Stamina Build up

5 Ways To Build Up Your Stamina

1. Do you look at little kids running around all the time and wonder where they get all that energy? Do you look at them and remember that you used to do that, or wonder if you used to do that?

2. All kids have stamina that goes on forever. However, as we age, most of us lose that stamina because we haven’t kept up with our health in any fashion, and the foods we eat affect us differently. As a child, if someone gave you a lot of sugar, you’d run like a wild person until you finally crashed. As an older person, you’d probably just crash and fall asleep after awhile.

3. Metabolism has a lot to do with how we process our foods. We can control parts of how our metabolism will work by getting into a workout routine that helps stimulate digestion, which is pretty much what metabolism is all about. Would you like to find the energy to do things that you haven’t felt like doing in a very long time? Here are some ways to regain a bit of that energy and stamina.

First, determine that you’re going to do something. This isn’t a physical tip, but a mental tip. Many people say they want to do something, then don’t do anything at all, or do it for a few days expecting results, and quit. If you really decide you want to do it, get yourself either a large notepad or a large calendar. List what you want to do on a daily basis, then do it. Every day you complete it, or a portion of it, mark it off your list. Set up a 30-day trial for yourself to see if you can do something at least 20 days. They say it takes doing something at least 16 times for it to become a habit you’ll miss; give it a shot.

2. Start off by walking. Walking is one of the best exercises in the world for most people. You can decide to either walk on a treadmill, or do outside and walk. Many people don’t like treadmills because after awhile, even if you have a TV or stereo, it feels boring. So, alternate between that and going outside for a walk. Start out walking at a pace you can handle, and try to get at least 15 minutes in. If you have a course of some kind, such as walking around your block in the neighborhood, that works well also. If you can find a place where it’s beautiful and scenic, such as a park or walking along a lake or river, even better. It helps you stay inspired and want to continue doing it over and over.

At some point, you’ll want to alternate between walking faster and walking slower. What you might try to do is find a place where you can walk at least 15 minutes in one direction. Try walking that one at a brisker pace than you normally would. Then, when you get to your marker, walk back at a slower, regular pace. If you can’t do 15 minutes of a hard walk, do as long as you can, then when you reach your limit turn around and walk normally; it all helps.

3. If you have a bicycle, and the seat doesn’t hurt too much, this offers a great cardio workout. The thing about a bicycle is that you can go so many more places than just walking, get there faster, and your legs move faster which gives you a better workout. Also, when you get a little bit tired, you can coast and you’re still moving forward, or back to where you want to do, with minimal effort. The important thing about biking is to make sure your body is comfortable; if not, you’ll quit pretty quickly.

4. There are plenty of other motion exercises that will help you gain more stamina. Some are a bit more intense, such as running and jogging, whereas others are a bit more sedate and easy to handle, such as yoga and tai chi. The thing here is that your body needs movement, steady movement, and whether it’s controlled or not, it’s movement and motion that helps you build up your stamina.

Many people buy pedometers to measure how many steps they take every day, and if you can shoot for at least 5,000 steps or more a day, your body will benefit from it. This is more of a cumulative type of exercising rather than getting it all in one burst, but you could view it in a way where you use the early part of the day just walking around, then later on try to find a way to get the rest of the steps in, even if it’s just another short walk of some kind.

5. You’ve got to change up your diet. Instead of telling you what to eat, we’ll tell you what drags you down. As you get older, the more carbs you eat without some kind of balance with protein and grains, the most apt you’re going to be to have energy sapped out of you. If you’ve noticed that when you eat certain meals you’re ready to go to sleep in the afternoon, that’s a pretty good indicator of the types of foods you might need to back off from.

Bread, especially white bread, will bring you down. Rice, potatoes, and pasta will shut you down. Too much sugar in something will shut you down also. The best things are more protein, leaner meats if you can, and vegetables. Some people will shut down if they eat too much fruit in the afternoon because it’s natural sweetener, fructose, is still sugar, something that vegetables don’t have in them. The most important thing here is to listen to your body, because even certain proteins will affect some people differently than others.

If you can try to follow each of these tips for at least a 30-day period, you might notice some very positive changes in your body that you like. Because, as you increase your stamina, you should also lose weight and inches off your body. And if that doesn’t inspire you to do more, we don’t know what will.