Read the second part interesting advice of Karel Pardaens (Phd), physical trainer and exercise physiologist.  

    It is an open door for you that physical activity (PA) plays a crucial role in becoming and staying healthy. On the other hand, sooner or later, you might struggle when trying to achieve that goal. Based on my experience as a physical trainer and exercise physiologist, some pitfalls are very common. Here is the top-5 of the advice that I gave during the past 15 years:  

    Physical activity is key for your health. Probably, that is an open door for you. However, you also might recognize the discrepancy between doing and knowing. Maybe the following 5 additional tips & tricks can bridge the gap.  

    1)    Move.  

     The most important is THAT you move. Not how long or how fast. Anything is better than nothing. But do it regularly, preferably daily. Structured training or sports are not necessary. Unstructured physical activity suffices (eg. taking the stairs instead of the elevator). Do it consistently, winter and summer. Don’t be the weekend warrior, who’s only (hyper)active 1 or 2 days in a week.   

    2)    Fun is FUNdamental (to achieve your goals).    

     Forget about the right training zones (as far as they exist) and all the metrics. They are not the Holy Grail. They are of secondary importance. Crucial is that you are active and that you maintain that active lifestyle til your latest breath. Perseverance and discipline are a myth; they only exist by the grace of joy. So choose for one or more activities that you enjoy.  

    3)    Variation is key. // Think FITT  

     Variation adds to the joy, avoids overuse injuries and prevents overtraining.   

     Think F.I.T.T.: frequency, intensity, time and type of the activity.     

•      Frequency: it’s fine to exercise some days or weeks more than others.  
•      Intensity: talk threshold…  
•      Time: sometimes less, sometimes more…  
•      Type: all kinds of activities, incl. strength-based activities or even real strength training ..  

    4)    The race is won in bed.  

     Rest is equally important for your health as physical efforts. Maybe it’s even more important. Especially sleep is irreplaceable. It’s useless to work out one more hour if it implies that you can sleep one hour less.   

    5)    Failing to plan is planning to fail   

     Planning your workouts or active moments may be key. In triathlon, they call it the 4th discipline. Triathletes, who have to master 3 disciplines, often in combination with a family and a job, know that planning is a prerequisite to achieve goals. If you have a busy schedule, this is definitely easier said than done. But… winners find a way !  

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