Health And Fitness Tips For Men and Women, Stay Fit

In the last decade, many people have become very interested in health and fitness. Everyone is becoming more aware of the importance of their habits and the influence these have on longevity and quality of life. However, with so much information (and misinformation) on the internet, it is easy to become overwhelmed and not know how to start leading a healthy life. In this article you will find accurate information, tips and hacks to modify your lifestyle, and become a better version of yourself.

Don't Improvise

If you want to change your lifestyle, you should start by planning ahead of time. This is the best way for you to maximize efficiency and achieve the best results possible. A great plan technique is meal prepping. To meal prep, you will use one day of the week to cook meals for the week ahead. This will make it much easier to stick to your diet since you won't have to cook every single day. It also makes it easier to keep track of your macros [1].

Count Your Macros

This is probably the most efficient way to lose fat or gain muscle. The science before this technique is calculating the number of carbs, fats, and protein you need according to your goals, and based on that, choosing the foods and portions that will best suit your progress. This is a much better option than simply counting calories since it takes into consideration the quality of your meals [2].

Lift Weights...

For many decades, cardio has been promoted as the only way to lose fat. However, if you want to get the best results possible you should add strength training to your workouts. Lifting weights will boost up your metabolism and help you burn fat all day long. You will also gain muscle mass, contributing to a better physique [3]. 

... But Don't Go Too Heavy

Oftentimes, when people start at the gym, they think that they should work out as vigorously as possible. On the contrary, the best thing to do is to go at your own pace. Instead of trying to lift the heaviest weights you can find, you should focus on maintaining good form and having the largest range of motion possible. Once you have mastered these two, feel free to increase the weight [4].

Give Up Smoking

One of the best things you can do for your health is to stop smoking. This habit is mainly associated with lung cancer. However, this is not the only way it can affect your health. First of all, it can damage the structure of your lungs and develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Also, it increases your cardiovascular risk by thickening your artery walls and, as a result, increasing your risk for strokes and heart attacks [5].

Get Enough Rest

A very important aspect of health and fitness that is often overlooked is sleep. Getting enough sleep helps you maintain a healthy heart by decreasing your blood pressure. When you sleep, growth hormone is released. This hormone helps you recover and build muscle mass, which ultimately improves your performance and increases your metabolism [6]. 

Find Ways To Boost Your Progress

It can sometimes be a good idea to try things other than diet and exercise to get faster and better results. Think of it as ways to complement your fitness regime. One particular practice that has been getting a lot of attention lately is infrared saunas. These evolved from traditional Finnish saunas and have a long list of health benefits. Infrared saunas use infrared waves to heat your body and increase your internal temperature. These waves penetrate deep into your skin and tissues, transferring heat without drastically heating the air around you. This is completely opposite of their traditional counterparts, which first heat the cabin air and is then transferred to your body via that same air. 

Infrared saunas have many effects both on your body as a whole and at the cellular level. Since they increase your body temperature, they promote circulation and increase your heart rate. Infrared waves have also been proven to stimulate the part of the cells that produce energy: the mitochondria. By positively influencing the mitochondria of all your cells, the result is a boost to your metabolism [7].

The benefits of infrared therapy don't end there, it's also been associated with reduced fatigue and soreness in athletes, as well as improved recovery time from muscle pain/soreness [8, 9]. It's also worth noting that using infrared saunas regularly will improve your sleep cycle and help you get more hours of shut-eye at night, leading to an effective recovery regime [10].

Having a healthy lifestyle involves many different aspects. You must pay special attention to what you eat, how much you eat and how you exercise. Amazing tools like an at-home, personal infrared sauna can help make the journey easier, but it's not a cure-all. Remember that it's up to you to implement lifestyle changes to achieve the model of health you're looking for.

Sources:

[1] Foster Kelli. (2018). "The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Meal Prep." Thekitchn.com, The Kitchn, 14 October 2018, https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-meal-prep-beginner-261658.

[2] Kubala Jillian. (2018). "How to Count Macros: A Step-By-Step Guide." Healthline.com, Healthline, 14 October 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-count-macros.

[3] Fetters Aleisha. (2020). "11 Major Health and Fitness Benefits of Lifting Weights." Shape.com, Shape, 16 March 2020, https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/benefits-lifting-weights-strength-training.

[4] "25 Expert Fitness Tips and Strategies Every Lifter Should Know.", Mensjournal.com, Men's Journal, https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/25-expert-fitness-tips-and-strategies-every-lifter-should-know/8-dont-go-too-heavy/.

[5] “Smoking And Your Heart.” Texasheart.org, Texas Heart Institute, https://www.texasheart.org/heart-health/heart-information-center/topics/smoking-and-your-heart/.

[6] "Surprising Reasons to Get More Sleep." Webmd.com, WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/benefits-sleep-more#1.

[7] Lidz Gogo. (2016) "The Easiest Way to Burn 600 Calories Is by Sitting in a 150-Degree Box." Thecut.com, The Cut, 26 July 2016, https://www.thecut.com/swellness/2016/07/infrared-sauna-benefits.html.

[8] Mero Antti, Tornberg Jaakko, Mantykoski Mari, Puurtinen Risto. (2015). "Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions in men." Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnological Information, 7 July 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4493260/.

[9] Loturco I, Abad CCC, Nakamura FY, Ramos SP, Kobal R, Gil S, Pereira LA, Burini FHP, Roschel H, Ugrinowitsch C, Tricoli V. (2016). "Effects of far infrared rays emitting clothing on recovery after an intense plyometric exercise bout applied to elite soccer players: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial."  Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnological Information, 2 July 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4993144/.

[10] Hussain Joy, Cohen Marc. (2018). "Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review." Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnological Information, 24 April 2018 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5941775/.