Fit for Life: Recommend Your Lifestyle??

Saturday, March 09, 2019

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

A few weeks back, I saw a young couple with 2 adorable kids walking into Target.

They were a nice-looking family. Well dressed and well groomed. Even the kids looked clean.

Then, just as they walked into the store, both parents flicked cigarette butts on the ground.

Wow did that totally change how I looked at them.

Yes, I judged a little.

I thought to myself, I know they care about their kids, and probably wouldn’t condone them smoking, however what example are they setting, and why wouldn’t they want to take better care of their health?

I wanted to (I didn’t) go up to the parents and ask them: “Would you recommend, or wish your lifestyle, and your current health on your kids?”

I am guessing that the answer would probably be NO.

So, my next question is: Why do people sacrifice themselves their health, and continue on the path to self-abuse, when you wouldn’t wish it on anyone else?

Are these signs of low self-worth?

Careless self-destruction?

I know that bad habits are hard to break, but it gets easier when you have a lot at stake.

I am not a parent; however, I am always trying to set a good example for my nephew.

I live a pretty healthy lifestyle. I eat well, exercise regularly, and limit my vices.

No, I am not perfect, however I do care and want to continue feeling 25 even though I just turned 50.

I have been living this way long before my nephew came along, but if I wasn’t, I would definitely change, in order to increase my chances of being around when he grew up.

It doesn’t matter if you are a parent or not. Just look at how you are living, take an inventory of all the harmful things you do to yourself, then ask if you would recommend your way of living to others. If the answer is no, then it’s time to make some subtle changes, and it doesn’t matter how old you are.

It’s never too late to get started.

Here are some things you can do now.

Join a gym and hire a coach.

At Providence Fit Body Boot Camp we cover all grounds.

From lifestyle coaching to nutrition to awesome workouts. If your health is an issue, come see us.

We have a track record of helping people not only lose weight but reduce or even eliminate the medication they are taking.

We have numerous testimonials to back it up, and I will share why what we do is so effective.

1. Encourage small attainable victories. If you smoke, start cutting down your intake. Don’t trade cigarettes for vape pens, just start paying attention to how many butts you smoke daily, then scale back 2-3 a day. If its weight loss, strive for small 1-2 lb victories on the scale every week. Do this by cutting processed food and calorie filled drinks from your routine. Once you hit a plateau, eliminate other things like processed dairy, and wheat products. Do this gradually until your nutrition plan consists primarily of organic whole foods and clean water.

2. Move for 30 minutes a day. That’s all it takes!! You don’t need to log hours a day in the gym to achieve and maintain great health. Combine some resistance and some strength training to your routine and you have a formula that will build lean muscle tissue and burn unwanted body fat. It really is that simple, you just need to take the initiative and get it done.

3. Lastly, get to bed and rest. Amazing things happen to your body when we sleep. Immune function increases so we won’t get sick as often, and it will enhance your energy levels throughout the day, enabling you to be more productive and have more ability to take the steps necessary to take care of yourself. You will also repair and regenerate muscle fibers that get damaged from tough workouts and physical jobs. Sleep is one of the most important components that promote great health.

So, there you go. Whether its setting a good example for a younger generation that you want to influence, or just taking better care of yourself, start with these simple tips.

Remember if you wouldn’t recommend your lifestyle and health to someone you care about, it’s not good enough for you either.

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