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Becoming a parent can often change us in so many different ways that we don’t even realise it is happening until it is too late. Physically, you may feel like you don’t exercise as much, that you are more likely to reach for convenience or junk food and then subsequently start to notice a little weight gain. But there can also be some huge mental changes when it comes to your mind.
You are less perky or energetic, perhaps not getting as much sleep as you would like, and you become a slave to the routine of working, providing for the family, and taking care of children. While you love and feel grateful for these moments and experience them, the changes in your mind and body can start to get you down. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are some of the tips and tricks to begin your fitness journey, whether you are looking to work out at home or search for gyms in this area.
Ways to begin your fitness journey
Record your activity
Recording your activity on your fitness journey can be a big motivator to see your progress, using the Xplora XMOVE activity and fitness tracker, you can track the number of steps you are taking and even get competitive amongst family members to encourage all to be as active as possible! It also has a built-in sensor to monitor inactivity and reminds a user to get moving to help maintain a healthier lifestyle. Its Multi-Sports Mode function monitors activity when running, walking or cycling whilst the Heart Rate Monitoring helps a user to exercise at the right intensity.
The XMOVE monitors activity even when sleeping by measuring the duration and quality of sleep which can then be assessed on the app. No need to worry about getting caught in the rain on a walk or run or children jumping in puddles either as the XMOVE is certified as IP68 and can be immersed in water up to 1.5m deep.
Don’t overdo it straight away
We can all be a little guilty of making a decision about doing something and then jumping in head first. But when it comes to something like starting your fitness journey and exercising, if you haven’t done anything for a while, then this can lead to cause injury and set you back a while. The problem we all face is just wanting to get started, and instead of starting off gradually, we likely want to pick up where we left off. Not taking into account that our bodies have changed and our fitness levels are not what they once were. Take things slow and build up.
Be realistic with your goals
The next thing to do would be to set yourself some goals on what you want to achieve from your fitness journey. It might involve you being a certain weight, fitting into old clothes or running a particular distance. Once you know what you want to do, be realistic with your smaller goals on how you achieve them. It’s a great way to stay motivated and on track. This means that while the end goals are in sight, you can work towards smaller milestones that can be a plan to get you where you need to be.
Just staying hydrated can make a world of difference
Water is so important and could be a real lifesaver for any parent. With very little sleep and energy on sometimes your best days, water is a natural remedy that can have an effect on the quality of sleep you get, your mood, and even increase your energy levels. Keep a water bottle close by and regularly top it up. Water is one of those things that we just take for granted, and many parents don’t drink nearly as much as they should do when it comes to staying hydrated.
Tap water isn’t as appealing as we all wish, that is until Zerowater came along. Now you can save money and help reduce single-use plastic waste by drinking tap water. Zerowater is a premium filter and reduces 99.6% of all total dissolved solids that are found in your drinking water. It delivers the purest tasting water in minutes. So good you can see straight through, no more limescale and other pollutants.
Try working out at home
Often leaving the house can seem impossible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be proactive in your fitness journey and healthy. Consider working out at home to DVDs or even YouTube tutorials. Anything from yoga to HIIT sessions can be found there. You can even get the children involved by watching the lockdown PE with Joe workouts on YouTube – they are not just for kids!
Just be more active
Finally, just being more active in general will help you start to look and feel better about yourself. So get to the park with the children, go out for a walk in the woods, or even walk to do the school run. Those little choices could make the biggest difference.
Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help you begin your fitness journey.
