An active lifestyle is not about being busy all the time. That is just a recipe for burnout. Active living is about pushing your body and mind to be at their most effective. This means actively seeking relaxation as well.
Healthy and delicious meals are a necessity and a want, but cooking every day is a lot of physical and mental pressure and time-consuming. Meal prepping one day a week still gives you the meals you want and need while leaving the rest of your week free for other activities.
Laundry takes time but cannot be left too long, or it piles up. Arrange with the local laundromat to pick up and drop off your clothes already ironed. The money you spend on the service will be a fraction of the time you gain to do other meaningful activities.
In many ways, leading an active lifestyle is both a mindset and a habit. It is habit-forming to do activities that you want to do to improve your living conditions, stamina, shape, mindset, and many more. It is a mindset in that you allow yourself to do what you want and refuse to lead a lesser life simply because of societal or outside pressure.
Enjoy Movement
Our minds become lethargic when our bodies become tired and unwilling to move. But exercising can sound daunting when you are already used to being an inactive person. This does not make you lazy or unfocused. It simply means that there are many unhealthy ways of viewing exercise that you have internalized due to the media.
Exercise is represented as making your body look a certain way instead of something you do for your health. It can be an act of rebellion and give you a sense of independence to refuse to allow your body to match conventionally approved standards. Becoming more active for health and comfort does not mean going in the same directions that societal body standards pressure you into going.
Re-frame your attitude towards exercise and write down why you want to be exercise. Move forward with the view that you will exercise to enjoy being an active person. If any changes to your body come, then it is a bonus but not the end goal. This will make it more likely that you will not only enjoy exercising but become attached to doing it regularly.
Re-frame Exercise
Another way to ensure more activity in your life is to reconsider what you view as active living as redefining it according to your needs. Being more physically active allows you to stay with other takes for longer periods. It allows you to rest easier and improves your sleep quality. It clears your mind and reduces overall stress on your body. It improves your stamina and makes your muscles and grips stronger, allowing you to move around for longer periods or play sports without getting winded too easily.
Start small to get used to the movement and begin from a place of enjoyment. Exercise does not require a gym and specialized clothing to be effective. Dancing to your favorite songs every day, choosing to walk more often, or doing some squats and bicep curls as you watch TV are all easy ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
Find New Social Groups
Often, we become the people we spend the most time with. This means that if you spend time with friends who are self-described couch potatoes, you are less likely to be actively living as well.
Seek out new social groups through joining walking clubs, Pilates classes, cos-playing groups, bird-watching troupes, hiking clubs, and many more. Being around people you share a common interest with will motivate you to keep attending. You will be exercising and gaining the benefits while enjoying yourself and making new connections.
This is a great way to put yourself out there and diversify your interests. You will grow as a person by getting to know more diverse people, and it will help you view yourself and your choices in a new light as well. More exposure to other people will help you to really understand whether you are content with your life.
Some people even choose to join business clubs or CPA societies as their interests are related to their profession. This has led to many people learning more about their worth and contribution and upgrading their earning potential.
Actively living your life means recognizing when you are in a situation that you do not have to be and having the tools to do something about it. The idea of having it all is misunderstood often as meaning that you should be able to do everything you need to do and what you want to do. But this isn’t possible. Human beings are not automatons, and time is finite.
You have to find ways to balance your needs and wants. Living your life actively allows you to recognize what you truly need to give time and attention to and what you can delegate or even remove. This allows you to live more authentically, so you be your best self.
