If you’ve ever set a big goal, you know that your excitement and enthusiasm are high and you can’t wait to get started. But over time, motivation naturally starts to decrease and day-to-day life becomes a distraction. But that’s no reason not to set goals in the first place. You just have to change your strategy.

The endorphin rush that comes with a workout, the accomplishment in improving strength or dropping a few kilos is hard to beat. It is motivating and inspiring and is often the driving force that keeps us going back for more.

For most, this healthy habit is something that enhances our quality of life, but for a subset of the population it becomes more sinister.

1. Carbohydrates

Eating carbs increases the level of tryptophan in your blood, which the body converts into serotonin – a sleep-inducing brain chemical that slows nerve impulses and promotes calm. While more research is needed, sleep researchers generally agree that including a carbohydrate, particularly slow-burning carbs (beans, pasta, quinoa, sweet potato) to your evening meal will help you sleep more soundly.

1. Fresh Fruit
Bananas: an excellent source of energy, Vitamin B6, potassium and fiber.
Apples: a great source of fiber, Vitamin C and help regulate blood sugar. They’re very satisfying, making them a perfect afternoon snack.
Blueberries: Blueberries are packed with Vitamin K, Manganese, Fiber and Vitamin C, and their antioxidant count is high.

When we are stressed, or experience stress there are changes in the brain and in the whole body. We experience the ‘stress response’ or ‘fight-flight’ response. When we are in danger or feel threatened our body gets ready and geared up to face up to it in the best possible way to survive. Our heart rate increases, muscles become tense, stress hormones are released and flood into the nervous system, fats and sugars release to create instant energy, the digestive system shuts down to save energy and the area of the brain which is used for clear decision making shuts down.

Here are some examples:

Playing with your kids and grand children

As we get older, many of us complain of stiff joints, immobility and tight muscles - not to mention just a lack of general cardiovascular fitness. All of these things create a barrier when it comes to carrying out our daily chores and activities, but we get by. We adapt, we figure out ways of making things easier. We take the elevator instead of the stairs, we park closer to the supermarket and we store things where they’re easily accessible.

Sleep
Alcohol may help you fall asleep quickly, but the quality of your sleep may not be so good. Those who drink close to bedtime don’t get enough rapid eye movement (REM) sleep where important processes of dreaming and restoration occur. This lack of sleep impairs muscle recovery and reduces energy, meaning your workouts the next day will suffer.

Here are six things you should never do before hitting the gym.

To Burn Calories- Standing

According to studies standing at a desk increases calorie burn by 20 percent compared to sitting. Why? When we sit, our muscles are not engaged, our digestive system slows and blood circulation is gradual. So if you find yourself chained to the desk most of the time, stand up every 20 minutes and go to the printer, get a drink of water, take a stretch or pace while talking on the phone.

Considering how crucial it is to our survival, we spend very little time thinking about the way we breathe. In fact, most of us generally only think about our breath when we’re short of it. But it’s a subject that could do with a little more attention. If we breathe the way our bodies were designed to, we can unlock real and lasting benefits for our workouts and our health.

When we think of athletes and active people, we certainly don’t think of exercise being dangerous to their health. It makes sense that active people would be healthier than sedentary ones. The truth is, exercise and strenuous physical activity can increase our oxygen consumption in order to meet our energy demands.

QUALITY VS. QUANTITY

For an ideal sleep you need to go through several stages. Two of these phases are particularly important: Deep sleep is the most restorative stage of sleep when the body repairs itself, and studies suggest the most damaging effects of sleep deprivation are from inadequate deep sleep.

While usually overlooked, good balance is an important factor for your overall health and injury prevention.  Poor balance can lead to falls and injury, especially for older people. By developing greater balance, you’ll improve your coordination and postural stability.

Including foods with protein in every meal and snack is essential for weight and fat loss. Protein containing foods help to make you feel fuller for longer period of time, preventing blood sugar spikes and dips.

Sometimes it’s all too easy to put health and fitness into the ‘goals to be achieved’ bucket and revisit at a time in your life when it feels like more of a priority.

When it comes to breaking a sweat, many people focus on bigger biceps and a trim waistline, but for some, that’s not enough motivation to get moving. Indeed, the phrase ‘exercise is medicine‘ is becoming increasingly recognized as a fundamental form of treatment for various lifestyle related diseases, including depression, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, some cancers, and hip fractures. Here are a few unexpected benefits of exercise that happen when you're active.

How did you spend your last 24 hours? How many hours did you spend sitting down compared to standing up? What type of movement did you do?

There are two main classifications of exercises: compound exercises and isolation exercises. In this post, we will cover exactly what a compound exercise is.

Are you getting enough nutrients to power through your HIIT class or do you sometimes feel like you’re running on empty? Lookout for these 5 common signs you’re not eating enough to fuel your workout.

Our skeleton is also extremely efficient, despite supporting the weight of our entire body. The dry weight of a healthy human skeleton averages only around 7% of total body mass – so blaming excess weight on ‘big bones’ is not exactly an excuse!