A weekly series of fitness and health tips commences today.
The Fitness and Health Column, will feature articles by award winning sports journalist and Guyana’s Men’s Physique Champion Emmerson Campbell, who will outline and illustrate ways in which you can achieve your fitness goals on the way to better health.
Some of you may want to shed that excess weight gained over the holidays, make some muscle gains, get toned or shredded or get advice on workouts and nutrition, this column will help guide and support your efforts.
No matter how we feel about resolutions, chances are most of us are looking to kick off 2016 on a good note. To help you get started and to keep you on track, easy-to-implement tips that will help you nail whatever it is you are aiming to accomplish will be printed every Sunday.
The weekly articles will feature diet plans for weight loss and muscle gain, exercise regimens, motivational quotes, supplementation, interviews and more.
As always, when the New Year arrives, one of the things we tend to think about is how we are going to make this year better than the last.
If your goal for 2016 is getting fit, then you can do this by making your health your number one priority every single day. No more excuses; no more procrastinating.
If you have not lifted anything last year that is heavier than a fork full of food and if exercise for you constituted walking to the fridge and then bending to see what was inside, then I suggest you start small, by walking, eating less junk food, consuming fresh produce, drinking less alcohol and getting enough sleep.
Here are some tips that you can use to begin the journey to the new fit you.
Walking
You can start by getting up out of that chair and simply walking for 15 minutes every day. This will not cost you any money or any gym membership. Just get moving. If you have not exercised in a long time, this is a great goal for you.
Get Motivated
Stay on track by reminding yourself of the benefits of exercising, seeking fitspiration (if you’re sitting at home—or at work—on the computer all day, then this one is virtually at your fingertips), or becoming an intrinsic motivator—someone whose drive to succeed comes from within, rather than from external factors.
Eating less junk food and consuming fresh produce
This is pretty much self-explanatory. Natural, whole, organic foods are always better and a healthier choice than a fat/calorie loaded meal at your nearest fast food outlet.
If time is against you, try doing what most gym addicts and fitness enthusiasts do: meal prep for the week/a few days and simply refrigerate and microwave.
Drink less alcohol
Binge drinking or simply imbibing makes us pay in dollars and in calories and for whatever not-so-great decisions we might make while intoxicated.
So it is no wonder that resolving to drink less in the new year ranks as a top priority for many people. Especially after the holiday season, cutting out alcohol (or at least cutting back on it) makes sense.
Sleep more
A study found that people who sleep less are prone to drink more. It is not clear whether drinking affects the quality of sleep or lack of sleep drives people to drink, but it’s still worth getting the recommended seven to nine hours of shut-eye. Sleeping more will also aid in lowering your stress levels and elevating your energy reserves.
If you have questions on fitness and weight loss, email them to: emmersoncampbell@gmail.com
Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year!
