Shifting to a more active lifestyle can be difficult. This is especially true if you’ve been living a sedentary life for quite some time now. One of the real reasons why changing your old habits into better ones is hard is not simply because you lack enough motivation. You could also be doing it wrong. Making sudden changes won’t help you change and maintain your healthier ways.
Can You Do a Lifestyle Change Without Making Drastic Changes to Your Routine?
The short answer is yes. Having an active lifestyle means moving more throughout the day. It is deciding to do things a little differently by adding more movements throughout the day.
There are ways you can adopt a more active lifestyle without making drastic lifestyle changes. You don’t even need to pay hundreds of dollars just to start being more active. This means you have the option to skip costly gym memberships that you will only use whenever you feel like working out.
It Is All About the Choices You Make
How you choose to go about your day can impact your health. One of the main reasons why we chose to live a more active lifestyle is to achieve a healthier weight and to feel and look good. Every choice you make can make a big difference when trying to chase your fitness goals.
For instance, one of your short-term goals during the pandemic is to make the necessary improvements around the house. You could be planning to revamp your kitchen and already have a list of reliable flooring contractors. You may even want to create a home gym by transforming a spare room.
But before you go on finding all sorts of contractors, think for a second and ask yourself what projects can you do on your own. There is no point in hiring others to do the things you can do especially when you have the skills and time to spare. You get to learn, save money, and even have another job to keep you busy if you choose to get moving and DIY safe and simple home improvement projects.
Let’s say you are a pet owner who often hires a dog walker. Instead of paying for their services two times a day, why not choose to walk your dog in the afternoon after you get off from work? You get to save money, get more bonding moments with your pooch, and take advantage of the additional steps you make for walking your canine buddy.
The same goes when running errands. If you are interested in shopping for new clothes, choose to go to the mall instead of simply shopping online. Get your feet moving, try on a few clothes from different stores, and the additional steps will help you burn some calories instead of simply tapping on your phone to buy a top or two.
Making Exercise More Fun
The best thing about exercise is you don’t need to force yourself to go to the gym or join a yoga class. There are ways to make exercise fun and active. There are even strategies that won’t cost you a dime just to have a fun workout.
If you enjoy hiking, find a new trail you can explore with a friend or two. Having someone you trust and enjoy hiking as much as you do will make the hike easier. You can talk about many things, enjoy the view, and even meet other hikers along the way.
Do you enjoy dancing? You can opt to join a Zumba dance club or simply watch a dance fitness workout in your living room. Pump up the volume of your favorite music and dance the afternoon away.
Another way to make exercise fun is to play with your kids more often. Get yourself a hula hoop and work those abs. Run around with your kids, play tag, go for a water balloon fight, or sign up the whole family for a team sports event.
Take Time to Refocus
Sometimes, we become so obsessed with trying to live a more active lifestyle that we drain ourselves out. Remember that your mental health matters too. So, take time to get enough rest, fuel your mind and body with healthy food and drinks, and do things that relax your soul.
Give yourself a few minutes each day to do the things that make you happy. This can be as simple as reading a chapter of your favorite book, completing a puzzle, or writing your feelings in a journal.
This goes to show that you don’t necessarily need to make dramatic changes abruptly just to live an active lifestyle. Making even the smallest changes counts. Just make sure you are making progress, no matter how small it might be. take small simple steps at a time and it will be easier to gradually adopt a healthier lifestyle.