Fit for Life: Life is Waiting For You, What Are You Waiting For?

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Life is waiting for you, what are you waiting for?

That was a saying I saw on a billboard the other day, and it resonated with me enough to put some deep thought into it.

Many people put off living a quality life because they are always waiting for the right opportunity, and a time when it is convenient for them.

One of the best and easiest ways to improve your quality of life is to start taking better care of yourself by eating properly and exercising regularly.

But many are guilty of putting this off for numerous reasons.

I’ll start working out and taking care of myself when my schedule frees up.

Or I can’t afford it right now.

Let me give you some advice. The timing will NEVER be 100% convenient.

So, don’t wait until it’s too late.

There will always be something that SEEMS more important, but the truth of the matter is that nothing is more important than taking care of yourself.

You just need to make it a priority and invest the time and energy to do so.

I hear about people preparing to get sick in the future, so why not make the same effort to avoid sickness?

Tv commercials that tell you to take a pill before you eat garbage, so you avoid acid reflux.

How about avoiding the bad food and not worrying about acid reflux?

Or a good one is when you know you will have a few drinks that night, so you prepare to feel like crap the next day.

I had a member tell me that her parents have a fund set aside for when they get sick.

Why wouldn’t you invest in yourself while you are young, and get healthy so you can enjoy life now, and possibly avoid getting sick?

I work out and eat healthy for numerous reasons.

To feel good, keep my immune system strong so I don’t get sick, to look good, and to have the energy it takes to get through the day.

I am self-employed, so staying strong and not getting sick is imperative to my financial success. I need to be strong enough to handle the demands of running a business, and I can’t get sick, because business owners don’t get compensated for being sick.

Another reason I take good care of myself is so when I am older, I can stay self-sufficient and avoid the medical system.

Because it’s not a fun place to get stuck.

Ironically, I just overcame an infection from a small scratch I received while exercising outside. It wouldn’t heal on its own, so I had to visit an urgent care facility. That wasn’t enough, so I had to visit the emergency room for an IV antibiotic, and let me tell you, it is not a place I recommend visiting.

It’s a place full of bad vibes, long waits, dirty facilities and sick and unhappy people.

The aura of sickness brings you down even more and your mood and outlook on life plummets.

Being in this environment wasn’t a pleasant experience, and I don’t recommend it to anyone.

I call the medical system the “wheel of death” because once you get in, it’s tough to leave.

Taking care of your health is easier than you may think.

I have a simple outline that I suggest you follow, so you can avoid the medical wheel of death as much as possible.

Eat clean non-processed food, exercise 30 minutes daily, stay hydrated, and get some quality sleep.

That’s it!! Those are the 4 basic habits to incorporate into your lifestyle.

It’s an easy formula to follow and it’s even easier when you belong to the coaching and accountability program we have developed here at Providence Fit Body Boot Camp!

When you surround yourself with like-minded, happy and enthusiastic people all striving for better health, it becomes fun and rewarding to see your results going in a favorable way.

It gets people addicted, because when you start feeling better, and looking better, you want more.

On the contrary, when you’re not feeling well, you would do anything to feel better.

So, the choice is yours now.

Surround yourself with a healthy environment, and become a product of vitality and positive energy, or spend your time in a medical waiting room, surrounded with misery, pain, sickness, and unhappiness.

It’s an easy thing to prevent if you take action now but will get more and more difficult the longer you wait.

To me, that’s an easy decision, but the decision you make today will dictate your outcome in the future.

Committed to your success,

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one.

Related Slideshow: The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps

Here is a list of some of the most obsession worthy health apps.

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MapMyRun

MapMyRun is the number one selling running app for a reason: it is easy to use, offers community support if you want it, and tracks and stores your exact routes for you. If you are training for a race or a serious runner, users say that the extra perks in the upgraded paid version are well worth it.

Made for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

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MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal seems to be the clear favorite amongst everyone polled. It is helpful not only for the fitness tracking aspect, but everyone polled mentioned how much they loved the food/diet aspect as well. From carb counting for diabetics to recipe ideas to complement your fitness goals, users love this app.

Made for iPhone and Android

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JeFit

JeFit is another fitness app that has rave reviews. It not only tracks progress for you, but offers a huge database of workouts. While many apps offer community support, JeFit allows you to sync workouts with friends who use the app, offering a (real) virtual buddy system.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Strava

Strava gets the highest mark of all the cycling apps. While it is also great for runners, the cyclers seem particularly inclined towards the fierce competition that can be ignited by this app. You can track all of your rides via GPS, then you can compare your efforts to those logged by others in the community on the same stretch of road. You can also join ongoing challenges that can net you great prizes (in addition to bragging rights).

Made for iPhone and Android

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YogaStudio

YogaStudio gets the top vote for Yoga apps. It has a lengthy collection of full class-length videos available at your fingertips. Unlike many other apps, this one also allows you to customize your own video yoga class. All of the poses are done by qualified yoga instructors, and you can find classes suitable for all levels of yogis.

Made for iPhone only

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SimplyBeing

SimplyBeing meditation app offers the best of both worlds. You can choose to run this app as a background for your meditation with soothing music or natural sounds that run for a set amount of time. Conversely, for those of you who have trouble focusing during meditation, you can choose a soothing voice-guided meditation.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Fooducate

Fooducate is an app all about educating people so that they make healthier food choices. Although not perfect, this app is easy to use (you can even take pictures of bar codes to instantly find foods in their database). It gives food a letter grade, tells you the pluses and minuses, and gives you better ranked alternatives. You can also use it as a weight loss tool by tracking your daily calories.

Made for iPhone and Android