Blog

Too busy driving your kids around for activities? Always working overtime? Can’t afford a pricey gym? Or, is $100 a week for yoga classes keeping you at home?  Not enough time and not enough money are two of the top excuses people use for not prioritizing physical fitness.

The truth is, a commitment to better physical fitness doesn’t have to be a time or a wallet buster. So with the New Year right around the corner, why not join the hoards of Americans who commit each year to making themselves more healthy. And even consider going a step above and sticking to it.

Finding The Time

Chances are each day you have a space of 30 minutes that you can set aside for some exercise, whether it’s before work or after. It is important to find a time and commit to it, at least three times a week to get started. By scheduling your fitness, you’ll be more likely to stick to the routine..

Here are some other tips to help you find the time.

• Cut back on your screen time. Are you surfing social media sites, or spending mindless time playing computer or phone games?
• Delegate like a boss. Find some things your children or spouse can take off your plate, say the dinner dishes or folding laundry. Find something or some things that put 30 minutes back into your schedule. 
• Find a lunchtime fitness team. Gather some co-workers to form your own work fitness team.
• Give up the late show. By skipping late-night shows, you can get yourself to bed early so that getting up a half hour earlier to exercise is more doable.
• Keep a positive attitude. Set a small manageable goal and then create a mental picture of the results of that goal. Visualizing positive outcomes is a powerful weapon against excuses.

Exercise on a budget

There’s plenty of opportunities for exercising on a budget that don’t require an expensive gym membership or expensive class fees. Here are some options to consider.

• Set up home gym – You can get a well-rounded workout in an extra bedroom or basement space.

Strength Training

Examples: Lifting weights or objects around  the house, resistance band exercises, use your own body to do squats, push-ups, jumping jacks and planks.

Benefits: Helps you lose weight and keep it off, makes you stronger, aids in disease prevention, beneficial for bone health and decreases muscle loss.

Cost: Kettlebells $35, Resistance Band $8

Flexibility Training

Examples: Balance training, stretching with use of an exercise ball, yoga, tai chi, and pilates.

Benefits: Decreases muscle tension, improves range of motion, and helps prevent injuries.

Cost: Balance Trainer $55, Exercise Ball $22

Aerobic Training

Examples: Brisk walking, hiking, jumping rope, bike riding, running, dancing, cross country skiing, and kickboxing.

Benefits: Increases your confidence, emotional stability, memory and brain function. Reduces your risk of Type II diabetes and heart disease, improves your immune function, and lowers your blood pressure.

Cost: Exercise Bike $130, Jump Rope $10

• Alternative Methods – Participating in yoga, meditation or swimming classes can help with mental health issues and addiction recovery. This is because these activities allow you to focus your mind and can relieve stress and anxiety.

            Cost: You can find free yoga classes online, as well as meditation programs. Or find an affordable swimming class near you.

You have the ability to make the time and you truly don’t need much money to get in daily fitness. Creating a fitness plan and making it part of your life has many benefits that should be too tempting to resist such as more energy, stronger relationships, better sleep and happier moods.

It’s time to start your workout, so get moving!

With puberty comes a roller coaster of emotions that lasts throughout one’s teen years. Radical changes in body shape and size can make them feel self-conscious and insecure. Unfortunately, the media doesn’t help this situation due to the perpetual influx of photoshopped images of rail-thin models and actors — but social media and the internet are big problems, too. Sadly, we’re living in a time when teens are posting YouTube videos or downloading an app to ask their peers if they’re pretty or ugly. The obvious side effect of this is depression, suicidal thoughts, and eating disorders — between 2.5 and 4 percent of teens are thought to have anorexia nervosa or bulimia. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to influence your kids in a positive manner. How you act and what you say can help change the way your teen thinks and feels, thus promoting a healthy body image. Here’s what you can do to prevent or correct a problem. 

Practice What You Preach 

Set a good example for your teen by living a lifestyle that the whole family can get on board and incorporating regular exercise and a healthy diet into the mix. Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” as this can encourage an eating disorder. Instead, focus on how foods make you feel. For example, explain how a poached egg, avocado spread, and a piece of whole grain toast for breakfast can give them the energy they need to get through the morning at school. Educate them on the types of foods that can help fuel a teen’s body for proper development, physical activity, concentration, and prevention. Words are just as important as actions, so avoid talking about others’ appearances as well as your own. Saying that you look fat in your dress or that the slice of pizza you’re eating is going straight to your thighs is only apt to make your teen question his/her own appearance. 

Educate Your Teen On Media Versus Reality

While it can be a challenge, make sure your teen understands that their celebrity role models are likely photoshopped, and/or spend five hours a day at the gym with a personal trainer and have a personal chef on hand to make nutritionist-approved meals. In other words, what they’re looking at is not realistic. And with all the photo retouching apps available, not everyone on Instagram is legit either — and that potentially includes their close friends. Because of this, it can be a good idea to monitor and limit screen time, while encouraging them to stay busy through self-esteem boosting activities like joining a sports team at school or taking up a new hobby. 

Look Out For Eating Disorders

Even if you’re doing everything you can to boost your teen’s body image, you should still know how to spot the signs of an eating disorder so you can get them help before it’s too late. Telltale cues include weight loss fluctuations, disappearing after meals (which could mean purging is taking place), avoiding food-related social plans, and pushing food around instead of eating it. Talk to your teen’s physician about getting a referral for a treatment center when you start to notice something isn’t right. Don’t wait for the problem to get better on its own, as it’s only apt to get worse; with a 10 percent mortality rate, anorexia is the most common eating disorder in teens. 

Compliments are a great way to boost self-esteem, but make them about something other than your teen’s appearance. Focus on internal qualities, skills, and health rather than looks. This can help them grasp the fact that there are more important things in life than trying to achieve an unattainable body. 

Photo Credit: Pixabay