You don’t need a motivational poster to know that everyone’s different. For every gym junkie that gets their kicks from numerous reps, there’s a couch potato who feels just as good taking it easy. One lifestyle doesn’t have to be healthier than the other. Here’s are a few tips for the couch potato who wants to be fit and active while keeping as calm and relaxed as possible.
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The Easy, Obvious Stuff
It doesn’t have to be hard. There are a few obvious things you can do to improve your health without too much effort. If you really enjoy your food, try cutting down on portion sizes and swap out some of the unhealthiest elements of your diet. If you’re a smoker, you’ll start feeling healthier if you vape with electronic cigarettes to satisfy your nicotine cravings. There are plenty of e-cig brands out there, like Blackhawx, which can help you get the nicotine hit without the thousands of nasty chemicals that come from burning tobacco.
Rest Up
Sleep is important. A good night sleep will give your immune system a boost and can reduce the risks associated with diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Sleep has a positive impact on your metabolism, so sleeping well can help in your overall weight management. Think twice before you sacrifice your sleep time for some other activity, whether it’s another late night episode of your favourite show or an early morning training session. Those six to eight hours of sleep are making you healthier. Sleeping is something even the laziest couch potato can do!
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Exercise Smarter, not Harder
Not everyone has time for daily gym regimes. Look into quick, high intensity workouts that get you cut in a fraction of the time. The Tabata protocol recommends 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times. That’s only four minutes for a quality workout. If it sounds too good to be true, check out the latest Thor or Superman movies. Apparently Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill used the Tabata protocol to bulk up before their lead superhero roles.
Get Upright
Get on your feet to start feeling healthier. You don’t even have to move – just standing instead of sitting burns about 50 calories an hour. It might not sound like a lot, but it adds up quick – three hours of standing per day can add up to about 3.5kgs of weight loss over the year. Get on your feet for your favourite TV show, stay standing on the train, or get yourself a standing desk at work. You’ll feel better for it.
Walk Backwards
This one looks and sounds ridiculous, but is actually pretty helpful. Walking backwards burns about 190 per cent more calories that walking forwards. Consider getting around backwards when you’re at home – you’ll burn almost twice as many calories without making a huge change in your lifestyle. Just remember to change it up when mates come around – you’re probably not burning enough calories to justify getting branded with a new nickname.
You don’t have to completely change your lifestyle to get fitter and healthier.
These are just a few of the simple things you can do to improve your quality of life while still keeping everything low key. Look for small, simple changes you can make that will have big benefit in the long run.
