People often ask: how to stay in shape? An ancient Tibetan proverb says: “The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple, and love without measure.”
When we take care of our bodies, we feel stronger, more energetic, and more capable. We breathe and sleep better. We reduce the risk of developing certain diseases, increase our lifespan, and improve our mood and concentration.
Spring is just around the corner, so we thought we'd share some tips: we're sure they'll help you get moving and get back (or stay) in shape!
13 Simple Ways to Stay in Shape
When you're in shape, you're free to evaluate your options based on what excites you, not on your physical limitations.
Interested in rock climbing? You can give it a try and see! Considering a dance class? Why not! Dreaming of running a marathon or walking tours through your favorite European cities? Absolutely, you can do it!
There’s little more liberating than knowing you can do what you want – that you have the strength, energy, and endurance to experience something that can blow your hair back and make you feel euphoric and alive.
This is what we mean when we ask how to stay in shape. And that’s why it’s essential to do our best to move every day and also to maintain a mostly healthy diet.
In short, it’s about building a set of habits that allow you to stay in shape without much effort. And these habits can really make a difference.
Walk Every Day (Even Without Leaving the Living Room)
The benefits of walking 10,000 steps a day haven’t yet gained the recognition they deserve, but they should.
Walking is a very effective way if you’re wondering how to stay in shape and healthy, but above all, it can also be fun and interesting. It might seem too low-impact to count as exercise – but it definitely counts!
Not only does walking improve our overall health and reduce the risk of heart disease, but it also boosts our mood and energy. Plus, it helps reduce stress, as it has an intrinsic meditative quality.
Although the best thing is to walk outdoors and take walks with company, because it’s wonderful and relaxing to be in nature and meet new walking friends, of course, there will be days when you just can’t do it. Well, don’t give up: on those occasions, find short intervals during the day to walk in place.
That’s right: even while working at the computer or watching a TV show, if it’s late at night and you don’t feel like doing anything else. Is it the best workout in the world? No. But it’s something, and something is always better than nothing. And that brings us to the next tip...
Give Yourself Permission to Do a Very Short Workout
If you’re someone who believes in “all or nothing,” you might think it’s not worth going to the gym if you don’t plan to do a full workout, whatever that means to you.
At least thirty minutes on an elliptical, followed by weights, crunches, and a couple of leg machines. But let’s be honest: some days you just don’t have the time or energy to do all that.
On those days, try telling yourself: it’s okay to do just fifteen or ten minutes of elliptical and crunches, then leave. Maybe once you’re there, you’ll end up doing more, but giving yourself permission to do the minimum will help you get out the door.
Combine Exercises with Daily Activities
Unfortunately or fortunately, we live in a multitasking world and every day we do more than one activity at a time to optimize time. Why not take advantage of this to do simple physical exercises? For example, you could do some squats while brushing your teeth or drying your hair.
It might seem like a strange recommendation, but keep in mind that this way you’ll be able to do more repetitions during a continuous activity, since you’ll have several minutes to work. Also, if it becomes a habit, you’re less likely to forget to do squats, since you’ve linked them to an activity you do every day.
Other ideas to consider?
Before putting away the vacuum or broom, use it as a bar and do a set or two of abdominal twists.
While about to start cooking, use cans, bottles, bags of rice, or other food items as weights: hold one in each hand and lift your arms to the side twenty to twenty-five times.
If you have stairs at home, every time you need to go up, go down and up again, doubling the steps taken.
Get a Standing Desk
If you work from home or do any kind of computer work in the evening, a standing desk ensures you spend less time sitting.
We now spend much more time sitting than ever before, between driving, working in the office, and watching TV, and this increases the risk of developing various diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
If you can’t afford to buy a standing desk, you can easily create one by stacking a bunch of boxes on your dining table and placing your laptop on top.
Swap Your Office Chair for a Stability Ball
Whether you can do this at work or not, at least you can consider this a valid alternative to a standing desk at home.
Sitting on an exercise ball ensures your spine stays aligned, which is essential for balance, and also tones your core and abdominal muscles. Experts recommend using a stability ball instead of a chair for short periods of twenty or thirty minutes, as sitting on a ball increases the load on the lower spine.
You might also prefer using a stability ball for abdominal exercises rather than lying on the floor. You work your core muscles more while balancing on a ball, and it’s much easier on the spine since it’s soft.
Combine Exercise with Stress Reduction
Yoga is a discovery that soon becomes a passion for many. After each class, you’ll feel calmer, less anxious, and more at peace with yourself. And, most importantly, you’ll see the benefits of the classes spill over into your daily life. For example, when situations arise that normally cause you stress, you’ll be able to handle them with much less internal drama. When your workout simultaneously eases your mental anguish, it’s pretty easy to make it a habit.
If you think yoga might be right for you, there are tons of different options to suit your needs. You can practice in a studio, at a gym offering classes, or even outdoors, in nature!
Whether you take a ninety-minute class or follow a ten-minute video, you’ll soon see the benefits and probably become fascinated by it!
Walk Whenever You Can
Always try to integrate physical exercise easily into daily life, whether that means taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator, or walking instead of driving.
A simple way to get some extra exercise is to leave a bit earlier wherever you’re going and park fifteen minutes away from the meeting place, so you’ll walk the distance. This ensures a total of half an hour of walking.
A simple way to get a bit of extra exercise is to leave a little earlier, wherever you're going, and park about fifteen minutes away from your meeting spot, so you walk the distance. This ensures a total of half an hour of walking.
Do a Plank Every Now and Then
The plank is a great exercise to tone the core, the abdominal and back muscles that support the spine and allow us to stand upright and avoid back pain.
You can start by holding a plank for just fifteen seconds, then every two days increase the time by five seconds until you reach two minutes.
When you give yourself choices to satisfy your various moods and needs, you’re much more likely to move regularly. And at the end of the day, that’s really all that matters: that you do something, every day, to keep moving.
When you do this, you’re much more likely to feel strong in mind and body and capable of doing whatever you want.
Don’t Go on a Diet
Have you ever met someone truly in shape who was constantly trying every new fad diet? No, right?
Because for the most part, people who know how to stay in shape don’t go on diets but make healthy eating part of their lifestyle.
Although a good tip is to stick to a meal plan tailored by a nutritionist, ultimately, the key to staying in shape and eating healthy is learning to listen to your own body. What makes you feel good? Which foods keep you energized all day? What helps you perform your best during workouts? What makes you feel and look fit?
If you learn to answer these questions for yourself, you’ll soon be on your way to embracing healthy eating as a lifestyle, not chasing every new diet that comes along.
Find a Way to Enjoy Physical Exercise
If you’re one of those people who absolutely dreads every minute of your treadmill workout and hates it even more once you’re there, it’s time to find a different approach to exercise.
Because often people who know how to stay in shape find ways to enjoy and even look forward to their workouts.
And even if that doesn’t always mean they’re excited to lace up their sneakers and go for a run on a rainy day, it means they like the feeling of being fit and value it more than their desire to sit on the couch.
If you really hate exercising, the problem might be your workout, not you. Everyone enjoys different things, so find something you like – whether it’s a fitness class, canoeing, yoga, hiking, or something completely different. You’ll start to look at your workouts as fun, not something to dread.
If you really hate exercising, the problem might be your workout, not you. Everyone enjoys different things, so find something you like—whether it’s a fitness class, canoeing, yoga, hiking, or something completely different. You’ll start to see your workouts as fun, not something to dread.
Most of us need to cheat a little on food to maintain our sanity.
Allowing yourself a meal or a “cheat” day now and then ensures you don’t feel bitter about your healthy diet, don’t go crazy, and don’t binge on all the things you’re missing.
So don’t feel guilty if you enjoy a cookie, some chocolate, or your favorite treat now and then. Just don’t let it become too frequent a habit or you’ll lose all the hard work you’ve done during your workouts.
So don’t feel guilty if you enjoy a cookie, some chocolate, or your favorite treat every now and then. Just don’t let it become too frequent a habit, or you’ll end up undoing all the hard work you put in during your workouts.
If you still think staying in shape is just about how often you work out, think again. Because one of the most important things fit people do to stay healthy isn’t based on exercise at all: it’s sleep.
Not only does sleep give you the energy you need to work out regularly, but it also helps regulate your metabolism, repair your muscles, improve athletic performance, and more.
Aim for at least 7-8 hours every night, and you’ll be a healthier, fitter, and generally happier person.
Spend Time with Others Who Are Active
If your friends are passionate about healthy cooking, try new restaurants with fresh, local ingredients, and want to go cycling or organize a soccer game for fun, you’ll most likely join them and be more active as a result.
Or, you can always try to meet new, more active and healthy friends: for example, why not do it through group hikes? bicycle or organize a soccer game for fun, you’ll most likely join in and be more active as a result.
.
Or, you can always try meeting new, more active and healthier friends: for example, why not do it through group hikes?