The Death of HIIT For Fat Loss

The 7 Habits of Highly Healthy People

When it comes to fitness and health habits are king to success. Most people fall victim to the quick fix or some sort of 6-week workout challenge they found on Facebook to get fit. But, I think we all know by now that there is no quick fix. Think about it for a second.

It wasn’t after a week of being inactive; it was after years of inactivity, possibly even decades. For the typical person, they go to college, play sports, go to the weight room, go for runs, hikes, bike rides, you name it. Then, you go off into the real world, get a career, get married, have a few children, and then out of nowhere, you’re in your early 40s, and you don’t remember the last time you touched a dumbbell. This moment is when you realize you need to get healthy and start moving and eating a little better. Doing a 6-week challenge isn’t going to undo years or decades of poor exercise, diet, and lifestyle habits.

1. SLEEP!

Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain. People with short sleep duration tend to weigh significantly more than those who get adequate sleep. In fact, short sleep duration is one of the most influential risk factors for obesity. In one extensive review study, children and adults with short sleep duration were 89% and 55% more likely to become obese. The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be mediated by numerous factors, including hormones and motivation to exercise.

2. EAT GROWN-UP FOOD

Remember when you were a child and your mother would always make you eat your vegetables? Well, she was onto something when it came to your health, but for some odd reason, as we become adults, we’d instead go through a drive-through and eat something that doesn’t follow the lines of “real” or whole food.

So what’s so good about healthy whole foods? For one, they’re loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They also contain phytochemicals, the general name for natural compounds in plants. While thousands of individual phytochemicals have been identified, countless more remain unknown. They help in different ways. Some are antioxidants, which protect cells against damage.