Aren’t these articles so catchy? I’ve seen a few of these lists regarding habits of fit people, but I wanted to point out the not so obvious habits that you might not have considered.
Here are 7 habits to help you adapt the necessary mindset to get fit.
1. We don’t care how much we eat.
It’s true. We don’t really measure how much we eat. We measure WHAT we eat, and we listen to our stomachs to tell us if we should keep eating, eat more, or eat less. Starving yourself actually puts your body into survival mode, and your body will conserve the expenditure of calories because it thinks that food is scarce. People who small amounts of food more often have better digestion, faster metabolism, and feel better overall then those people that simply have two or three larger meals per day.
2. We don’t count calories.
Calorie counting assumes that the only thing that matters in your diet is how many calories you take in and how many calories you expend. Tell me, if you were to eat just one type of food that happened to add up to 2500 calories per day, would you be satisfying the nutritional demands of your body? No. There’s a lot of other stuff in food. It’s not just calories!
3. We don’t stress about food in general.
The more you stress about food, the more you think about food. The more you think about food, the more you eat. The more you eat… you get the point. We abide by a particular diet, and we are careful to adhere to that diet, but we don’t freak out if they have a cheat meal or snack.
4. We listen to our bodies.
The best resource that you have for fitness is your body. Let me say that again. The best fitness resource that you possess is your body. Listen to it. What feels good? What hurts? How does your body feel the day after a workout? Is it a “good” hurt, or a “bad” hurt? Get in touch with your body if you want to be fit.
5. We have a desire to learn more about fitness.
We have a desire to learn more about fitness because we’re genuinely interested. We want to learn why our body reacts to things in different ways. We want to learn how to push our body to new limits. We want to learn new techniques to challenge our body in new ways. Basically, we want to learn because we enjoy fitness. So to be fit, start enjoying fit-ness.
6. We don’t shy away from new forms of physical fitness.
This is the habit that got me into yoga in the first place. If I had been concerned about trying new forms of fitness, I would never have experienced the physical benefits of yoga. In addition to yoga, I’ve tried barre, pilates, CrossFit, boot camps, rock climbing, and more. The more forms of physical fitness you practice, the better your overall fitness.
7. We work for more than aesthetics.
If the only point of your physical activity is to achieve a certain physique, you probably couldn’t care less if you can’t complete a lap around the track. You care about developing certain muscles so that you look good in a swimsuit, and following a diet that allows you to do the bare minimum to keep your physique. Fitness, on the other hand, is about accomplishing physical tasks. And you know what? The people who tend to think of it like that tend to have the better aesthetics too.
Yup. There’s being really really really ridiculously fit.
So if you want to be really really really ridiculously… fit, then get to practicing these habits.
Thank you for reading!
Looking for A Program?
If you’re looking to get fit, lose weight, gain muscle, and feel better, then Man Flow Yoga has you covered with on-demand structured programs that complement your lifestyle and schedule. Sign-up below to try our 7-Day Challenge!
Signup for the FREE 7-Day Challenge
Additional Resources
You might be interested in relieving neck and shoulder pain, strengthening your glutes, or learning how to decompress your spine, so check out these 3 blogs!
About the author, Dean Pohlman, Founder & CEO of Man Flow Yoga, Author of Yoga Fitness for Men, Expert on Yoga Fitness for Men.
Looking for non-spiritual, yoga for men workouts?
Learn More About Man Flow Yoga and how it can help you with your fitness goals:
Join Today for Instant Access!
Keep killing it, Dean.
Thanks, Matt!
Great read! Very good points to ponder with all the crazy ideas out there in the media.
Thanks, Brent!
What are some (if any) preparations for starting Yoga? I’ve gone to two classes given a t my firm for health day and it felt good. However, my question to you is that I need to know if there is a certain criteria that one meets prior to doing Yoga on a permanent bases. Especially my core. I had surgery back in 2013 and have a nine inch scare to prove it. I got the ok to start irking out recently and not sure where to start. I want to lose weight and have started walking on my treadmill but o need to Change my workouts every other day. Would like to get into Yoga, being that I don’t have to have any special weight just a mat.
Appreciate your reply when you have time.
Thank you,
Larry
Larry – I would start out by looking at my eBook, Yoga Basics for Men, in order to understand the exercises involved to perform them safely and effectively. From there, check out the Beginner’s section I have on the Man Flow Yoga YouTube channel. There are many videos there that are only 2 – 3 minutes in length that will give you a good start. Hope this helps, Larry!
Dean
Dean, thank you creating this website and blog and sharing your insights and knowledge.
You’re welcome, Thomas. Thanks for thanking me.
Very good read, I literally had to stop and laugh out loud because it was like ready a biography of myself. I am considered extremely fit by everyone who knows me at that article is exactly how I think. I just decided to take up yoga about an hour before reading this.
Nice! Keep up the good work brother!
Dean, what are your thoughts about intermittent fasting? Have you tried it? There are many physical benefits of fasting including cell rejuvenation and detoxing.
It’s great if you’re trying to lose weight and work on your body composition.
Not optimal if you’re an endurance athlete or your goal is peak physical performance.
In other words, great for most people – not for me because I exercise too much and am focused on performance.
Dean, thank you so much for making yoga so easy to get into and accessible for me.
I do your workouts daily and can easily switch them up to accommodate my training, depending on how my body feels / needs.
Keep up the great work man !
Alex