It may sound like a cliché, but it’s never too late to take up sports in your life. I rediscovered sport some months ago and it feels like a new milestone in my life. Why are so many people stoked on sports? It’s not just the obvious physical benefits, I guess. Playing sports also keeps children out of trouble and keeps all of us from an unsavory life.
Here are some reminders on why sport is beneficial for your body, mind and soul:
- You make new friends in natural, spontaneous way
- While you sport, you forget your troubles. An ideal way to fight depression!
- Being part of a sports team is like being part of a family
- Playing sports makes you handsome, sexy and fit
- Sport raises self-esteem: you gain confidence in other areas of your life
- The released endorfines make people involved in sport happy and emotionally stronger
- You learn how to handle competition, an ability that might be handy in your business and private life
Some tips for a fresh start:
- Begin slowly and learn in a low-pressure environment
- Use the correct equipment and get yourself proper instructions
- Buy cool sport clothes that make you feel irresistible
- Take it step by step: don’t exaggerate in the beginning to avoid injuries
- Share your progress on social networks: the fact that others might follow you will put that extra pressure that you might need
- Ask your friends to join you and have fun
- Promise yourself not cancel your sport appointment for no reason
- Persevere. Even when the weather is bad, or when your child is ill: find a solution and get dressed for some sweat.
The rediscovery of sport has changed my life. I hope that you are convinced that it can have a big positive impact on your life too- in your career, education and social life. So, what are YOU waiting for to break the cycle, get out and conquer the playfield?
123FeelFree tips. Easy to include in your daily life. Not too much sweat…
It will help you to train for the Hercules Trophy. But most of all, it’s a feasible way to keep a healthy mind in a healthy body.
- Ask a friend, your partner or a relative to take up exercising with you. It’s a fun way to spend time together and to catch up on the latest news. Choose a time that fits you both and make it your weekly appointment. You’re less likely to cancel an appointment, even if it is an exercising appointment.
- Do you have a job where you spend most of your time sitting down? Then, don’t stay at your desk during your lunch break. Go out, stretch your legs and take a walk with a colleague. It will clear your head and give you enough energy to get you through the rest of your working day.
- Variation is important, also when exercising. You are less likely to get bored or injured if you change your exercising routine. Go for a walk one day and for a bike ride the next. Consider fun activities such as dancing, zumba, aerobics or team sports such as volleyball. Even chores like vacuuming or working in the garden count.
- Choose the right time for you. Some people are more motivated to go for a run in the morning whilst others prefer a swim straight after work to clear their head. Take a look at your daily routine and see where you can best fit in exercise. It is different for everyone. Most important is that you set feasible goals.
- Don’t underestimate the power of music. A run or a walk is more fun when listening to your favorite music. You’ll even enjoy doing the most annoying household chores when you’re dancing at some up-tempo music.
- Lengthy low-intensity work-outs such as walking and swimming are more efficient for burning energy and improving your endurance than short high-intensity work-outs. In other words, you’ll benefit more from a 20 minutes’ walk than from a 5 minutes’ fanatic run.
- Taking up exercise doesn’t always require a subscription at the gym. You can easily build in more exercise in your daily routine. Some examples: get a cross trainer or home trainer and exercise during your favourite soap, take the children to a play ground and push them on the swing, join in rope skipping or jumping on the trampoline. Fun for you and the kids.
- Laughing at a good joke, a good comedy or in the company of friends. It’s not only fun but because you use a lot of muscles when laughing, it’s also a good work-out.
- Not a big fan of exercise? Take a look at the following benefits: it makes you feel younger and fitter, it reduces the risk of chronicle conditions such as heart- and coronary diseases, diabetes type 2, osteoporoses, muscle aches, fatigue and insomnia. So what’s keeping you?
- You haven’t exercised for a while? Make sure that you gradually increase time and intensity. This way y
ou’ll avoid muscle soreness and injuries. Start every exercise with a warm-up and end with a cool-down. If your muscles do feel stiff after training, hot compresses, hot baths or a sauna can do wonders. The warmth will open the blood vessels which improves the blood flow and makes the muscles recover faster. - Do both aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises. Aerobic sports build stamina whilst muscle strengthening exercises will help you avoid muscle injuries. Aerobic exercises are walking, running, rowing, swimming,…
- What to eat? Except if you’re ambition is to become the next Philippe Gilbert or Kim Clijsters, there’s no need to follow a special sports diet. Eat 3 well-balanced meals a day (of a different energy level), 2 pieces of fruit, 3 portions of veggies, 2 portions of calcium and 3 snacks in between meals and you should perform just fine. Don’t forg
et to have plenty of variation so you take in all important vitamins and minerals. It is however true that carbohydrates provide energy, so make sure you also put pasta, rice, beans,… on the menu - Drinking water during exercise helps maintain your performance. During exercise the body temperature rises. In order to avoid it from rising too much you start sweating. This loss of fluids thickens the blood what makes the heart work faster and makes you perform less. So it’s important to drink plenty of water during and after exercising.
- Some people suffer from heartburn when practising their favourite sport. Not eating at least ½ hour (sometimes more) before you start exercising may help but also try avoiding dairy products, citrus fruits and carbonated beverages. Try to find out whether certain exercises s.a. abdominal exercises causes your heartburn. If so, try to do them at the end of your work-out.
- When it’s a hot summer day, you often don’t feel like exercising. However, if you take some ground rules into consideration, you should be fine. Exercise early in the morning or late in the evening when it’s less hot, wear an appropriate outfit, drink lots of water and be aware of your salt intake to avoid dehydration. And if all, you can always opt for a cool swim.
Like this:
When I finally decided to go my way, a few people panicked.
One of them went to see Herr Doctor Haussmann, to see if he could help. This is his inspiring answer…
About a year ago, some pretty drastic things happened for me.
In November 2009, I saw a remarkable TV-programme about wildlife in the Costa Rica Rainforest. A courageous hummingbird tried to speed up its evolution by trying new ways of flying. He succeeded in flying backwards, flapping its wings at 91,8 times per second, instead of the maximum frequency ever registered of 90,3 times. By doing so, he didn’t notice a vivid green Quetzal and he hit it at full speed. Luckily, they remained both unharmed. Maybe only a few biologists might be excited by this extraordinary fact, but it stroke me.
I actually found that hummingbird really inspiring. I said to myself: “ be like the hummingbird”. So I decided to become a hero. Not yet another Superman clone (although a cape would actually suit me), but a hero in life. My dream is to be the Director of my own Herculix Life. Not inventing excuses why I cannot do this or why I don’t have time , or make the same mistakes over and over again and blame other people. But live life to the max. Be a better person. Et surtout: non, je ne regrette rien.
That’s why I decided to make a trip. I want to explore things by myself. I want to see the world and have some fun too, before our planet is totally devastated. I go wherever the wind takes me. I want to see the Machu Picchu, face a leopard in a Thorneybush game ride and feel the sand between my toes on the beach on Koh Chang Island.
But, most of all, I want to meet people (that’s YOU), because I believe in the power of encounters. I want interaction; hear stories of heroes from all over the world who decided to change their lives and surpass themselves.
