A series of intensive gym visits or a summer fitness program can have great short-term effects for your health and well-being, but to make meaningful long-term improvements you may be better off integrating small changes to your daily routine. Adjusting the way you eat, work and rest — rather than concentrating on a fad diet or short-lived burst of workouts — can be the best way to sustain your new healthy outlook, so staying fit becomes a matter of fine-tuning your lifestyle, from breakfast until bedtime.
In fact, even before you prepare that healthy morning meal (ideally one quarter protein, one quarter carbs and the rest fruit or veg) you can set the tone for the day by getting up early to meditate or exercise. It has been shown that early-risers are more pro-active in general — although whether they get up because they’re pro-active, or are pro-active because they’re early-risers, is still in question.
If you have one of those jobs that puts you behind a desk for the best hours of the day, it’s time to fight back: our bodies weren’t designed to sit staring at a computer screen for eight hours in a row, so mix things up by taking an hourly stroll around the office (boss permitting), taking an ‘active’ lunch break and stretch those muscles while you’re working.