Become a Modern Day Warrior with These Fitness Tips
Let’s face it. Staying in shape is not easy. Sure you can go to the gym a few times a week and eat a healthy meal here and there. But by the time the weekend rolls around, you are ready to dive head first into that pack of cookies you’ve been eyeing all week. Truth be told, after a long 8-hour work day the last thing most of us want to do is hang out in a room full of strangers and even stranger smells. A common issue in pursuing a healthy lifestyle is taking on too much change at once. It may be easy for some, but completely changing your eating habits and personal fitness takes time. Here are a few ways you conquer the day and become a modern day warrior!
Go to Bed Early
A common issue among most of us is having a lack of energy, and a contributing factor is not letting our bodies rest long enough. According to the National Sleep Foundation, most adults need anywhere from 7-9 consecutive hours of shut-eye every night. If you are physically active, it would be best to tack on another hour or two of sleep, or your time in the gym will start to feel like a lifetime. So record all of your favorite late night shows, put a placeholder in your book and call it an early night so you can be fully prepared to take on the next day.
Prepare Your Meals
Eating out can serve as a much-needed break from work. Seeing the smiling face of a waitress as they serve a hot plate of food is a nice change of pace from glaring at cubicle walls all morning. However, the little slice of paradise comes with a few disadvantages in tow. If you’re like most of us you don’t always make the best decisions when choosing your lunch getaway. While eating out in moderation is fine, once it becomes a daily ritual, eating out can become costly to both your health and wallet. The secret to healthy eating is nestled within the confines of your home kitchen. Meal prepping may not be what you would call a “Sunday Funday”, but rest assured the results will be worth a couple of hours sacrificed from your weekend. If you need a break from cubicle walls and computer screens, just take a few steps down the hall and get a breath of fresh air.
Hit the Gym Before (or After) Work
Remember learning about Newton’s laws in middle school? Any object not in motion will stay motionless unless acted upon by an external force. This theory not only applies to that science class you barely remember, but it also applies to personal fitness. If you go straight home right after work, chances are going to the gym is going to fall to the bottom of your priority list. Hitting the gym right after work also allows you to avoid the 9-5 traffic that comes with most desk jobs. If you’re an early bird, going to the gym before your workday can act as a healthy way to start your day as well as give you a burst of energy that rivals even the biggest cup of coffee.
