2021, for most it is the year of transition towards either a new start or a restart or rejuvenation or even massive growth at some or other area of life, like physical fitness, emotional strength, mental health, spiritual wisdom and financial growth.
2021 is also the year of application what 2020 taught us.. to always be ready for any circumstances of life.
According to me, achieving Optimal Health / Holistic Health is the solution for standing strong with whatever life offers. And "Journey towards Holistic Health and Fitness is a transformation and not just a simple change".
What does that mean, e.g. If you lose weight with some diet plan, yes it's a change. But if you have not learnt nutrition principles or you have not adopted healthy eating habits and a healthy lifestyle, 99% time weight bounces back. So it's like water, it temporarily changes its state as per atmospheric temperature.
But like milk, if it once transforms into curd it doesn't come back from its once acquired state. Our journey of health and fitness should be like milk, transformational and progressive.
If you are doing same exercise, eg. Walking at the same speed, covering the same distance at the same time duration while listening to music or chitchatting for years can not be considered as exercise. The same way eating 2 roties with vegetables and dal in your lunch and dinner over the years doesn't take care of nutrition needs at different life stages.
Transformation and Progression are important checklists in every area of life. Here I have tried to explain how to do it in the area of Health & Fitness.
Let's divide progression into the following stages:
1. Who are at the decision-making stage:
Fitness discipline is not a vacation to plan during our free time. It's a daily habit, irrespective of your daily routine, just start it.
Anyone should remove and can remove at least 30 minutes dedicated time slot 5 days per week or 60 minutes 3 days per week for exercise.
Also doing nothing is better than doing incorrectly. Unscientific exercise will be ineffective as well as injury-prone. Take a consultation with an exercise coach for knowing customized exercise scheduling to make the best module as per your time and health need. Classical Yogasana is the best start for anyone from age above 5 or 7 years.
Considering nutrition, start making a weekly log of the food you eat. Become aware of the food you eat, whether all food groups are getting included. You can also do a self-analysis about the reasons behind each meal or snack.
For this, you may refer to my previous blog https://amtopmfitness.com/thought-for-food.html
Make sure to include specific nutrients as per life stage demands. E.g. calcium, iron-rich foods like ragi roti, til laddoo, dates, egg, chana jaggery snacks for growing kids.
To take a decision for starting a fitness journey or to keep consistency, reading and listening to health and wellness information from certified coaches can be a very effective tool.
Learning and practising pranayama would be helpful to regain inward focus to self that makes you prioritize health over other daily routines.
2. Beginners: Who have started exercise 8 to 12 months back, now you must have learnt form and techniques of exercise. Now it's time to improve all components of fitness.
If you are regular in your morning brisk walk, now it's time to start swimming or aerobics class. If you are gymming, then don't ignore improving flexibility by practising advanced yogasana. And if you are comfortable with classical yoga asana, then don't underrate the need for cardio and strength training workouts.
Considering diet, after making sure about including optimal nutrients and all food groups, it's a time to improve body composition, metabolism and digestion by correcting food combinations, portions, proportions and meal timetable. Now it's also a time to adopt, holistically healthy eating habits like eating while sitting down on the floor with legs crossed (sukhasana), avoiding any digital and social distraction while eating, practising affirmation for mindful eating.
We are what we read and think. Maximize input of self-help books, life coach vlogs daily to achieve health at all areas of life.
3. Those who are recognised as fitness enthusiastic, who follow their fitness routine every week to the tee for improving their all components of fitness. Eg. Cardio, yogasana and strength training weekly. It's a great achievement already. Write down a goal with your respective class coach to do progressive overload every week, every month. Eg. In yogasana, I want to practice chakrasana, bakasana, improve my spine flexibility more to practice backwards and forwards bending asanas with right alignment. You can choose your area of improvement like balancing, twisting, etc.
In strength training, it's about increasing weights and sets for the different exercises of different muscles.
And considering a diet, optimal nutrition or performance nutrition or sports nutrition should be the target. Along with keeping up with meal discipline, increase key nutrients like calcium, protein, water, essential fats to fuel our active and fitness lifestyle. It's a time to introduce organic nutrition supplements like multivitamins, omega 3 fatty acid, etc
And start testing our fitness by playing some outdoor sports or go for trekking, so that urge of remaining discipline for improving our health will remain lifelong.
Today it's a time where, thinking strong, living strong and being physically strong are real beauty and smartness markers. Success icons are highly prioritizing activities that keep them physically fit in their daily planner. Let's aim the same.
Wishing you improve this strength in 2022.
