Fit for life

I sum up most important things which I learn so far about getting and beeing healthy&fit.

Do I consider myself as fit? It depends on the point of the reference, however I do try to make healthier choices.

* Check your Body Mass Index 

Determine how much calories your body needs daily. Start to work with the basic information about your body condition and predispositions. You can use many calculators which can be found in the internet, like this one.

* Set goals and make photos
Set measurable goals. Trust more measure tape than weight. And take pictures. Pictures don't lie (unless you use Photoshop;). Even if you are already in great shape, you can always challenge yourself to beat your 10K record.

* Don't skip breakfast
Give yourself a bunch of energy right in the beginning of the day. Fuel your body with right carbs, protein and fats with, for instance porrige with yoghurt, berries and nuts. Are you not hungry in the mornings? It's probably because you eat to much an evening before. Try not to eat 2 hours before sleep time and if this doesn't help, just prepare a nutritious and fast smoothie which you can drink on a run. Mix selected fruits with yoghurt or with protein powder mixed with water/milk.

* Eat each 2-3 hours
I don't mean big meal every 2 hours. It would sabotage your goals. What I meant was more to fuel yourself each few hours to keep you sugar rate stable. It would help you not to order each position from the menu in the restaurant or to clean all refrigerator when you finally got back home in the evening. 

*Holy three
Carbs, proteins and fats. This three are important and every diet which eliminate one of this components is a shit. Try to have those three in (almost) every meal. If you ate brekfast, add walnuts to your cereals, If you are eating dinner, don;t forget about complex carbs and some olive oil. Think also about supplements, like Omega 3 oil.

* Consume fats
Don't be scare of them. To digestion and absorbtion of nutrients, there are fats needed. Use olive oil, eat nuts, your body and skin will thank you for that.

* Quality over quantity
It is better to eat less but from the better source. Is a chicken breast more expensive than fatty minced meat? Yes, it is. But it is safier, healthier and tastier :) Your body is not trash container, make sure that what you eat is the healthiest option. And if you don;t have time to prepare a clean meal every day, think about some protein shakes or protein-carbs shakes which can ba great meal replacements.

* The more natural, the better
There are many foods which supose to be healthy, but in fact they may cause more problems than 'normal' food. Is there any cow who give nofat milk? No? Then think, it might be something artificial in your 0% milk. The same with other products. 

*Control your alcohol intake
I won't judge alcohol as healthy or not. Everything with moderation, isn't it? But alcohol sabotage our strong will and it's really easier to consume unhealthy food when you're drunk. And the other day would really suck, you know that.

* Get fit in the gym, loose weight in the kitchen.
Trainign for a while but don't see the results? What about your diet? There is no magic trick - if you want to loose weight, you have to make a calories deficite. It's alsow impotant from which sources your calories come from. 

* Cut your portions
Often there is no problem with quality of food which you eat. You know everything, eat clean, but still not see results? The problem might be in your portion size. I don't reccomend to count everything and always, but try it for few days. You will be shock how many calories had that macaroni which you made for dinner. Write everything down and rethink.

*Join your local gym
It's more challenging if your training in front of other. And, it's more motivating when you have to pay each month some sume of money. Don't let them be wasted!

* Find a personal trainer/motivator
Many gyms offers first personal trainer session for free. Even if not, pay for it, it's gonna be worth it. Day by day I see so many people wasting hours on the gym doing this which would not help them loose weight or build muscles. Isn;t better to do a shorter training but more effective? You think an hour with personal trainer is expensive? This is an inevstition, don't save money on your health.

* Lift heavy
There were many articles about this. And there are still many miths about lifting weights. Especially those that muscles will make woman bulky. 1 kg of fat weight the same as 1 kg of muscles (daaa, it's obvious) but has a smaller volume! What is more, it burns more calories, which makes your body a fat burning rocket. So throw away those 1 and 2 kg weights and start doing a serious weight workout :)

* Too much is not always better
Too much training and dieting may not be good for you. Don't binge yourself, let yourself and your body to rest. Two-theree strenght trainings in a week are no joke if you're doing them correct. If you fallow them by 2 cardio sessions, you're a master. 

* Stretch
That's a thing which I ommited and now I have to work double to relieved my muscles. So, I advise to not the same mistake as I did. Stretch properly after training session, use those 10-15 minutes to relax, concentrate and cool down.

* Change your routine

Challenge yourself with variety of activities. Don’t let your muscles to be get used to the same kind of activity. Like to dance? Check your local dance studio, don’t just go to Zumba classes over and over. Like to fight? Try cross fit, you gonna love it :)

* Less stress, more fun
Try to figure out a system of healthy eating, not dieting. 'Beeing on a diet' makes your body stressed, which can sabotage your goals. The same with training. It should be fun. Think of it like a lifelong experience, not a month-durating torture!

* Reward yourself
As well as goals, set rewards for your self. But! Do not reward yourself with food! You're not a dog! Think more about shopping, SPA treatment or some trip instead.

* It takes time
You can't see the results after a week or two. Gaining weight took some time, the same will be with loosing it. Check your progress month by month and be patience.

* Find friends

Find someone who will join you in your fitness adventure. Boyfriend, girlfriend? People who surround you are laughting at you? Change your friends. Or at least try to find some new. There is pretty strong internet community where you can find other enthusiasts like you. In Poland it is, for example SFD. In Norway Fitnessbloggen or MyRevolution forum.

* Accept yourself
Don’t compare yourself to other. You have other body type, posture, muscle composition. Try to improve youirself, not be someone else. And accept yourself. And this - not dieting, not training - might be the biggest challenge.