Fitness Guide for 2020

There was a time when any person on this planet did not care to look at a guide for fitness. He would consult a lot of people for directions, but when it came to their health, they cared very little about it.  The only exercise a person would indulge in was lifting a pint of weight. And what did a diet consist of? It was all about eating whatever the women of the house would cook. And, nobody cared how much butter or sugar it contained. Ah, those days were so simple…and dangerous!

Well, now times have changed.  We all need to look chiselled, just like the hunks or beautiful slender models on the cover of various  Health and Fitness Magazines. For most blokes and ladies, that would mean tons of hard work and sweating it out. Thing like giving up on alcohol and smoking, eating a balanced diet with no fried stuff and lots of veggies, running or brisk walking for several miles – yes, that would work. People these days do actually care a lot about their health.

This is good, but are they doing things in the right way? Come on, let’s check this out in this article.

Why Exercising Makes You Feel On The Top Of The World

For most of us, exercise is not about doing all the monotonous reps; it’s more about venting out your emotions in the form of physical activity. Not only that, some exercises are done in a sort of a challenge format. This helps to pep it up a bit. Playing it while sweating it out, excites us and stimulates our brains to the hilt.

Once you have figured out what you like, then you need to get behind it and just keep on doing it over and over again until you (a) reach your fitness target, or (b) maintain optimum level of fitness.

But still what is so special about all this exercise stuff? Well to begin with, first you lose those calories. Calories are nothing but units of energy. Our diets contain a lot of nutrients out of which two are responsible for us to gain weight. These are – fats and carbs. We need carbs for energy and fats for a horde of body biochemical processes. But these two nutrients are what pack the paunch. If we do not burn off the extra calories, we could be heading down south in regards to our health.

That’s not a good thing to read, is it? So exercising regularly should be a mandatory thing to do.

The second thing that exercise does for you is that it gives you a high and boosts your confidence. You feel positive because of exercise and it builds up your self-esteem as well. This has been proven in many pieces of research conducted by various universities around the world. It makes you feel happy and can also be extremely entertaining, especially if you are a restless person.

Not only that, you look a lot more handsome when you are leaner and fitter. Apart from that, it also improves your romantic life. Exercise reduces the chances of being impotent and it also gives you enough vigour in bed. So go for it!

Get The Right Nutrients To Win

Doing exercise is just half the fun. You win the game when you get the right diet. Packing your diet with the nutrients you need is the correct way to nourish yourself. If you are eating things that your body does not need, then you are just making your weight loss and fitness journey a lot more difficult. You are doing a grave injustice to your body as well. You really have no idea how bad that extra bit of sugar or fat can be for your body. Someone the other day told me that the secret of Bollywood Actor Anil Kapoor‘s age-defying looks, physique and energy levels is the fact that he has completely given up on refined sugar in his diet for the past 25 years. I am not surprised!

We will not delve into ailments in this article. We shall be discussing what you should eat and what you shouldn’t. But before we tell you about what’s healthy to eat, we shall tell you what isn’t. Avoid the potato wafers, ice-cream, sugary chocolates, sweet milkshakes, and smoothies. And while you are at it, just ditch the fried chicken as well.

So what should you actually have? Given below is a list of food items that you should eat and make sure you stick to it. You can have a cheat meal once in a while. But it is better if you acquire a taste for these healthy foods.

Here’s the list of healthy foods:

• Organic porridge oats
• Millet
• Rice milk
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Wheat-free pasta
• Almonds
• Brazil nuts
• Cashewnuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Oatcakes
• Rice cakes
• Tahini
• Houmous
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Tuna cooked in olive oil
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Tinned tomatoes
• Sweetcorn
• Butterbeans
• Artichoke hearts
• Dried herbs
• Bell Peppers
• Tamari (wheat-free soya sauce)
• Olives
• Pesto
• Bragg Liquid Aminos
• Broccoli and Cauliflower
• Cabbage and lettuce
• Peas
• Spinach

That’s one heckuva list! But the above food items are very good for those who want to keep their cholesterol and weight under control. And when it comes to losing weight, including the above is the best thing that you can do. Invest in the right types of food and we promise you that you will not regret your decision.

All You Need To Know About Fats

Before we discuss fats in this blog post, let us tell you one thing. Fats have earned a bit of a bad reputation. They are not necessarily bad and in fact, some of these fats are important for the body as well. Without the right fats, you could be compromising your body health. You should never target for 0% fat because your body needs the right fats. But if you overdo it, then you will be wrecking the body. And if you include the wrong fats in your diet, then it’s double the trouble.

There are three broad classifications of fats. One is saturated fats. These fats often solidify in room temperatures. They are mostly found in dairy foods, meats and coconuts. Butter, fat, cream, lard, coconut oil, all of them are saturated fatty acids. These fats are generally unhealthy and result in creating a lot of cardiac issues in the human body. Consume these in the least amount possible.

Then comes the unsaturated oils. These stay in a liquid state under room temperature. Olive oil and other vegetable oils fall under this group. These are healthier fats, but still, you should have them in moderation.

Then comes the trans fats. These fats are hydrogenated i.e. liquid oils are converted into solids chemically. You will find them in cakes, crisps and potato wafers. These were created industrially to increase the shelf life of junk food. Avoid them at all costs!

Don’t Forget Your Brain

The brain is the most important part of the human body. If you don’t maintain it’s health, then you could be jeopardising your physical well-being as well. If your brain does not get the right activity, rest and conditioning, then you could be consuming more wrong foods or feel sick even after taking the right diet and exercise. Or worse, you could simply stop eating.

But how do you keep your brain healthy? It’s simple. Keep on learning something all the time. Don’t idle away. Take up a hobby, like reading a book, a new skill or a new game. If you are in a chilled mood, then you might feel hungrier than you usually are and then you piling on the kilos for no reason at all.

You should also increase your communication skills to keep your mind engaged. Talk to somebody or write a letter, story or a book. If you don’t like that, then just pen down an email. Play the violin or strum a guitar. Keep your fingers busy to keep your mind active. Also, try to embrace the technology around you. Doing things the old-fashioned way is not advantageous all the time. In this stress-laden world, you need to make your life easier. You need to stay curious also because that is what will keep your brain healthy

You Become Thinner By Walking, Or Not?

Walking is the best form of exercise. If you can’t afford an expensive gym membership or you do not have the right exercising equipment at home, then it is better to walk. If you walk briskly for half an hour you burn around a hundred and fifty to two hundred calories on an average.

You should purchase good quality trainers. This will help you in avoiding all sorts of foot injuries. Also, your clothing should be airy and comfortable, so that you can sweat properly while walking.

Swing your arms a bit to pep up your heart rate. You should also take care of your posture while walking.

What you should be careful about is that you should not be short of breath while walking. You should be slightly out of breath, but shouldn’t be panting and heaving. The pace of your walking should be reasonable, not uncomfortable.

Schedule a proper time for your exercise, eat healthy foods, keep your mind engaged, and have a minimum of 8 hours of sleep every night. The more disciplined and consistent your approach is, the more effectively you will reach your goals and the healthier your life will be 🙂

A combo of an introvert and extrovert, Tushar is overall a jovial person. Crazy daydreamer and at times, a cynic, he dabbles in a lot of artsy hobbies. But laidback is what describes him best. A foodie at heart, Tushar also loves to cook gourmet meals.

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