3 Ways To Improve Your Fitness Outside Of The Gym

If you’re looking for ways to improve your fitness and overall health, exercising regularly is your first choice. But it’s not the only way!

Going to the gym is one of the best ways to carve out time in your schedule dedicated to your fitness goals. However, it isn’t the only way to stay healthy.

Cardio, weightlifting, and yoga significantly show results. But you should go beyond your time spent at the gym and focus on how you can build muscle in your everyday routine.

If you feel that going to the gym has contributed to your mental and emotional well-being, consider the following ways to solidify a happy and healthy lifestyle even further.

Tips To Improve Your Fitness

Here are three simple tips to improve your fitness and overall health outside of the gym:

1. Balancing Your Diet

Eating healthy isn’t just about losing, gaining, or maintaining your weight. It’s about being deliberate about what goes into your body.

Many of us eat food made of ingredients we can’t identify these days, greatly compromising our bodies and how we feel afterward. So, how do you have more control over your meals?

Cook at home. You inspect all of the ingredients and prepare the meal yourself, so you know exactly what you’re consuming. It’s easier to calorie count and track based on each ingredient in the meal.

Smoothies and juices are popular because they’re easy to make, and you can put anything in them.

From protein powder to pure bovine collagen powder, smoothies and juices are a strong source of protein, fructose, and greens, depending on what you make.

2. Making Room For Meditation

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in thinking about our body’s health that we neglect our mind.

Meditation and mindfulness practices are some of the most centering and grounding exercises that clear our minds and connect us to the present moment.

Many of us are guilty of living too deeply in our heads and overthinking. How can you concentrate on your fitness goals and live a fulfilling life if you’re always distracted by thoughts about your schedule, family obligations, work duties, etc.?

Mindfulness practices emphasize the significance of letting thoughts come and go, prioritizing breathing, and exerting a stronger awareness over the body.

With the rise of technology, these practices have become more accessible, even through your smartphone.

Many meditation guides have YouTube channels or blogs where they chronicle sessions and experiences with followers.

There are many apps you can download on your phone that walk you through mindfulness practices step by step.

3. Trying Therapy

Therapy is often stigmatized, but it continues to be one of the most effective means of mental and emotional growth, as testified by those who have stuck with it for years at a time.

However, it is a delicate journey that must be spearheaded by a professional. Working with a licensed therapist is imperative to therapy’s effectiveness and your own mental and emotional safety.

Additionally, even if your therapist is licensed and has years of experience under their belt, they’re sometimes just not the right fit.

Depending on your experiences compared to theirs (human-to-human and medical-professional-to-client), you may find that landing on a therapist takes time and patience.

Consider seeing someone specializing in therapy practices that relate to you (marriage, depression, PTSD, etc.).

Last but not least, patience is key. Often, leaving a therapy appointment can be draining and discouraging, but sticking with it is imperative to its efficiency.

If you persevere through difficult sessions in a therapist’s office, you can accomplish any of your fitness goals.

Bottom Line

There are many ways to reconnect with your body, mind, and spirit.

Between eating a balanced diet, practicing meditation regularly, and pursuing therapy with a licensed professional, you may find that there are more ways to better your mind and body than just the classes you take at the gym.

Consider opening your schedule for a new lifestyle with fewer hours at the gym and more quality time spent eating right and focusing on self-care.