Twenties are the time to live up your dreams, explore your options and indulge in things and activities you are crazy about. But this is also the time to develop a habit and practice healthy fitness activities to ensure that you are healthier during the later part of your life. Recent researches have shown that people who were healthy in their young adult years were healthier over time.
IT’S TIME TO GET FIT!
What should you do? Start doing the below activities so that your future will thank you!
1. Cultivate healthy food habits
Long schedules, bad attitudes toward food can cause young women to be at the mercy of fast foods, fad diets and generally bad nutritional habits. Try including food that nurtures you, gives you energy, is rich in nutrients and are delicious. Have breakfast regularly and keep your dinner light and simple.
2. Strength training
Strength training is great for your overall health whether you are doing bodyweight circuit training or lifting weights. Include more crunches, pushups, lunges and squats in your daily exercise routine. It increases the lean muscle mass, helps in boosting metabolism, burns calories, eases back pain, aids proper sleep and even helps in keeping diabetes at bay. All the more reasons for you to start strength training today.
3. Water
Well it sounds obvious; drink more water. Most of the people still don’t drink enough water. Don’t think it makes a difference, read all the benefits of drinking water here.
4. Add variations
Vary your workout routine so that your progress is not stagnant. Doing the same thing over and over again would decrease the effectiveness of your workout. Try including a mix of circuit training, yoga, hiking etc. to work your body in different ways. Yoga and Pilates are great for your posture. Try including suryanamaskars or these yoga steps to strengthen your spine. They will help you take care of the potential hunchback that you may have developed by sitting at your computer for long durations.
5. Include a rest day
It’s really important! Incorporate a rest day in a week to give your body some time to recover and refuel.
6. Meals post workout
After workout your body craves for carbs and proteins. Carbs give you an instant energy boost while proteins help in repairing torn muscles. Include a good combo of carbs and protein to replenish your body after an exhaustive workout.
7. Stretch before and after exercise
Stretch for five minutes, before and after workout to warm up your tightened muscles.
8. Workout schedule
Make workouts a part of your day. Schedule it so you don’t have to question its existence. Think of exercise as a fun way to release your energy. Try a dance class, schedule a run, go hiking; its all about thinking of fitness as a fun way to spend your time.
9. Protect your skin
Our skin ages with us. We cannot completely escape the natural aging process however we can delay wrinkles and sagging sin through healthy habits, balanced diet and a proper skincare routine. Wear a moisturizer with SPF to protect your skin from the harmful sun rays.
10. Adequate sleep
Sleep is precious and is crucial to a healthy functioning body and mind. In our 20s, we face occasional sleep deficit during stressful time. Chronic insomnia may cause depression, diabetes and diminished ability to retain and process information. The major reasons for sleeplessness are busy schedules, depression, anxiety, too much caffeine, smoking and alcohol overdose to name a few. Set yourself for a good nourishing sleep of 6 to 9 hours each night to establish consistent sleeping routine.
