“Workout”, “go to the gym”, “be active” – these are things we know we ought to do, but the mere thought of leaving your bed on a Sunday morning to “be active” just does not seem appealing, and for those of you reading this that relish in the idea of working out, I applaud you. But the truth is, you just have to find the motivation to get moving. Whether that is running 5km, bench pressing 100kg, or simply just going for a walk, getting your body moving is vital not only for your fitness levels but also for your overall health and wellbeing.
So, let’s start by having a look at the benefits of keeping in shape. And if that still has not convinced you to get off the sofa for 30 minutes a day, then we will go on to look at some tools to help motivate you to do this.
Benefits of getting in shape
1) Increased energy levels 
I know this one may seem contradictory; how can tiring myself out in the gym possibly make me more energetic? Surprisingly, there is actually a scientific reason behind this.
When we exercise, our body releases hormones that directly increase our energy levels. Getting our heart pumping faster also gives us that burst of energy that most of us need to make it through a workout. What’s more – regular exercise will also improve your quality of sleep, giving you even more energy throughout the day. Sounds tempting, right?
2) Improved mental health
Exercise is a great way to reduce your stress levels, with many studies showing that people who participate in regular physical activity have decreased tension and stress levels as well as an elevated and more stable mood.
If this alone is not enough to improve your overall mental wellbeing, the improvements seen in your physique from regular exercise can significantly boost your self-esteem
3) Improved cardiovascular health
If I have not already convinced you that the pros of exercise outweigh the cons – then let’s have a look at the more long-term benefits of working out. Cardiovascular health is so important, and many people forget this.
Regular exercise improves your cardiovascular health significantly, which in the long run not only reduces your bodyweight but also reduces your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, to name a few.
This might appear a scare tactic, but the science confirms this, exercise is truly vital in reducing your risk of disease later on in life.
How to use an activity monitor to help you stay on track
Now we have covered the benefits, let’s look at the tools we can use to keep us motivated and stay on track to hit our fitness goals – activity monitors. Activity monitors are a great way to not only stay motivated but also to track your exercise habits, targets, and progress. We are going to have a look at the steps to take for you to use your activity monitor to help you stay on track.
The most obvious step is choosing the right activity monitor for you. Are you a workout junky that is looking to get hench? In that case, a more premium monitor may be a good fit for you, one that lets you track your macros from your wrist and record your progress in the gym. Or are you looking to improve your overall fitness by being a bit more active? Well, a simpler activity monitor would suit you perfectly, one to record your daily steps and remind you to move throughout the day.
Most activity monitors pair with an app on your phone that lets you set specific targets for you to hit each day. This is a great motivator as you can check throughout the day how close you are to hitting your goals, with some monitors sending reminders to your wrist to get moving. Don’t get me wrong, being told to move when I am comfy in my bed can be irritating at the best of times, but it always pushes me to get up and move around.
Besides exercise tracking, many activity monitors have additional features beneficial to your health, including sleep tracking, diet monitoring and water intake. Sleep tracking is definitely a favourite of mine – how can I expect myself to exercise regularly if I am not giving my body enough time to rest and recuperate? Having an overview of all aspects of your health on your wrist really helps to motivate you to push yourself to lead a healthier life.
The last feature that we are going to look at is definitely one of the bestways of holding yourself accountable and staying motivated, and that is competition. Bear with me here – for a person that is overly competitive, being able to compete with my friends and family in terms of minutes of daily exercise, daily steps etc., has really pushed me to keep in shape. Don’t get me wrong, this feature may not be for everyone, but for those of you that need a good push, a spout of healthy competition is great!
Activity Monitors
Explore a wide range of Activity Monitors. Fitness Trackers which will ultimately "stay keen and get lean!" 🌝
