10 (seemingly) simple rules to get fit

10 (seemingly) simple rules to get fit

The best advice is often the hardest to take and apply. This is especially true when it comes to developing a fit body.

Here are 10 rules of fitness that one might not buy initially. But give them a go; your fitness goals just might seem easier to achieve.

#1: Fitness is a simple game of cause and effect. You can make excuses or hang your reason on whatever logic you like. At the end of the day, if you're not getting the effect you desire, then the cause simply isn't there.

#2: Mother Nature doesn't care about your diet or exercise dogma. Many diet and exercise plans are based upon a theory or dogma about what we should be doing to stay in shape. Some say we are not meant to eat food that's been cooked. Some believe that we should only eat or work out at certain times of the day. As mentioned in the last rule, fitness is a cause and effect deal. If you follow the laws of Mother Nature, you will have the result you seek.

#3: You can't out-train a poor diet. You also can't fix sloppy training with super clean eating. Diet and exercise are two players on the same team. They both have different yet synergistic jobs to do.

#4: What you do when not working out has a bigger influence than what you do while training. An hour of workout hardly stands much chance against sitting at your desk for 8-9 stressful hours and vegetating for 3-4 more in front of the TV. Our bodies and minds were made to be active throughout the day. Short physical activity breaks can do wonders.

#5: Your energy level rules all and is influenced by everything. With energy you can do anything and do it much more easily. But with a low energy level your potential goes into a tailspin and everything becomes much harder to do. So be on the lookout for other areas of your life outside the diet and exercise box that are either boosting or draining your energy.

#6: No one really cares about your fitness level or weight loss. Getting fit for your own intrinsic motivations or personal reasons is far more powerful and rewarding than getting fit to fulfil someone else's ideal of what you should be.

#7: The quality of your exercise is far more important than the quantity. You do more good for your body doing 5 super focused pull-ups than doing 100 sloppy ones.

#8: The quality of your exercise is 100 per cent dependent upon your own focus and concentration. When you exercise, your mind is literally feeding your body instructions on how it should perform. In this way, your mind is responsible for the cause and your body is feeling the effect.

#9: There is no weight loss exercise. Every exercise, from running to Pilates, does one thing; it trains your body to be capable of that activity. Every change your body makes is to accommodate the functional demands of that activity. Unfortunately, there are almost no exercises that require your body to be leaner. Even if you would benefit from being leaner, like with pull-ups, your muscles are being told they need to be stronger to lift the extra weight. In other words, you can't train for fat loss. Sure, you can burn lots of calories through activity and that can help with weight loss, but there's no guarantee it will make you lean. If calories going in is the same as the calories going out then your fat levels will remain the same no matter what your workout programme is.

#10: No workout programme will prepare you for everything. Life is certainly easier with a strong and fit body. That being said, no matter what you do there's always going to be gaps and holes in your capabilities. You may be able to run for miles but struggle to hike up a hill. This is why it's important to figure out what physical capabilities are most important to you and to attack those with passion. If running is your thing then go after it and be the best you can.

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