Live a healthy, active lifestyle with Samantha Clayton

The fitness routine that’s right for you

Living a healthy, active lifestyle is something that is great for everyone. Making good nutrition choices daily and striving to become more active in your everyday life can have a positive impact on your health and your overall body confidence. Once you find activities that you enjoy doing, it’s easier to be consistent with your fitness routine and to improve your overall fitness level. Exercising consistently is key to getting fit. Many people believe that exercise has to be done in a gym or using specific equipment, but the truth is even walking can be an effective way to improve your fitness. In my opinion, any type of physical activity that you do consistently, enjoy and strive to do a little more today than you did yesterday, can be turned into a successful fitness routine. Whether you enjoy walking, hiking or running, here are some tips that allow you to challenge yourself and improve your fitness level.

Walking, Hiking and Running

Cardio training can lower your resting heart rate, lower your stress level and, when combined with reduced caloric intake, lead to weight loss. Walking, running and hiking can all be great ways to get a cardio workout and improve your fitness level.

Walking 

If walking is your preferred form of exercise you can make it more challenging by:

• Increasing your walk duration/distance.
• Increasing your pace and using your arms in a power walk style.
• Adding some lunges to your regular walk to help improve your leg strength.
• Increasing the frequency of your walks by adding one extra day a week.

Hiking

If you enjoy hiking, you can get more out of your hike by:

Finding a hike with a challenging gradient - the steeper the hill, the harder your body has to work.

• Varying the type of trail surface you hike on, starting out on mostly flat trails and building up to sandy or rocky surfaces.
• Picking up your pace and giving trail running a try - it will increase the intensity of your hike.

Running

If running is your workout of choice, you can take it to the next level by:

• Setting a time-based goal (20-30 minutes, for example) and, once you can successfully run for the entire duration, increase your time.
• Adding in some hill running or varied terrain into your program.

Samantha Clayton, Director, Worldwide Fitness Education, is a former competitive sprinter, AFAA and ISSA certified trainer, holds a degree in applied chemistry and is a proud mother of four.

Information from Herbalife-Hub, September 2014