4 tips for mindful fitness

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The human body is a miracle of nature. And our task is to make it better, to the best of our ability. Basically, this means that we must be as healthy as possible and always be in good shape. A person is able to run an ultramarathon, overcome a 100-meter distance in less than 10 seconds, conquer Everest, and swim across entire seas. On the road to such ambitious goals, mistakes are inevitable. Four versatile fitness tips can help you avoid many of them.

1. The culture of exercise and gymnastics

To burn calories, you need to move. Whether it's running, yoga, swimming, zumba, or playing sports with your child, it's all good for you. And by buying a membership to a fitness club, you are investing in your motivation to go in for sports.

However, do not assume that this is the only way to be healthy and fit. And don't rely entirely on a coach. In fitness centers, you can meet many people who exercise for months, but do not notice any progress. Some are even less fortunate: under the guidance of an indifferent coach, you can get injured.

On the other hand, there are plenty of fit people out there who don't sweat in the rocking chair. You can easily practice at home using video tutorials or on horizontal bars in the yard. In addition, exercise machines are more useful when you can already control your own weight. Among the guys with pumped biceps, there are many who cannot raise their own body and pull themselves up on a regular horizontal bar.

2. Looking athletic and being in good shape are not the same thing

Most exercise routines are aimed at making you look good. Moreover, "good" can vary. For men, this is usually the following set: broad shoulders, large pectoral muscles, cubes on the stomach, pumped up biceps, a narrow waist and strong legs.

But you must always remember that any sports photo is a fake. Not necessarily photoshop. But the model in the photo looks like this only at the moment of shooting. A whole team is working on this: lighting specialists, makeup artists, a professional photographer who knows the best angles. Models undergo special training before shooting, and after shooting you will never recognize them.

In any case, it is impossible to unequivocally determine the ideal state of the body. Sprinters have more muscles, but they won't be able to withstand a long run. On the other hand, marathon runners with their lean muscles will not be able to show such a high speed over a short distance.

Being fit isn't just about not having excess fat. Resilience, endurance, strength are of great importance. Moreover, in different proportions for different sports goals, and for those who do not plan to participate in competitions, the difficulty lies in finding the perfect balance of all components.

Alternate loads: choose a more intense workout sometime, and a longer one at other times. And always practice mindfully. This will help you achieve maximum results.

3. Diet is needed only to achieve a specific goal

You are what you eat. But you're not likely to be ketogenic, fat-free, gluten-free, or artificially sweetened. Your body does not have such absolute concepts. Of course, if you want to look the coolest on the beach or make your abs an Instagram star, a short diet will help you get closer to your ideal. However, if you are a regular guy or girl, stay away from any strict diets.

The bottom line is that you can follow the ideal diet and live the ideal life, but the world will still be imperfect. Your favorite supermarket may not have chia seeds. Sometimes Greek yogurt runs out, and you have to get by with low-fat sour cream. It is foolish to spoil yourself and your loved ones travel experience just because you added cream to your coffee, not skim milk. And after weeks of a carb-free diet, eating a muffin will make you want to kill yourself. Is the game worth the candle?

What can we say about how the hair, skin and mood deteriorate after a long strict diet.

Don't rely on counting calories and macronutrients. Every day brings surprises. And theoretical calculations of the required energy are often far from the actual needs of your body. Just try to stick to a healthy diet.

You probably constantly come across information about the next superfood. But in fact, almost any natural food is extremely useful in some way. And sometimes you may not get the effect you expect. Do not divide foods into red and green. Each organism has its own needs, and you need to listen to them.

4. Nutritional supplements are primarily a business

Everything is simple here. Supplement manufacturing is a very big business. Therefore, manufacturers will tell you very convincingly about the "benefits" of a particular substitute or the "harm" of its usual counterpart. This does not mean that everyone is lying. But you shouldn't blindly believe in advertising. In addition, it is no secret that almost anything can be legalized. Believing new scientific discoveries is also only partly worth it: scientific truths are constantly established and then refuted. Science is also a business and competition for the next grant.

Even if you can actually absorb the increased dosage of vitamins, minerals, or protein from the miracle pill, will your liver and kidneys be happy about it?

No, there is no need to completely deny the benefits of nutritional supplements. If you notice that you feel better about something, that's great. Even if it's just a placebo effect, why not?

But do not believe if you are told that you simply do not notice how you get better or worse. This is your body, you know it best. If in doubt, get tested. Today this can be done bypassing therapists, directly in laboratories.

And finally

Any fitness advice (including these) should not be taken as an axiom. Even if the person who gives them to you looks healthier (beautiful, successful, and so on). Each body is unique and, while not at all in line with fashion trends, can be beautiful.

In any case, this body is given to you at birth and you have to choose: to dispose of it properly or use it in vain.