Looking and feeling your best requires sacrifices and changes to your lifestyle, and it can feel daunting if you don’t know where to start. This guide will help you begin your journey toward your best self, regardless of whether you’re stuck at home or heading out into the world for some socially distant adventures. One way to kickstart your progress is to walk regularly, made easier by resources such as Walking for Health and Fitness.
Find the right support system.
You may find that achieving your best self is more fun as a team sport. Wellness professionals, nutritionists, and fitness specialists can all help guide you toward any changes that you wish to make. The sense of accountability and support will likely make the process easier. It’s normal for commitment and energy to fluctuate, and this ‘team’ can help keep you motivated.
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The first step is to figure out what part of your life may be holding you back and making you feel less-than-wonderful. For example, if your diet is leaving you lethargic or bloated, you can hire a wellness professional through an online job platform to create your personalized meal plan. Or, if you’ve struggled to find direction in your life and it is causing you stress, you can work with a life coach to help you clarify your goals and identify obstacles in your way.
Get a regular endorphin fix.
Endorphins are the feel-good chemicals released by your brain that reduce pain and increase feelings of pleasure. The trouble is, they’re not free. You usually need 30 to 45 minutes of physical exertion and some degree of discomfort for your brain to give up the goods. Beyond the pleasant ‘high’ of endorphins, exercise has many other benefits, such as weight loss, a clearer head, better skin, and a stronger immune system.
Walking for Health and Fitness’s Pleasure Walking Exercise Program is a great way to start because it’s more accessible across all fitness levels than running or cycling, so consider downloading it today. Through walking, you can also enjoy other things at the same time, such as nature, chats with friends, listening to an audiobook, or bonding with your dog.
Love yourself.
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Self-love isn’t the same thing as narcissism — the latter is an unhealthy obsession with your outer appearance, while the former is the practice of treating yourself with kindness, respect, and appreciation. Self-love can help you unburden the mind of faulty negative beliefs that may be holding you back. Once you become your number one fan, you may find it easier to practice healthy habits that make you feel good.
Check in with your motivation for making changes to your lifestyle to be sure that you’re coming from a place of inspiration rather than the need to please others. Inspiration and radical self-acceptance go hand in hand. When you love and accept yourself just as you are, it can feel easier to work toward positive changes because you’re less likely to feel pressure or the fear of failure. Try to celebrate your strengths and keep moving forward from a place of self-love rather than self-discipline.
You probably won’t become your best self overnight, but the steps you take in the direction of a healthier, more balanced lifestyle will bring you closer every day. The right support, regular exercise, and loving yourself will help you make ongoing progress. Once you start looking and feeling better than you have before, you’ll know you’re on the right track.
Walking for Health and Fitness has all the goods to help you get started and keep you motivated. Shop ebooks, fitness guides, and more here.
Walk on,
Frank
Contributor:
Dana Brown has 15 years of caregiving experience, and after seeing some patterns of poor health she became determined to help inform people about healthy living She created HealthConditions.info, to provide Internet users with helpful content and resources that will lead them to making healthier decisions.
