Sustainable Fitness

Sustainable simply means the ability to exist constantly. Fitness is the ability to fulfill a certain role or task. Together, sustainable fitness is the ability to constantly be ready for whatever life hands us.

Fitness encompasses more than just exercise and the physical body. It also encompasses our overall wellness. We cannot have sustainable fitness if our overall health and wellness of our mind and body are not in sync.

It is important to recognize that sustainable fitness is an ever-changing journey. You do not arrive at sustainable fitness one day, you evolve with it. You need to constantly work on your health and wellness, so that you can be ready for whatever life throws at you.

How to create sustainable fitness

The first step in creating sustainable fitness is to assess the current state of your life.

Where do you feel like you want to and need to improve?
What areas are you feeling successful in?
Where do you see yourself next year, in 5 years, or 10 years?

Then set goals, SMART goals to be exact. This will give a clear picture of what you are working towards and a way to track your progress overtime.

Specific- Have the details on what it is you want to accomplish through your goal setting.
Measurable- Make it measurable so that you can track your progress over time.
Attainable- Establish goals that can be realistically completed or attained.
Relevant- Set goals that relate to what it is that you want.
Time bound- Have a time component to your goal so that you stay on the right track.

As you reach these goals, you will want to reassess your life and overall health and wellness.

How can you modify or progress these goals in order to have lifelong growth and sustainability?
Are there different areas of your life that you need or want to focus on now?

The beautiful thing about sustainable fitness, as it is a lifelong journey, is you do not need to create giant, unrealistic goals. You can literally change one small thing today and this one small change will compound over the course of your life. As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, states:

“Success is the product of daily habits, not once in a lifetime transformation.”

Tools to help you

By now you are probably wondering, how are you going to have time for this!? This happens to almost everyone and is one of the reasons why people have a hard time with sticking to goals and striving for sustainable fitness.

Luckily there are several tools to help you get started, make this journey easier, and to streamline your sustainable fitness journey. Wicked Flex is a great example of an all in one website where you can satisfy your fitness needs. You can trust they will have the best products and cut out the time you spend worrying and researching about what tools will best help you with your sustainable fitness goals.

Tool # 1, Motivation

Use an app or pen and paper to track your goals and progress.

Studies have shown that goal setting in sport and exercise leads to higher levels of performance. And this study looked at a 6 week exercise program and the effects goal setting had on outcomes. The group of people that set goals based on the process versus the outcome or no goals at all adhered better to the exercise program, had higher levels of interest, enjoyment, and less pressure and tension.

Having an activity tracker also helps to keep you motivated and on track. There are several options these days. Watches are becoming increasingly popular, but traditional pedometers also get the job done.

Tool # 2, Gym Equipment

While going to the gym works for some, it does not work for everyone. Luckily there are so many at home options for gym equipment….so many that it may seem overwhelming!

To get started, have some options of weights at home. Kettlebells can be used to increase strength and cardio while resistance bands can be used to provide a different type of full body workout. Cable machines can add variety to your training program, plus it does not take up much room in your house.

Working out is only one part of the equation when working on sustainable fitness. No workout can fix poor nutrition. This is another area that can slow people down in their goals and journey of sustainable fitness. Either you just are not sure what to eat or you don’t have time to plan out healthy meal options.

Tool # 3, Food

Luckily there are so many tools to help with this part of the journey now. Meal prep containers can be a life saver! Take some time on the weekend to prepare healthy food options, pack them into your meal prep container, and you are set for the week!

If eating vegetables and fruit is not your thing, try having them in a juice. These two food groups provide so many health benefits and are crucial for sustainable fitness. And now, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a fancy juice from a local health store.

You can make it at home, or even on the go! Check out this portable juice maker!

Having a large bottle for water is also very helpful. Hydration is a key component to health and wellness and can easily be missed due to not having time to fill up your glass over and over again.

Try using a larger water bottle to keep you hydrated throughout your busy day.

Where to go from here

Give some or all of these tools a try! Remember, sustainable fitness is a lifelong journey. You never “arrive” or “complete” sustainable fitness. Instead, you are constantly striving for this. This will allow you to have complete health and wellness in your life and allows you to be ready for anything life hands you!

About Wicked Flex: Wicked Flex mission is to help people live better, and the company achieves this by providing the best possible gym equipment, accessories and service. With the widest range of cardio, strength and group training equipment in the fitness industry, we provide solutions that get the world moving and help people lead active and healthy lives. Discover how our equipment can change your facility or home gym.