It is important to overcome the reasons that cause people not to undertake regular exercise. The most common reasons? The weather being too hot or too cold, a lack of time, feeling embarrassed, causing physical pain or having family duties that take priority. The truth is, if you do not put your own health first, you will be unable to do the other things you love like helping your family, living with reduced pain and ageing with grace!
SMART Goals
Setting goals allows you to feel motivated and work towards where you want to be. By achieving your goals, you will feel proud and feel an increase in your self-esteem. SMART goals are a way to be able to clearly understand what you are aiming for and allow you to allocate your time so that they are achieved. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and, Time specific.
For example: I will increase the time I walk by 10 minutes each week for the next 2 weeks.
Fitness goals
Use the guidelines from Health.gov.au to inspire you – if you added up your weekly exercise minutes, would you meet the guidelines? Booking into a Pilates class is a great way to commit to at least an hour of exercise a week, plus you’re ticking all the four pillars of fitness off too – strength, balance, cardio and flexibility.
50-64 yrs 2.5-5 hrs moderate or 1.25 – 2.5 hrs vigorous activity + strength training at least 2 days per week
65+ 30+ minutes moderate activity on most/all days + incorporate strength training regularly
Eating Well
Having good nutrition leads to better health and will make you feel better inside and out. Eating the right foods helps address key health risks including osteoarthritis, heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, diabetes, many cancers as well as gut and digestion conditions.
The most important things to include in our diets as we age are:
- Protein: high protein foods include lean chicken, pork, fish, beef, tofu, beans, lentils, low-fat yoghurt, milk, cheese, seeds, nuts, eggs.
- Fibre: foods high in fibre include whole grain cereals, whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread, oats, barley, rye, berries, melon, broccoli, carrots, peas, beans.
- Calcium: foods with a good source of calcium include seeds, cheese, yoghurt, milk, sardines, almonds, spinach, kale.
- Fruit and vegetables: It is recommended that you eat 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables per day.
- Water: Drinking an adequate amount of water is vital, especially as you increase your physical activity. Be guided by the colour of your wee. The darker the colour, the more dehydrated you are.
Knowing how to read food labels to identify which foods contain these things, and how much is in them, can be a really great way to make small changes in order to make a big difference to your health.
Making your changes stick
Making and sticking to changes can be tough. Don’t forget to set your SMART goals and check in on them daily to monitor your progress. When you achieve a goal don’t be ashamed to celebrate! Reward yourself with something nice or even share your achievement with a loved one or friend. Once you have completed a goal, create a new one to replace it. This may be building on the previous goal or it may be a completely new one. This is a great way to continue to improve and stick to creating positive changes.
Find a social support group or person to encourage you to strive harder to reach your goals. Having someone to hold you accountable and keep you motivated is a fun and easy way to ensure you make your changes stick.
Remember, start small and make your goals achievable. No one’s first goal is to climb Everest, you have to take small steps to prepare your body and mind for the things you want. Use your strengths and find something you are passionate about or love doing. Identify barriers and strategies to get around them so that you can plan ahead and can move forward with less hassle
When you are implementing change into your life there are going to be many other factors to consider. This is why it can be very beneficial to seek help from a doctor, health professional or community centre.
Improve your physical and mental health through the tips and tricks that have been shared with you and strive for a long and healthy future, because you are worth it and you can do it! Put your health first and live life to the fullest!
Check in with us at Turning Pointe Pilates – we can help you stick to your goals.
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