Being fit and being healthy as a lifestyle choice can add years of enjoyment to your life. There may be times you feel like giving up, but try to fight that urge. The health advice that follows can give you some insight on a path toward a fit lifestyle and improved health.

While many of us feel we cannot afford a personal trainer, don’t forget that you have a very personal trainer at you beck and call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s you! True, a professional personal trainer can evaluate your goals and body type and recommend suitable exercises for you.

In lieu of this kind of jump start to your exercise regimen, you can consult your personal doctor, especially as part of your regular annual check-up. Plus there’s independent research; books and Internet resources full of practical advice.

You need not worry if the recommended workouts don’t suit your lifestyle. Substitute something similar that you would enjoy. Here are some common, easy and fun workout ideas.

Running

Running or jogging is as easy as going out for a walk. You don’t even have to go out every day. Just 3 or 4 times a week will do wonders for you. If you intend on building up speed and endurance, build incrementally. You could jog for a minute, then walk for a minute, and then jog for another minute, and so forth. Just 20-30 minutes of this 3 times a week will become so easy after a few weeks that you decide to lengthen the jogging increments.

Running can have both positive and damaging effects to your body over a prolonged amount of time. To lessen the chance of damage, you should reduce your mileage to half of the normal miles during one week, only pushing yourself beyond your comfort level as an exception rather than the rule.

Biking

Biking is a great and low impact alternative to running. Biking is a great way to burn some calories and save some money on gas. If you need to run down to the corner to mail a letter or pick up some bread, hop on your bike.

Lift Weights

While there are gyms you can join, and commercial weights that you can buy for home use, you don’t need to go to extreme lengths to lift weights. Fill a couple of plastic milk jugs with sand or water and use those as your weights. Muscle wasting happens within an hour after starting an intense workout. So remember to limit your weight-lifting workouts shorter than 60 minutes. You can even leave the intensity to a minimum. Alternate between short periods of high activity, and longer periods of low activity. Your endurance and ability will naturally increase over time.

Tips

Be Creative and Have Fun

Be creative when designing your new fitness routine. You do not have to visit the gym every day. You can get exercise anywhere! You need to make sure you are going to enjoy any exercise selected so that you can maintain motivation and keep doing it.

If you have a few different types of exercises planned, start with the exercises that you like least. The thinking here is that many people will avoid the exercises that they are not good at. Add this exercise to your routine and work hard to overcome it, rewarding yourself by following it with the exercises that you enjoy.

Dress for Success

Be sure that you’re wearing the right kind of clothing for your exercises. When you don’t wear shoes that complement the activity you are doing, you risk injuring your feet and legs. Shorts chafe less and offer less resistance against your skin while you’re moving. Wearing shirts made from a light wicking material like polyester or even Teflon will draw moisture off your skin and be much more comfortable than cotton or wool while you’re working up a sweat.

Crumple Newspaper

Tennis players use this trick to build strength in their forearms. Find a flat surface and put a large section of newsprint onto it. Crumple up the whole piece of paper in your hand for 30 seconds.

Motivate Yourself

Many people need to feel and see results in order to keep themselves motivated on a diet plan. Try buying tighter clothes instead of using the scale. You will be able to feel and see your weight loss every week as you are losing inches not just pounds.

The benefits of getting fit don’t stop at your physical results. Regular workouts can also bring emotional benefits. Working out produces endorphins creating a sense of euphoria. You can also improve how you view yourself by working out. You are essentially only a few workouts away from happiness.

Please share your own experiences in the comments below. We love to compare notes!