7 Proven Ways to Start an Active Lifestyle

Are you looking to make some lifestyle changes and increase the amount of physical activity in your life?

It may seem daunting at first. But by making small changes in habits, you can quickly and easily move from a sedentary lifestyle to one that is filled with more activity.

Living an active lifestyle is actually very important to staying healthy and happy. When we stay active it helps to reduce our risks of disease, injury, and, as many studies have shown, can help improve our mental health and cognitive function.

Where to Begin?

You don’t have to be an amazing athlete to be active. As a matter of fact, all you need to lead a more active lifestyle is to have the right mindset.

Add to that clothing that you feel comfortable and confident in such as women’s athleisure, and you’re ready to get moving.

For starters, here are some useful tips to keep in mind when working towards more activity:

• Increasing Heart Rate
• Strengthening Exercises
• Healthy Weight Maintenance
• Finding Fun Activities

Finding fun activities is probably the most important one to keep in mind. Because if you’re having fun while being active, you’re more likely to stick with it over the long haul.

Here are seven proven ways to start an active lifestyle. They are quite simple and easy strategies you can use to get active and stay active.

Take It Nice & Slow

If you haven’t been active in some time, it’s best to start off slow. Always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program, as there may be certain precautions you need to take.

But once you get clearance and doctor’s advice, you can begin. You’ll want to start out with shorter sessions and then gradually increase in time and difficulty from there.

Remember to not do too much and too quickly, otherwise you will risk injury and burnout.

Also, remember to include days off in your workout routine as this is key to not getting mental or physical fatigue.

Wear Comfortable Clothes

Find comfortable clothes to wear when aiming for dedicated physical activity. This can make such a difference in how we move in our activity, and how we feel when we’re active.

Putting on comfortable clothing, along with supportive sneakers can make you feel like you’re ready to take on the world.

Plus, confidence is an incredible motivator.

Aim for 30

A great goal to have is to get 30 minutes of activity a day. If time is limited, you can always think about breaking up the time into chunks.

You could try dancing for 10 minutes in the morning, a short walk after lunch, and a light walk after dinner.

 

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Strengthening

It’s also important to do more than just aerobic exercise. Our muscles need to be challenged in different ways in order to maintain their strength. Resistance training or weight lifting is also important.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go lift barbells at the gym.

But finding ways to do weight-bearing exercises is also important. This can mean lifting your groceries, doing squats in the bedroom before you go to sleep, or even jumping rope.

Also remember, if you’re comfortable, you’re more likely to be focused on your activities and less on what you’re wearing. So think about slipping into your women’s athleisure clothing before you jump into your activity.

Strength training is also super important because it helps to not only strengthen muscles and bones but also improve your balance and coordination.

This, in turn, helps to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and can also help prevent injuries and falls.

Little LifeHacks Can Make a Big Difference

Lifehacks are a great way to get more activity integrated into your day-to-day life.

Here are some examples of lifehacks to try out:

• Park at the farthest end of any lot you’re in. It will automatically force you to walk more without even thinking about it!
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Your appointment’s on the fifth floor? No problem! Get those quads and heart rate activated and you’ll be raring to go!
• Walk to work or to meet up with friends. Heading to brunch? Get a reservation somewhere within walking distance. Before you know it, voila! That French Toast breakfast has paid for itself.
• Do interval exercises when watching television. Make a game out of it and do an activity at every commercial break. Or when you’re with friends, jump into some comfy leggings and turn your TV time into a playful competition. Take that binge-watching to a new level and binge on sit-ups every time your favorite villain says, “Off with his head!”

Vary Your Routine

As the old people prefer to say – “Variety is the spice of life”.

So keep that activity menu on rotation. This can mean changing up your routine from dancing a few days a week, to bike riding on the weekends, to going for a hike mid-week.

Maybe it also means doing extra cleaning around the house or helping friends with a move.

Coincidentally, you’ll find the more active you are, the more you’ll end up craving the movement. Our bodies were built to move. And according to another old saying, “Use it or Lose it!”

So feel free to get adventurous and curious and discover new ways to get more active.

Focus on The Fun

Take a little time to figure out what activities spark your joy. If you love plants and gardening, consider doing that on a regular or semi-regular basis.

Like joy in motivating others? Consider organizing a weekly neighborhood walk.

If you relish your alone time, adding yoga to your daily routine is a way for you to increase your activity and also peace of mind and stress relief.

During all these activities, remember that comfort is key.  If you’re suited up in women’s athleisure, you’ll feel confident, no matter what the task at hand may be.

Finally, remember – if you’re enjoying yourself, you’ll find your increased activity can improve the quality of your life and you’ll definitely feel very happy!