Ditch the Sedentary Lifestyle and Get More Active
Slipping into a sedentary lifestyle is pretty easy. Perhaps you were never really particularly active, especially if you’re not a big fan of sports and exercise. Or you might have become less active over time due to work or other commitments that seem to take up all of your time and energy. But if you are living a fairly sedentary lifestyle, it can have a negative effect on your health in a number of ways. You could be less physically and mentally healthy if you’re not moving enough. Getting up and moving could help you to be healthier and happier.
Be Careful to Avoid Injury
If you’re not used to being active, it’s important to be careful when you start exercising more. One thing to be cautious of is that you don’t injure yourself, especially if your body isn’t used to doing certain things. If you have any weak joints, providing them with the right support will help. You can use KT Tape elbow support to help provide strength to your elbows or other joints that might need it. Pushing past pain is something you should avoid too. There’s a difference between aching muscles and pain from an injury or something that could become one.
Start Slowly
Don’t rush yourself if you want to start being more active. You should slowly build up how much activity you’re doing so that you can get to the level you want without hurting yourself. Pushing yourself too hard and fast might increase your likelihood of giving up early too. If it all seems too hard, you might decide not to bother. Begin with gentle exercise if you’re particularly sedentary, trying things like going for walks or doing some yoga. When you start to gain strength and become more comfortable with exercise, you can step things up.
Find Activities You Enjoy
A lot of people can become more sedentary because they don’t enjoy many of the activities that they’ve been introduced to. Maybe you have horrible memories of PE at school or you hate spending time in the gym. But if you typically haven’t enjoyed exercising in the past, you need to find something that you do like. Most people can find something that they enjoy, which motivates them to be more active. Whether it’s swimming, dancing, rock climbing, or ice skating, you can find something that’s fun to do on your own or with others.
Set Goals for Yourself
Setting goals is a good way to motivate yourself to make changes in your life. It gives you something to aim for so that you’re more likely to make a plan and stick to it. If you want to set goals, it should be something concrete that you can measure. A goal to get fitter is admirable but a bit too vague. Think about what you want to be able to do, whether it’s run around with your kids without getting out of breath or running a 5K.
When you want to turn your sedentary lifestyle around, think about how to get more activity in your life and stick to a plan.
