Taking charge of our diet and fitness now also means taking charge of our health. With the almost inexorable rise in the number of diseases and life-threatening conditions linked to lifestyle – that is, what we eat and whether we exercise or not – doctors are as likely to prescribe a fitness and nutrition program as they are to offer medication to certain patients.
This has been described as “lifestyle medicine” with the likes of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, poor nutrition and lack of exercise all targeted by physicians.
As we all know, being advised to eat less and to move more is easy but changing habits formed over a lifetime is a much harder thing to achieve. So the fitness community and the medical profession are increasingly joining forces to encourage all of us to incorporate good diet and exercise into our daily lives.
This is especially important where children are concerned. In the developed world, an epidemic of obese or overweight children has become of serious concern to health professionals. Involving the whole family in a daily fitness regimen will pay off for all of you with health and social benefits in equal measure.
Joining a gym, whether it’s a private one or a local authority leisure centre, can be the first step in your new resolution for a regular fitness program. The key is to keep using the facilities and not find excuses to avoid the gym after a few short weeks. A personal trainer can be a very effective way of pushing you to achieve fitness and diet goals over a short period of time – make sure the trainer you use is qualified.
Not everyone can afford to join a gym or to hire a personal trainer, of course, but there are cheap and even free ways to get and stay fit. Walking costs nothing and it’s been proven that walking for 30 minutes every day is as beneficial as other, more strenuous forms of exercise. Jogging and cycling won’t break the bank, either.
And if you struggle to stay motivated when you exercise, consider joining a class or fitness group where the camaraderie of like-minded individuals can keep you focused.
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