About motivation

"If you want to be beautiful - run, if you want to be healthy - run, if you want to be strong - run," said the ancient Greeks.

Hundreds of studies have shown the benefits of an active lifestyle. Physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, at any age. An active lifestyle is an effective prevention of hypertension. And for those who already have high blood pressure, it sometimes helps to reduce it even better than the medication prescribed by your doctor.

Of course, it is difficult to find motivation today, when everything is already "turned" and sports clubs are closed. During this time, a lot of people have lost motivation, and it is very difficult to "collect" themselves, take them "behind a pile" and pull them out for a walk. The number on the scales grows, the clothes press and do not fit, but looking in the mirror, you want to turn away. Theoretically, you understand that something MUST be done to change a situation in order to change yourself.

For 14 years, I have been "sitting on a diet" every spring preparing for a fitness competition and I know what it means if I don't want to. If you don't want anything. But I know just as well that no one but you will do it for you. And it needs TEV, not to anyone else. And if you don't do it NOW AND NOW, believe me, it will be even harder later.

But remember how motivation works. No, not as usual - when an athlete runs, the coach runs along and shouts: go, go… yes, YOU variii !!!

Normal motivation works like this - you get up, get up, go and start doing and seeing. See what? You see the RESULT and it is this result that motivates you to move on and develop further. Respectively: Action - Result - Motivation.

But, not the other way around: well, coaches, professionals, friends - well, motivate me and maybe I'll get it off, lift my ass off the couch to move towards MY goal.

What allows me to be in line, to be motivated?

There is a saying of the Buddha, “Want to go fast - go alone. You want to go far - go with someone ”. Find a like-minded person or better yet - like-minded people, apply for a hike, during which, in a great company, you will be able to enjoy not only the nature of our beautiful Latvia, but also “start” your metabolism. If you don't need company, find your favorite music, podcasts - put on your headphones and go live.

How much physical activity is needed?

It must be remembered that everything is needed in moderation. Both in terms of food and physical activity.
Too long, strenuous physical activity is harmful to health and shortens a person's life, although we feel that the more I train, the healthier I am.
It would be necessary to spend 500-3500Kcal per week to maintain health through physical activity.

As a result of many studies, the optimal figures have been determined, for example, the intensity for running - up to 8km / h - counts light physical activity, from 8-11 km / h - medium physical activity / over 11km / h - high physical activity. For comparison - walking in a smooth step, a person travels about 6km per hour.

The most optimal, health encouraging (non-fat burning) load should be - workouts 2-3x a week. Any sport.
Total minute time per week - 60-150min / week (dividing this duration into 2-3 workouts)
If it is running, then the running intensity should be 8km / h - to have any effect on health. The maximum physical running load during which a person will not harm himself is no more than 56 km per week.
Another important indicator of maintaining health is heart rate during exercise. The heart rate that should not be exceeded during exercise is: 180 - age = optimal heart rate. This limit should not be exceeded. For an untrained person, or after the illness still need to remove the "-5", but for a well-trained person, it can be 5 higher.

How to find time for physical activity?

Many are talking about and complaining about this. Just like cooking a healthy meal. But first you need to understand that it is not a waste of time, but an investment in your health for many years to come. And what will help if you have a great job but no health - then there will be no joy in the job.

Think about it - do you live to work or do you work to live?
But you can always find time for everything, if you really want it:

• Plan at least 15 minutes of exercise at home before breakfast - it will stimulate your metabolism.
• If possible, go everywhere on foot, not by car or public transport, do not use the elevator.
• On weekends, take a long 1-2 hour walk or bike ride with your family and pets at least twice a day.
• Take part in the 10,000-step challenge (commit to walking at least 10,000 steps every day). It fits perfectly. Especially for those who think about their health, their weight, or want to lose extra kg, because the metabolism is moving and many studies have confirmed that this number of steps, which is about 7-8 kilometers, is the healthiest. Just like the two liters of water you should drink during the day, 10,000 steps is considered the minimum amount you should walk during the day. However, the number of steps for each of us may vary slightly depending on physical fitness. It should start gradually: with 3-4 thousand steps a day, slowly increasing the distance, up to 10 thousand or even more steps become the norm. If you want to lose weight, but are lazy to exercise, then walking is a great way to burn calories and burn fat.

For information - a 1h walk in a fast step (6km / h) consumes about 300Kcal. To lose 1kg of fat you need to burn 9,000 calories (At a weight-maintaining calorie intake. If you take in more calories - your weight will decrease more slowly, but if you take in more Kcal than you consume - the weight will also increase).

How to make the move exciting?

It is good for the whole family to be involved in physical activity. All you have to do is find something that will suit and please everyone. A great way to move your family members is the same counting of steps - as a competition between family members, with the most active promising a prize at the end. Counting steps is very simple - virtually all phones now have this feature, or if you want accurate tracking, use fitness watches.
I like various sports activities and I think everyone can find one that suits them. Starting with walks and hikes, orienteering, We can get on bikes and go on shorter or longer rides. With roller skates. Or come to enjoy water sports when summer comes - swimming, surfing, boating, paddling…. Obstacle tracks have become so popular. I like that they are designed and adaptable to everyone's physical fitness. Even for me, who considers herself a strong woman - all is not yet defeated. And where to grow :)