ADVICES by Lejla

How to motivate yourself to work out regularly?

It is not easy! Especially if you have not settled on the habit of frequent physical activity in your youth and start working out as an adult only because you have realised that something needs to be changed for health or aesthetic reasons. People give up exercising with the first muscle inflammation. In order for this not to happen to you, I suggest a few tricks to help you motivate yourself.

Do not skip your trainings with lame excuses!

When you do not feel like exercising at all, make yourself go training anyway because it is the only way for exercising to become your habit. Moreover, only after a certain time of regular exercising our body starts to secrete serotonin – “the happiness hormone”. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter chemical which gives us the feeling of pleasure and mental relaxation when it is in balance. So after a while we become addicted to exercise, and realise that someting is missing when we stop with the physical activities.

Work out with your friends!

In the fast-paced life rhythm we often do not have time to hang out with our friends. You can make exercising fun if you get a friend to join you in your regular activities. It is not necessary to sit in a bar for socializing to make sense. Modern european nations hang out on mountains and lakes, and not in smoke filled bars.

Pay attention to your diet!

A diet is something you should definitely pay your attention to, whether you have cellulite problems or not. Americans say: “You are what you eat”, and they are, more than anyone, familiar with health and aesthetic problems which appear as the result of bad nutrition. Consume healthy and well-balanced meals! Eat less processed food, and more fruits and vegetables. There is a good method to determine how good a meal is based on the number of colours on a plate! Such nutrition does not stimulate the formation of subcutaneous fat tissue.

Get a massage!

Massage has always been known as a remedy which heals by increasing circulation in a particular body part. It uses mechanical force to impact the critical area and to enhance blood and lymph flow. This is exactly what we need. Massage also affects the skin by stimulating skin glands, which improves their function and accelerates the elimination of harmful substances. As a result, the skin is more elastic and flexible.

Hydrate your body!

Drinking plenty of water and natural teas is already a classic way to get rid of body toxins and to cleanse the body. Why not drink them daily? Do not we want our organism to be well hydrated and clean at all times? That is the only way to create optimal conditions for its functioning!

Wear comfortable clothes!

If you can not avoid tight clothing in the workplace, you should force wearing loose and comfortable clothes in your leisure time. Tight clothing reduces circulation. On the other hand, tracksuits and sportswear may be ideal for the moments of relaxation.

Cellulite? Let us beat it with perseverance!

We talk about cellulite mostly when summer knocks on our door and when the season of bathing suits and short skirts is already here. But then it is too late! In the long run, however, we surely can affect its reduction or, even better, prevent its occurrence with the advice given. We are all familiar with the main causes of cellulite, which are: changes in metabolism, wrong nutrition, changes in connective tissue structure, hormonal effects, and genetic influences. Of course, we can not impact all the aforementioned factors that cause cellulite, but there are certain areas where we can introduce novelties into life habits and thus try to reduce it. This aesthetic discomfort can only be solved if we work on its root cause! It is a lengthy process and requires patience. Just like anything else we want to do well. We are aware that instant diets haven not got a long lasting effect and that there are no three minute exercises for the super body. But if we persevere, positive changes have to become apparent!

Circulate your problem areas with regular exercise...

It is well-known that blood circulation is weak in the areas where cellulite appears. Regular and systematic exercise improves circulation throughout the body. A workout should consist of aerobic and anaerobic part. Aerobic activities are of low intensity and continuous duration. When we perform these, we dominantly use energy from subcutaneous fat tissue. Excellent! Furthermore, these activities improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system and increase blood circulation throughout the body. Naturally, in our critical zones, too. The second part of a workout should consist of exercises for firming and shaping the body. These exercises should also activate muscle groups which are beneath cellulite in critical zones. The muscles that work are heated and the degree of blood circulation increases in them. The most problematic areas are thighs, the gluteus area, the abdomen and the upper arms. Muscle groups in these parts of the body must be covered by training.

To conclude...

For results to become quickly apparent, special attention should be paid to a balanced diet and energy input should be controlled. Each organism is different and there are no unique and simple solutions. Some people will feel the changes within several weeks, others after a few months.

Tips for successful weight loss:

• regular exercise
• balanced diet
• controlled energy input
• discipline and not giving up after a few weeks

It pays off to persevere! Does not it?

Lejla Dizdarević, Professor of Kinesiology,,
univ. spec. oec. (University Specialist of Organization and management)