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The real “secret” to staying slim is to be active. Truly active, slim people are on the go probably 7-8 hours a day. So, in truth the UK government’s recommendation that we do half an hour of exercise a day may not be enough to stop weight gain if that’s ALL we do.
According to a US study of 34,000 women, an hour a day of moderate exercise is needed to fight the flab. That is probably of the organised type of activity but of the our day to day out put, how can we really up things in our overall lives? What does being active really mean?
As a Personal Trainer my job is really to help people become fitter and in being fitter they have more energy and “drive” to achieve tasks they had thought were beyond their energy levels. Most clients come to me in quite a lethargic state, almost like the cycle of laziness, fatigue and drive have wound down backwards and they have lost the sense of what is “normal” for the human body to do.
The human body is designed to work hard, but you do have to push it a bit and be determined to do so. I would say until they receive the proverbial “kick up the backside” most people will try to do as little as possible.
But the advantage of being active is this: You never have to worry about being unfit, you always end up getting most of what you set out to do, done and on the whole you never have to worry about being able to fit into your jeans.
Initially a new deconditioned client feels reluctant to exert effort with their body and any effort feels exhausting.
This passes quickly, very quickly, as the miracle of the body is how quickly it responds to a pressure being placed on it. You just need to keep up the pressure, but not from a “to do list” point of view but from a “want to achieve clean windows, the shop, clean beds, a nice garden” type of view point. The initial change is in the mind, an almost acceptance that laziness breeds laziness in the body and pushing creates fitness. The “push” bit is in the mind.
Time is no excuse as day-to-day activity is about getting things done and staying fit at the same time. Obesity is uncomfortable (to say the least) and brings health risks, in fact according to a new study; people who are obese in middle age are almost 80% more likely to have multiple health problems by the time they reach age 70.
"Those who gained weight [in adulthood] actually suffered reduced odds of healthy survival," said study author Dr. Qi Sun, a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health's department of nutrition.
"The key message is that everyone really needs to keep a healthy weight from early adulthood to midlife to enjoy a healthy and long life," he added.
The key to maintaining a healthy weight is being active in our day-to-day lives.
First steps are to get used to being active with light exercise. It is important you build this up and just get used to moving more continually through out the day.
The minimum would be that you do x10 off the list below every day and push yourself to build this up.
As you get fitter you stamina gets stronger and also you start seeing the effects of you in the world. Your home is cleaner, your cupboards more organised, your clothes ready to be worn, food is in the fridge and you can feed yourself and your family healthy meals, as you are organised and able.
The jobs from the list above you should be able to do now without even thinking of them as being “activity” anymore, this is just how you are and you can think about what else you want to tackle and achieve.
The following list, is on top of the above day-to-day x10 (as we always need to eat, shop, cook and wash to look after our selves and our homes), I would suggest that as a fitter person building to the point you could take on x1-5 of these types of tasks over the course of a week.
All the above have little to do with wasting time at a perceived leisure activity like “the gym” and everything to do with making your own life more comfortable and productive and satisfying.
Once you can achieve the above on goingly as just “normal” life then you will be fit enough to part take in some fun stuff to as a reward for all your hard work. The following list I would recommend once a month.
These are the true blocks to building a happier, fitter and more productive you and fitting in the realities of a working life be it jobs, kids or caring for parents. Go well.
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