The key differences you need to know.

The word exercise is actually quite a broad term. It encompasses a wide variety of things, but what it really boils down to is movement. When you move your body in a way that requires physical effort, you engage in exercise.

However, what many people fail to understand is that exercise alone will not make you healthy. A 30 minute daily walk will not cancel out a poor diet that lacks key vitamins and minerals that your body needs to thrive. Thus, you need to focus on both diet and exercise.

But even if you eat a healthy, balanced diet, you can’t exercise without a plan if you want to get fitter and see results. Instead, you must dig a bit deeper, and prioritize functional movement. …

As if you were even considering it.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a coffee fanatic. I start every morning off with a fresh, hot cup of coffee and a splash of almond milk. I often drink two (sometimes even three) cups in a single day.

Right after I wake up, I sluggishly walk downstairs. Then, I fill my small purple refillable coffee pod with my flavored coffee of the moment (it’s currently peppermint stick), and I patiently wait for that beautiful stream of coffee to pour out of my Keurig machine and into my favorite coffee mug.

While there’s long been a debate about whether or not coffee is good for you, there is substantial research that shows a number of benefits to drinking a cup or two of coffee each day for many people. …

It’s a more powerful lift than you might think.

When I first began a very structured weight lifting routine my freshman year of college, my coach placed a lot of emphasis on a few key exercises, one of which was the squat.

I was weak and inexperienced, and I struggled to lift more than the 45 pound bar with proper form. I’ll admit that I was a little embarrassed, but I accepted where I was at. After all, everyone has to start somewhere.

Every single day that I stepped foot in the weight room, I worked hard to get stronger. By the end of the year, I was able to squat double the weight that I started with, and my race times improved immensely. …

They keep me focused and productive.

More people than ever before have moved to an home setting for work, including many who went to the office from 9–5 before the pandemic hit.

In fact, Stanford News states:

“We see an incredible 42 percent of the U.S. labor force now working from home full-time.”

I would like to think that I’ve mastered the art of working from home, since I’ve been doing it for almost a year. But I have to admit, even I have days where I get a little distracted, unmotivated, or don’t accomplish everything on my to do list for the day.

However, one of the factors that I attribute most to my overall productivity each day is my home office setup. I have a clutter-free desk space that includes only the necessities, which helps me stay focused and minimize distractions. …

There are powerful benefits to taking it easy.

I remember the workout so clearly. It was 6 am on a Monday morning. I was just a couple of months into my first year of college, and I had finally gotten accustomed to my new school, new team, and a much more rigorous cross-country training schedule.

The week prior, I had finally made it through a workout without getting dropped by the team, which gave me a lot of confidence for the steady tempo run I was about to endure. …

In this case, timing is everything

When you finally get home after a long and tiring work day, what’s the first thing that you do? Plop down on the couch? Take a shower? Cook dinner?

I think all of us have done the first one many times. After a stressful and busy work day, nothing feels better than sitting down and relaxing for a little while. The only problem is, I spend the majority of the day on my computer, and I sometimes fall into the trap of remaining mostly sedentary for the entire work day.

By the time I finally clock out, I’m too exhausted to do anything too vigorous, but I still want to get my blood flowing and move my body. This is where my powerful secret weapon comes in — the evening walk. …

Shake things up with these tasty dishes.

Many people put a lot of emphasis on how daily exercise factors into overall health and fitness. But, it actually has less of an impact than you might think.

While working out regularly certainly offers many benefits for both the body and mind, it doesn’t have near the impact on your health and physique that the food you put into your body does.

In fact,

At 35 chances per week to improve body composition through nutrition (and eight through exercise), the percentage does come in around 80%. This leaves 20% of physique enhancement resulting from exercise.

Thus, it is absolutely crucial that you nourish your body with plenty of healthy, minimally processed foods in order to look and feel your best day in and day out. Now, that doesn’t mean you should starve yourself, or that you need to drink green juice for breakfast and eat a boring salad for lunch every day. …

Simple methods that actually work.

How many times have you told yourself that you were going to eat healthier, exercise more, get to sleep earlier, stress less, or spend more time with family?

Odds are, you’ve said them too many times to count. If you are anything like me, then you might have followed through for a few days, or even a week, and then gave up and reverted back to your old ways.

Just last year, when I was finishing up my final semester of college, I promised myself that I would prioritize sleep. For about four or five days, I did exactly what I set out to do — I got to bed early and consistently slept for eight hours. Then, I got complacent and started cutting corners. …