People today have the opportunity to enjoy lives that are healthier than ever before. That makes it all the more unfortunate that more people than ever before are obese. People who are overweight are at higher risk for many diseases like diabetes, cancer, depression and heart disease. If you want to keep the pounds off, you should make changes to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. To help you out, the following are five great ways you can jumpstart a healthier lifestyle.
1. Set a Goal
The best way to motivate yourself to ensure that you commit to making real lifestyle changes is to set a goal. Setting goals will motivate you to keep to your commitment day after day. Without this motivation, it is all too easy to lose interest and let your lifestyle changes fade away.
If you plan to starting running, sign up for a race. Using numbers on a scale is not a great motivation, but lowering your body fat percentage or shredding inches from your waistline are both good goals. Just make sure to always set firm numbers for your goals. An actual number will motivate you much more than a vague goal.
2. Pick a Fun Activity
One of the most important lifestyle changes that most people need to make is to be more active. Being active doesn’t necessarily mean spending hours in the gym. You don’t have to go to the gym at all. Instead, a great way to get into shape is to start participating in a physical activity you have always wanted to learn how to do.
You could learn to rock climb. Pick up a surf board and learn to hang ten. Maybe you want to take a ballroom dancing class. It really doesn’t matter what it is as long as it is something fun that will keep your interest. Finding physical activities that you enjoy doing is a great way to ensure you get plenty of exercise and stay healthy.
3. Make a Commitment
It is hard to make changes to your lifestyle or more people would be healthy. To commit to a healthy lifestyle, it helps to make an actual commitment. Commit to yourself by writing a promise to yourself down on paper. You should also share this commitment with others to help keep yourself accountable. When you make a firm commitment like this, you will be much more motivated to succeed.
4. Don’t Forget to Reward Yourself
The hard work that you have to put in to enact real changes to your lifestyle can feel not worth the effort unless you have something special waiting to reward yourself at the end. Without a reward at the end of the finish line, you are much likelier to give up before you reach your goal. Perhaps you want to reward yourself with a beach vacation after reshaping your body. You could let yourself buy something nice for eating right every day for a month. Letting yourself have a nice meal to celebrate reaching a goal is another good choice. You know what things you want the most. Allow yourself to have one of them every time you reach a goal thanks to making a healthy lifestyle change.
5. Find a Partner or Group
Although you are the only one who can control your lifestyle choices, you can find others who want to commit to making changes with you. According to Pure Barre, having a friend to work out with you is a great way to ensure you exercise. It is a lot harder to skip a workout when someone is counting on you to show up. Sign up with a friend for a race so you can train together. Challenge a group of friends to a weight loss challenge. Join a local sports team or cycling club. There are loads of ways for you to find others who are committed to a healthy lifestyle once you become active in the fitness community.
With hard work and dedication, lifestyle changes are possible. You must find ways to keep yourself motivated. Giving up is all too easy. Make sure you find others to share the journey to fitness and a healthy lifestyle. With other people to motivate you and hold you accountable, you will keep moving forward and reach your goals.
