This mind your body post is to give you some tips on how you can put exercise into your daily routine. In the last one we looked at nutrition, but keeping that body moving is also a great way to mind it and to stay fit, heathy and lean, but also lose weight.

One hour of normal exercise a day: It doesn’t have to be a full hour at once, you can also divide it in two times half an hour. This can be anything from walking your dog to jumping on your bike or an easy cardio workout.

Half an hour of intensive exercise a day: If a daily exercise routine of one hour is too much or not doable for you, it is possible get this done in half an hour to get near the same effect. Just make sure it is an intensive workout. Just HIIT it. This means High Intensity Interval Training, with different intensive exercises, which vary in intensity, put together in 25 to 30 minutes which make your heartrate goes up and turn your metabolism on. Doing HITT workouts regularly, next to eating healthy, can turn your body into a fat burning machine. But it also depends on your personal health situation and overall lifestyle. HITT workouts are proven to be the most effective for burning more calories (read: fat), even hours after your workout is done. You can search the internet for HITT workouts and more info.

Do what you love: like with everything in life, the same goes for exercise. Pick out a workout that you love. This will motivate you to continue and keep up with your active lifestyle. Don’t follow a hype or join something just to fit in, but do what suits you. For instance, I don’t really like jogging, I’m more of a walker, so I walk. Actually walking is more effective for burning fat then running (fact). So if this is your main goal and you’re not such a big fan of jogging like me, Walk! If you’re more of a team player, join a team sport. If you love cardio, go to the gym. Love lifting weights, go to the gym. Love to exercise in a group,  join group lessons like yoga, pilates, steps, and see what you like. Good luck!

Work on your strength: This is an effective way to build strong muscles and to tone your body. Weight training/ lifting is the most common and popular when thinking of strength and muscles, but not everybody likes that. You can also work on building strength and getting toned by doing yoga, pilates, aerobics and my favorite, Les Mills body pump. This is a fun one hour workout which include weight lifting but not the kind you may think of. Check it out here. Also for the ladies: pole fitness is something you might wanna give a try, a good way to build your strength. Having a certain amount of strength really helps in your daily activities and can allow you to do some particular activities as well, I’m talking adventures things, but not really extreme. Remember that muscle mass helps reduce fat mass! So work those muscles regularly, at least twice a week.

Go online: The internet, social media and the app world are your best friends when it comes to workout motivation and tips. You do not need a fitness workout buddy to get started and keep it up. First and foremost you have to remember that you are doing it for you and eventually you’re the one who needs to do it yourself. There are tons of blogs, YouTube channels, instagram pages and apps to help you out in your fitness and health journey and give you great tips for daily life. Get online and start (re)searching!

Make a schedule: Then stick to it! Do not make any excuses. Even if you can do only half of what you planned to do, just do it. But remember to turn up the intensity if you do a shorter workout. You will become fitter and burn more calories this way.

Good luck on your journey to a better and healthier body!

XX Fashion Diva