Health
Start Off Towards Healthy Living With These 7 Essential Tips
Are you looking to become more fit and to build lean muscle mass? With only a few simple changes to your daily routine, you can make this happen! Take these seven tips into consideration for starting your health journey so you can look and feel your best every day.
1. Have a healthy intake of food.
Having a healthy intake of food means that you are eating within the range of calories that your body needs and that you are also consuming a variety of health-supporting foods. If you look online you can find calculators to help you determine how many calories you will need in a day depending on if you want to lose weight, maintain your weight, or gain weight. Determine your goal and try to stick to that range consistently.
Also, try to incorporate a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet so that you get a good balance of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Other foods that are good to add to your diet are whole grains, nuts, and lean meats.
2. Incorporate protein powder into your diet.
Protein powder is a great way to help you build lean muscle while you start your health journey. According to an article by Medical News Today, some of the benefits of using protein powder include helping to reduce fat, increase muscle toning, and promote muscle growth. So, incorporating protein powder into your diet is a great way to support preworkout as you exercise, set goals, and work toward a healthier body.
Experts suggest consuming protein powder mixed with water 20-30 minutes after a workout is a great way to incorporate this supplement into your routine.
3. Daily exercise.
It is no secret that daily exercise will help you achieve your fitness goals and help to build muscle. The trick here is to be consistent with your actions by making this goal into a habit you don’t have to consciously think about. Make alarms for when your daily walks or runs should be, write down your goals in a journal, or get in touch with a workout buddy who can push you to keep you accountable.
Get outside at least once a day or do some sit-ups and push-ups as a daily part of your routine, and you will quickly feel yourself making more and more progress on your journey to a better you.
4. Practice yoga.
Yoga is one of the best ways to build lean muscle mass and is a great tool that anyone can utilize, even in their own homes. The combination of stretching while working out helps to lean out your muscles, creating a desirable look for many people. Doing different yoga poses every day is a peaceful way to incorporate exercise into your life and can help you lose fat, build muscle, and flexibility.
Another great aspect of yoga is that it can help you decrease stress, which can also lead to weight loss and increased overall health. Stress increases cortisol levels which can lead to weight gain, so counteracting the stress from your life by doing yoga regularly can be a very helpful aid in becoming healthier physically and mentally.
5. Envision positive results.
Did you know that just by envisioning your goals that you may be closer to achieving them? An article by Very Well Fit describes a study on visualization and strength where athletes that visualized themselves flexing specific muscles were able to gain more strength physically. This goes to show you the power of your mind and what it is capable of doing. In order to utilize this concept, practice achieving your goal in your mind until the feeling becomes familiar to you.
For example, if you want to successfully complete a marathon, science suggests that imagining yourself crossing the finish line will actually bring you closer to physically crossing it. Regularly incorporate a practice of envisioning positive results if you want to be closer to success within your health journey.
6. Take a multivitamin every day.
Something that is often overlooked in the world of health and fitness is taking a daily multivitamin every day. Although this may seem like a pointless action, it is one of the easiest ways to support your physical health.
Often people do not know whether they are slightly deficient in specific vitamins and minerals, and if they are, this can negatively affect your health, workout performance, and recovery process. Taking a multivitamin is a simple but effective effort that will surely help you out in the long run.
7. Drink enough water.
Staying hydrated is also something not to gloss over when trying to build lean muscle and get healthier. One easy way to incorporate an extra glass is to drink a full bottle with your pre-workout. Water is essential for clearing out unwanted toxins from the body and regulating your system. Without drinking enough water, you may feel lethargic, unmotivated, and not want to get up for your daily workout. Set alarms to remind yourself to stay drinking from your water bottle, and this will help you with your fitness goals exponentially.
When you put all of these actions together and keep consistent with them, you will feel more motivated, productive, and supported on your health journey. Don’t forget to listen to your body and to take care of yourself along the way!