Happy weekend, friends! How are you feeling about your fitness and nutrition habits so far in 2019?

Today I’m excited to share a contributed post with you that offers some basic ideas and motivating tools you can use to kickstart your year on a healthy note.

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Combining Exercise and Diet for a Healthy Lifestyle

Taking care of yourself is not a one-size-fits-all activity. There are many different approaches and each individual can create their own plan for healthy living rather than worrying about one solution for the masses. With that in mind, we are going to take a look at some of the ways you can approach improving your health and generally feeling better in your own body. We will touch upon both fitness and food here, so hopefully, there is a little something for everyone to take away.

Exercise

We are going to start by looking at the exercise you can do, but also why you should be doing at least something. Being active is incredibly important for many reasons. Our bodies require a certain level of activity to reduce the risk of illness such as cardiovascular disease and a general improvement in quality of life. Being active also has a positive effect on your mental health! Regular exercise reduces stress and also increases pain-reducing chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins.

What cardio and fitness activities do you enjoy? Here are some you might try this year in your fitness routine:

Running or walking
Biking
Swimming
Dancing
Martial arts
Yoga
Tai Chi
Pilates

Now, you may be thinking, where do I start? Or, wouldn’t I have to sign up for a gym membership to do these activities?

If you want an easy way to introduce more exercise into your daily routine, try starting at home. Let your training regime be built around your usual activities, and keep reminders around your house or leave your workout clothes out the night before so that you’re more likely to get your workout in.

The luxury that a lot of us have these days is that simply by purchasing a yoga mat and looking up tutorials online, you can start doing yoga from the comfort of your own home. This is, of course, just one form of exercise but it is a fantastic base to build upon.

In addition to yoga, you might want to consider going for a run or cycling. The Mayo Clinic recommends that we get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week and combining one of these exercises with yoga is a good way to achieve that without needing to sign up for a gym.

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Diet

Proper nutrition is an essential aspect of your health and fitness routine. Of course, if you are dealing with a certain health condition you may be limited or restricted to certain foods, or may need to work with a specialist to determine a meal plan that works well for you. Regardless of your age or particular health concerns, it can be helpful to consider the following groups in your diet:

Carbohydrates
Fats
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
Water

Diet is all about finding a healthy balance among these different groups.

You might consider using apps like MyFitnessPal to help you track your food. In fact, technology can be a great help if you are looking for a way to improve your diet. A smartphone app is a wonderful tool to use because it’s convenient, simple, and easy to remember to use. This way you literally have your diet plan at your fingertips throughout the day, making it easy to look up information or get a reminder to stick to your plan.

The Noom app focuses not only on what you are eating but your overall health, making it a well-rounded app. Using technology to support your diet and exercise routines can help build motivation and give you more practice using willpower to stick to your routine.

What tools will you use for your 2019 fitness and nutrition routines to help you meet your goals?

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