To truly be a healthy person, it won’t do to eat right and avoid vices. Consistent physical activities such as exercise or sports are also important, not just for good physical health but also good mental health. Being that it contributes to physical and mental health plays an important part in anyone concerned with their well-being checklist.
Starting a habit of exercising can be difficult; deciding to live a healthy lifestyle is a difficult task on its own. But it’s not impossible, especially for women, who live under negative stereotypes of being dainty and fragile, or only being concerned about family and childcare. But society is slowly changing. More and more women are proving their worth, and that yes, they definitely can.
This doesn’t mean that finding fun in traditionally feminine things like getting cute baby clothes or enjoying a good manicure is bad. It simply means that women can be more. And that includes activities often perceived as masculine, such as fitness and strength.
Through small but consistent changes, you can slowly introduce the idea of living a healthy life. A drastic lifestyle overhaul isn’t necessary. A slow and steady pace always wins the race, which is still true even in fitness and general well-being. Here are a few tips to help you on your journey.
Incidental Exercise
We often do quite several physical activities throughout the day. They might seem small and insignificant, but when combined, they can measure up to something more considerable and is a great way to introduce your body to physical activity. This is called incidental exercise and is especially great if you’re used to living a sedentary lifestyle.
Save Gas, Skip the Car
For trips that don’t take more than half an hour, consider walking to the location instead. This will get your body moving and might work up a little bit of sweat, but as soon as you get used to it, it will feel like it’s nothing. Alternatively, if you have a bicycle, you can pedal your way to places instead.
Play with Your Children
If you have kids, then you know that they can be quite the physically energetic ones. Take a moment to play with them and enjoy a good workout. You’re not only bonding with your children, but you’re also working out your body in the most fun way possible.
Do Things Manually
Moving around the house often takes energy and effort. Be efficient and do it yourself! That counts as exercise too! Lifting garden tools, cleaning the house, mowing your lawn are all physical activities that many people discount as physical effort. But they do take muscles to accomplish, and they’re one of the best incidental exercises you can do.
Intentional Exercise
Opposite of incidental exercise are exercises that you do with the intention of training and improving your fitness. It’s the form of working out many of us traditionally count as an ‘exercise.’ Once you’ve introduced your body to motion and activity, intentional exercise comes as a natural progression of sorts.
Join Exercises Classes
Starting on your own can be quite intimidating, but starting with a group of similarly-skilled individuals can help you slowly build confidence to work out on your own eventually. Joining an exercise class is a great start to intentional exercise. There’s a coach to help you and make sure you’re safe, and there are peers who can also motivate you into not giving up. Exercises classes are common and relatively affordable, and you can choose from a wide variety of fitness activities such as kickboxing, dancing, or spinning.
Take Up Strength Training
There’s a common misconception that if a woman starts lifting weight, she’ll develop large muscles and look like a man. This is far from the truth, as consciously developing large muscles requires time, dedication, and effort. Biologically, it’s also difficult for women to bulk up as they naturally lack the hormones required to develop large muscles.
But strength training is still a good form of exercise as it helps you burn more calories, tone your body and make yourself stronger all over. It’s also linked to helping prevent muscular atrophy and bone decline, helping you stay strong even at an older age.
Get into Calisthenics and Home Equipment
Exercising alone is also perfectly fine, especially if you prefer it. If you are the type to try something like exercising alone, make sure you’ve read about the proper form and execution to ensure your own safety. You can begin your fitness journey with something simple and natural, like bodyweight exercises using calisthenics. It also helps to invest in home gym equipment as it will make exercises easier to do and more efficient.
