamins and minerals because they draw the nutrients to grow via mother earth.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you, both offer fiber, to help you feel fuller longer and more regular in the bathroom. But I’ll stop there.
😊
3. You shall eat protein
To build and support muscle, you must eat protein. Protein contains amino acids which repair and rebuild muscles and protein helps you stay fuller longer, which helps you lose fat.
Protein is also an important building block for your bones, cartilage, skin, and blood.
There are all kinds of protein and some are better than others but that’s not the most important thing. Whether you’re a vegan, meat-eater or vegetarian you should strive to eat enough protein to keep up, repair and rebuild muscle.
4.You shall engage in some type of cardiovascular activity
Heart disease is one of the human race’s biggest killers. You or someone you know has probably been touched by this. I have friends and clients suffer heart attacks and coming back from them is no joke.
Having good aerobic fitness doesn’t totally cut the chances of having heart disease but it sure does help. Having good aerobic fitness helps cut the risk factors associated with this terrible disease. Factors such as
- Lowering blood pressure. …
- Reducing blood sugar. …
- Aiding sleep. …
- Regulating your weight. …
- Strengthening your immune system
All you have to do is find a movement you enjoy, do it consistently and raise a sweat every once in a while. It’s that easy.
5.You shall stay hydrated
Our bodies are 60% water. (1)
And if you lose more the 2% of this through sweat, bad things start to happen like
- Very dry skin.
- Feeling dizzy.
- Rapid heartbeat.
- Rapid breathing.
- Sunken eyes.
- Sleepiness, lack of energy, confusion or irritability.
- Fainting.
Your body needs water to function and drinking (or eating fruit and vegetables that contain water) enough for your bodyweight and activity levels is a no brainer.
6. You shall take time for yourself
Between work, life, family and friends there’s a lot going on. You’re (maybe) rushing around, trying to get stuff done and you’re getting pulled in a million different directions.
Time for yourself? Who has time for that?
However, making time should be a priority. Your sanity depends on it.
Whether it’s lying in bed a few minutes thinking about all the blessings in your life, doing meditation or engaging in some moving meditation like exercise, you need to focus on you and drown out the noise of the world before you run yourself ragged.
You’re no good to anyone else if you’ve lost your mind.
7.You shall be consistent
This is the most important commandment of all because if you don’t do this, none of this works. It’s about finding what works best for you, what works best for your schedule and your lifestyle.
However, it involves some trail and error so please be patient.
Does it mean doing it every day? No. It means most days. And if you fall of the horse for a few days, dust yourself off and jump back in the saddle. The only way you can fail at this health and fitness thing is to quit.
And you’re not a quitter, correct?
8.You shall make sleep a priority
Sleep plays a huge role in your health and well-being. Getting enough quality sleep can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. (2)
Ever felt groggy, tripped over something, dropped and smashed a plate on the floor or lost you temper because of lack of sleep?
I think we’ve all been there.
The way you feel when you’re awake depends on (in part) the quality of your sleep. And if you don’t sleep great, there is always coffee but caffeine only last for so long.
During sleep, the body is hard at work to support healthy brain function and to repair and recuperate your body. And if sleep quality is an issue, it will catch up with you eventually.
Because you’ll be too tired to run.
9. You shall eat like an adult and not like a child
It’s great when you’re a kid. You can eat McDonald’s happy meals, all you can eat candy, a variety of brown food like chicken strips and French fires and barely put on a pound because you have a metabolism that runs like a Ferrari.
However, when your adult (some in age only) with a slower metabolism and more stress and responsibilities, eating like a kid will have you staring down at your waistline in disbelief. You shall follow commandments 2,3 and 5 and eat like an adult and leave your childhood behind you for good.
10. You shall not shame others on the journey
There’s a reason “The Biggest Loser” isn’t around anymore. The yelling, the screaming and the bootcamp mentality that tore these overweight people down to build them back up again is out of step with today’s society.
Obesity is a crisis that won’t be solved by shaming them into eating less and moving more. People like this need encouragement and not stares, ridicule, judgment and finger pointing.
That’s the easy way out.
Wrapping up
Are these good enough to be etched in stone? Probably not. However, if you follow these commandments, as simple as they are, it will lead to a better quality and quantity of life.
More time flexing in the mirror is a good thing.
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