7 Small Lifestyle Changes to Stay Fit

These 7 small lifestyle changes to stay fit can be easily incorporated in your every day life and can help you become healthier without any big commitments.

The one thing that turning 30 does to your body is that your metabolism suddenly takes a nose dive. All that junk food that just disappeared to unknown corners when you were in college, makes a comeback and starts showing up in all the wrong places. Hello jiggly arms and sluggish afternoons.

Staying fit becomes more difficult and even thinking about health and fitness takes a backseat. Especially when you are working 12 hours a day and juggling personal and family life.

If you are anything like me, you are always looking for ways to make your lifestyle healthier and become fitter. But overtime, I’ve realized that signing up for the gym and never going isn’t the answer. It’s just money that’s gone down the drain.

When it comes to staying fit, or becoming fitter, it’s really the small changes and decisions that can help, rather than the big ones.  Which is why I’ve been practicing 7 small lifestyle changes to stay fit, and I decided to put them together so that they can help you too.

While some of these may seem too easy or simple, don’t be too fast to dismiss them. Just practicing these for 30 days can help you become more conscious, more aware and fitter.

1. Set small goals: Any lifestyle changes should start with setting goals, because they can help you stay on track. But setting big goals such as ‘I will go to the gym six days a week’ or ‘I will never eat processed food again’ can turn out to be more harmful than good. If you are making a fresh start, set goals which are easily achievable.
2. Get a fun water bottle: Sometimes I find that drinking 8-10 glasses of water is the most difficult part of the day. It’s not much and its necessary for the workings of your body, but so so hard. So, make drinking water fun. Get yourself a fun, colorful, new bottle which will give you the motivation to have it by your side at all times. This small change has helped me immensely in making sure I get my daily intake of water.
3. Add more fiber to your diet: This is a known fact, but can be incredibly hard to keep track of. My answer to this is Oatmeal, fruits and green vegetables. Oats is one of the highest fiber content foods and can be filling and tasty if prepared well. I usually start my day with Horlicks Oats – sweet or savory and pile on veggies and fruits depending on what I’m in the mood for. I don’t limit oats to just my breakfast, I add them to snacks, or even main course because they can make a perfect crust, or be used for binding and can even replace maida. Other ways to add fiber to your diet are by eating nuts, lentils, beans, broccoli, berries etc.
4. Start your day with water: This is the best tip that someone gave me. The first thing that should go in your body when you wake up in the morning is water because it helps flush out all the toxins that your body has cast out in the night. It kick-starts your metabolism, and keeps your feeling fresh. So, tomorrow morning, get up and reach for a glass of water before your phone.
5. Take the stairs: This is the easiest way to add more activity without even trying. Most school, college, office and apartment buildings have a staircase and the next time you have to go up or down a few floors, you should take it. If you are on the 10^th floor and can’t climb all the floors, take the stairs for the first few floors and then jump on the lift for the last set.
6. Set aside 10 minutes in a day for yourself: 10 minutes! The day has 1,440 minutes and 10 minutes seems simple enough. But most of us are so caught up in the day and don’t stop doing something till we hit the bed. And even then, we could be falling asleep while scrolling through Instagram. Which is why being mindful and keeping just 10 minutes aside only for yourself is so important. This simple change can bring so much awareness to your mind and body, and can truly help you with your mental fitness.
7. Sleep enough: Growing older also means kids and family and work pressures and its really easy to put sleep on the backseat. Some people can get by with as little as 3-4 hours of sleep. But pushing your body without resting can be the worst thing that you can do to yourself. So, sleep well and sleep enough. No matter how awful your day was, or how much work you might still have, give yourself time to rest and recharge with a good night’s sleep and the next day, everything will look much easier.

I hope these 7 small lifestyle changes to stay fit have inspired you to take your health back in your hands. Remember, start small and stay healthy.

This post is sponsored by Horlicks Oats