With levels of obesity on the rise, higher rates of cardio vascular disease and more and more people on medication for blood pressure or diabetes it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking ‘If I get skinny then I will be healthy’. Unfortunately this is where many people struggle to make the lasting changes that will give them the quality of life they desire. Anybody can severely cut their calories and drop a lot of weight with an extreme caloric deficit but where does this leave you? Constantly hungry, tired, miserable, irritated and clinging on by every bit of your will power to stick with this new diet. However your body is clever and knows it needs fuel so eventually you will crack and often times end up worse off then where you started! I have seen this time and time again here at our fitness studio and despite people’s best intentions they often find that this road leads to failure.
If you are genuinely looking to lose some fat or solve any health issues a shift in your focus is what you may be looking for. By changing our mindset from weight loss to improved health, you will be amazed at the rapid changes your body can go through. Here in our fitness studio is where we implement the ‘4 Pillars’ to a better life. By addressing all 4 of these issues you know you have a balanced and solid foundation to build upon.
These 4 Pillars are
Nutrition – Eat whole, natural and unprocessed foods as much as you can. If the food has more than 1 ingredient, or ingredients that you can’t pronounce, that’s usually a good guide to avoid it. Don’t be afraid of your healthy fats, they won’t make you fat! Like most people you could probably use more protein in your diet, aim for a palm sized portion at each of your meals. Introduce more greens into your diet and drink more water too, both of these will bring you huge benefit.
Exercise – Just move! Do something you enjoy and stick with it. Some love the gym while others love swimming, walking, dancing or cycling. Pick something you like or try something new and stick with it. Don’t wait for that perfect program and get caught up in the minor details, just get active. Resistance training has huge benefits for both men and women so try to incorporate this into your life.
Sleep – Get more sleep! The majority of us aren’t getting enough of it and we are starting to pay the price with our health. From balancing your hormones to recovering from exercise sleep is hugely important. Look to get 8 hours of quality sleep in a cool and darkened room
Stress – Are you eating pretty well but still have excess weight around your midsection? Stress may be one of the issues causing this. Everything from your mental health to your immune system can be affected by stress. Taking time for yourself, meditation, going for a walk or even a relaxing bath are a few simple examples of how to tackle the stress in your life.
These 4 Pillars are what your health should be built upon and in our next 2 articles we will go more in depth into these areas and look what to focus on. Until then try making some small changes to your life and feel the benefit of it.
My name is Adam and I am the owner here at Unlimited Fitness, Oranmore’s fastest growing health and fitness community. If you have any questions regarding the article and need some help don’t be shy to contact me. Feel free to message me on Facebook.com/unlimitedfitnessireland or call me on 0879138602