9 Fitness Habits To Improve Your Overall Health in 2021

Health is wealth. Your health is your greatest asset. As you wind up the remaining part of the year, it might have dawned on you that you haven’t invested as much in your health as you should. So, as you roll over to 2021, you are hoping to take your health more seriously. If that’s the case, you are in the right place. 

This article gives an overview of nine fitness habits to improve your overall health in 2021. Now, you don’t have to sit tight until the year ends to implement them. You can dive right in and start the journey to a whole healthy lifestyle right away. 

Start Your Day with a Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a reason. A healthy, well-balanced breakfast helps you work out harder, stay productive at work, and maintain focus throughout the day. Having breakfast also reduces craving as you’ll stay full for a long time. Work towards having a breakfast rich in fiber. 

To beat the boredom that comes with taking cereals, you can make your breakfast exciting by trying different variations like omelets, toast, breakfast burritos, or pancakes. The key is playing around with the many options and making something different every day. So commit never to skip breakfast. 

Fall in Love with Exercise

Weight lifting, strength training, and calisthenics are all exercises you can explore. When starting, do not limit yourself. Going to the gym is great, but there are several other options that are equally good. You can join a kickball team, try jogging, swimming, or join an outdoor group exercise. Try different activities that you enjoy and keep yourself active.

When exercising, it is important to pay attention to the form to get the most from your workouts. A good form enhances your performance and reduces the risk of injury. Here, you can consult a personal trainer. A personal trainer will guide you to do exercises the right way. And in the case of an injury, personal trainer liability insurance will come in handy. 

To stay consistent with your workout, join a community. You can have a workout buddy or join a fitness class. This way, you stay motivated and accountable. Lastly, do not forget to take some time off your workout regimen and give your muscles time to relax. 

Learn Something New 

Learning a new skill, trying different activities, exploring new meals or workout routines helps you stay active and motivated. Also, it keeps your brain alert and healthy.

Put your mind to work, sign up for a foreign language course, enroll in a dance class, go bungee jumping, or go hiking. Better still, savor the knowledge in books by reading a book every month. You can also learn new cuisines or try multiple workouts. The key is to break the monotony and rejuvenate your mind and body. 

Take Charge of Your Eating Habits 

Work on eliminating unhealthy foods in your diet. This sounds easier said than done. So start small and progress with time. At the beginning of a diet change, you don’t want to deprive yourself so much. You can incorporate whole grain, natural sweeteners, healthy oils, and low-fat dairy progressively instead of the usual junk. Remember, you don’t have to make the big change at once.

To stay consistent, you’ll want to have a meal plan for the entire week in advance. This way, you can shop and have all the foods and ingredients you’ll need in the week ready. Besides, you’ll save on money as eating homemade meals is cheaper than eating out. 

Maintain Your Brain

Just like you work hard for lean muscles, a healthy body, and a robust immune system, you must work even harder for your brain to function at an optimum level. As you grow older, this becomes a crucial factor since old age comes with the risk of memory loss.

Puzzles are known for reinvigorating the brain. However, besides such games, other healthy habits like eating healthy foods including omega-3 fatty acid, having enough sleep, exercising, and socializing help maintain your cognitive function. 

Drink Enough Water

Our body organs comprise up to 60% water. Hence, it’s mandatory to drink water. Failure to you might experience fatigue, cramping of muscles, or even death in acute conditions. 

The usual eight glasses of water a day still stands. However, if you find it difficult to drink plain water, you can go with fruit-infused plain water. You can add slices of watermelon, orange, lime, cucumber, or lemon. Water helps you stay hydrated and lose weight. So, avoid sugary drinks, diet soda, and any other artificial sweeteners.

Have Adequate Sleep

Adequate sleep is important for your overall health. Ideally, aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily. A good night’s sleep sharpens your focus, heightens your mood, and improves your learning abilities. 

The 7 to 9 hours of sleep doesn’t have to be continuous. You can take a nap when you feel exhausted but make sure it doesn’t go beyond 30 minutes, so it doesn’t interfere with your night sleep pattern. 

To improve your sleep, start by investing in the right mattress and beddings. Go ahead and develop a sleep routine. Other factors like reading a book before bed, turning off your phone, or avoiding caffeine or sugary drinks before bed, can improve your sleep.

Manage Stress

Stress is part of life. In fact, having a little stress is good as it boosts your cognitive functions. However, prolonged chronic stress is dangerous to your health. It weakens your immune system and compromises your emotional wellbeing and physical health. You can’t have a good sleep when stressed. 

You can manage stress through several activities. You can try breathing deeply, do meditation, attend a yoga class, try tai chi, or go down in prayers. Intense activities that help your body relax can also cool your mind down. Besides, going outside for a few minutes and enjoying nature can work magic. 

Build a Routine

The excitement that comes with a new year is usually overwhelming. You’ll be pumped up about the possibilities you can explore. Hopefully, these fitness habits will find their way to your 2021 resolutions.

In my own experience, the first weeks will be bliss, but things will take a different turn as the year progresses. To cushion yourself from the inevitable, have a routine from the onset. 

Examine the areas you’ve neglected in your health and single out what you can do to improve. You can start with a single area and incorporate other areas depending on how well you are adjusting. Remember, change is good but not easy. Even with a routine, you must make a conscious choice every day to stick to the fitness habits you committed to at the beginning of the year. 

About Tyler Read

Tyler Read is the owner of PTPioneer.com which is a website dedicated to helping people get started in the personal training industry. He helps people discover, study, and pass their fitness exams. Check out his free videos for the latest trends.

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