The National Fitness Day is an annual campaign organised by the ukactive in 2011. It is known as one of the major health and fitness-related events celebrated across the UK. The main purpose of organising this event or day is to make people aware of their physical and fitness levels and encourage them to take care of their fitness levels. Every year the parent organisation comes up with different themes and raises awareness accordingly. The National Fitness Day 2023 is going to be celebrated on Wednesday, September 20^th, 2023 featuring a theme of “Your Health is for Life”, proposed by ukactive. The theme is set to raise awareness regarding the importance of health and fitness for life. By keeping in view the theme of National Fitness Day, 360 Relief proposes a guide by adopting which you can maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout the year. So, let’s begin our discussion here:

Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle on This National Fitness Day

Healthcare professionals suggest several workout and fitness plans and goals by following them you can have or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Remember that these plans or strategies bring results with consistency and may require a certain period according to your current fitness levels. Add the proposed strategy to your lifestyle to start your journey towards a healthy and fittest lifestyle:

1.         Set Realistic Goals

The key point of making a fitness strategy is to set achievable goals. Do not push yourself beyond your limits. Do not start with the thought that you can achieve your fitness goal overnight. Going through hard workouts without any strategy or techniques, you will achieve nothing but put yourself at higher risk of injuries. You must take a start with small and attainable milestones. Then gradually enhance your workout routines. Whatever fitness routine you are about to adopt; whether it is lifting a specific weight, running a certain distance, mastering a yoga pose, or anything else, arranging clear perspectives will always keep you motivated.

2.         Make a Fitness Plan

To make fitness goals your habit, you need to make it a necessary part of your life routine. Try to arrange a fitness plan that is aligned with your preferences and lifestyles. The fitness routine may include strength training, a mix of cardio, flexibility exercises, or others. Adding a variety of exercises to your routine makes things more interesting, preventing burnout.

3.         Stay Accountable

Among the powerful motivating factors, accountability is the most prevalent one. Having a feeling that someone or something is constantly monitoring your efforts can surely help you stay on track. So, you should consider finding a workout pal, using applications that offer progress insights, or joining fitness classes. This will keep you motivated and help you know where you are currently staying and what else you need to add to your fitness routine.

4.         Improve your nutrition and hydration levels

Remember that attaining desired or set fitness goals does not only rely on exercises, but the nutritional and hydration levels of your body also matter. Maintaining a balanced diet will surely complement your fitness goals. Consult with fitness professionals and healthcare advisors to add the right variety and quantity of nutrients to your daily routine. Every year, Nutrition and Hydration Week is celebrated in the UK during which fitness professionals and healthcare advisors teach people how to improve nutrition and hydration levels in their bodies.

5.         Engage with the community

Throughout the year, fitness-related events are organised. Try to participate in all the fitness events or competitions that are organised at the local or community levels. Participating in these events will give you a chance to showcase your fitness ability and you will also get motivated after engaging with the community of fitness enthusiasts.

6.         Adapt to challenges

Challenges are common in almost all aspects of life and the case is not exceptional when you put yourself on a journey of fitness. The common challenges people face may include time limitations, overuse injuries, lack of motivation, and others. You must always be prepared to adapt to these challenges and find potential solutions that can work for you to make things possible.

7.         Focus on long-term benefits

After starting your fitness journey, you may not see potential results at the beginning. This thing can demotivate you. But, you need to keep in mind that regular exercise offers a range of benefits that come after a certain time and they also offer you long-term benefits. These benefits can include improved health, enhanced quality of life, and increased energy levels.

8.         Celebrate your achievements

Last but not least, you must not forget to celebrate your successes or achievements. No matter how small they seem, you need to mention each and every accomplishment in your success list. Making a list of accomplishments or achievements will motivate you and encourage you to face the biggest challenges and make the biggest achievements.

Prioritising safety and injury prevention

Regular involvement in the fitness plans or routines will require performing strenuous activities. These activities may cause overuse injuries when not performed accurately. So, on this national fitness day, our focus will not only be on fitness strategies and planning. But, we must keep in mind how to pursue these fitness strategies under safety measures to prevent injuries. Whatever the fitness routine you are going to pursue, you need to adopt the given safety measures, to help you pursue your fitness plans without getting any injury:

1.         Warm up and cool down

Always start your fitness routines with a proper warm-up. It will help your muscles and joints to be prepared for a particular exercise. Similarly, you must also cool down your body after every exercise session. It will help lower your heart rate to the norm and prevent muscle stiffness.

2.         Proper form and technique

Before starting any new exercise, you must learn proper techniques. For example, if you are going to engage in running, weightlifting, squatting, or any other exercise, ensure that you have learnt the proper form and techniques.

3.         Gradual progression

Avoid making it too hard too quickly. You must gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workouts, reducing the risks of overuse injuries.

4.         Rest and recovery

If you are regularly involved in workout activities, your body needs rest to recover. You must add rest days to your workout routines. It will also your joints and muscles to strengthen and recover. Overtraining or ignoring rest may lead to serious injuries.

5.         Wear protective gear

Wear protective gear to protect your muscles and joints during hard activities. However, if you are susceptible to injuries, you must wear them during every single activity. The common protective gear for workout professionals or fitness enthusiasts may include back support belts, wrist support braces, arm sleeves, compression socks, and others.

6.         Consult a healthcare professional

You must also regularly consult with your healthcare professionals to know your fitness and health levels. Regular checkups will help you organise your fitness routine or schedule according to your health conditions, maximising the results.

The bottom line

On this National Fitness Day 2023, organisations like ukactive and other fitness or healthcare professionals will come up with the best tips and possible suggestions regarding health and fitness. If you also have fitness resolutions on this fitness day, following the above-given guide will help you arrange perfect fitness goals. As well as this, do not ignore the mentioned safety measures, helping you get a safe fitness journey throughout the year.