However, research is telling us over and over that being active is non-negotiable. You need to make the time to do something.
Kathleen Trotter, personal trainer and author of Finding Your Fit: A Compassionate Trainer’s Guide to Making Fitness a Lifelong Habit, says the key is finding an activity YOU enjoy. Don't feel obligated to participate in activities your friends and family members like.
It's also important to find your balance.
For example, running might be your bliss, but it can also be hard on your body. Stretching, yoga, Pilates, swimming, etc. can help create that balance.
Your "fitness recipe" will change throughout life, based on age or certain life situations. As you get older, balance training and flexibility becomes more important. You may still be able to run, but perhaps not as fast or as far.
Kathleen offers these other fitness tips:
- Don't beat yourself up for missing a day. Instead, allow yourself that day and get back on the horse the next.
- When you don't want to do something, try it for at least 10 minutes. More often than not, you'll keep going past that 10-minute mark.
- Try the color challenge. Pick specific colors that will spur actions. Every time you see blue, stand up taller; red, take a drink of water; green, walk faster for five minutes.
- Getting fit doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Make use of online videos or even just walk around your neighborhood.
Kathleen Trotter has been a personal trainer and Pilates specialist for 14 years.