Fitness Habits You Need to Establish In Your 20s
2:29 PM
Of course your twenties are a time to live it up, explore your options and do what you're crazy about. But they're also a time to get into the habit of, well, practicing healthy fitness habits—because doing so will ensure that you're healthier later on, according to a new German study published in the journalPsychology of Sport and Exercise.
For the study, researchers tracked over 500 adults for over 18 years, and found that people who were healthiest in their young adult years were also healthiest over time. So we reached out to some fitness experts to find out their best tips for what 20-somethings should pay attention to. Your mission? Start doing all of these things—right now. Your future self will thank you!
Fall in love with strength training
Seriously, if you're going to make one fitness habit stick, make it this one. Whether you're doing bodyweight circuit training or lifting heavy weights (or any of the variations in between), strength training is great for your overall health: it increases lean muscle mass, boosts metabolism, torches calories, eases back pain, helps you sleep, and even wards off diabetes.
Drink more water
Sounds obvious, right? It's not. Most people still don't drink enough, regardless of how many times they read it on the interwebs.
Embrace the rest day
This is huge! Do not get into the habit of working out seven days a week, or even attempting to do so. Incorporate a rest day into your routine so your body has time to recover—or else you could seriously injure yourself, or in the least experience some diminishing returns from your workouts.
Learn proper form, and don't cheat
The key to circuit training and weight lifting is that you have to use proper form - otherwise you risk injuring yourself at worst, or not getting much out of your workout at best. So at least once, invest in a personal trainer (most gyms offer a complimentary session when you join). Use that time to ask as many questions as you can, so you have a better understanding re: what to do. And when you hit up a fitness class, no shame it and ask as many questions as you can about how to do the moves right—hey, you paid to be there!
Refuel properly post-workout
Your body craves a combo of carbs and protein within 30 minutes of working out. The carbs help give you energy, while the protein helps repair torn and stretched muscles. A good choice: low-fat chocolate milk—it's got a great combo of protein and carbs that replenishes your body after you sweated those very things out.
Go to random gym classes
You know how your gym offers all those classes with scary names, like "Chisel Extreme" and "Booty Kickin' Step?" Go to them. Now's the time to try out all of your options, so you can figure out what works for you and what you're more likely to stick with down the road, when things like babies, marriage, promotions, and so on make working out a bit more complicated.
Stretch before and after you exercise
Three to five minutes on the front end and the back end is enough—but you've gotta actually do it. Otherwise, your muscles tighten up and you're setting yourself up for injury later, especially as you get older.
Make your workout a part of your day
You know you're going to shower, right? And at some point, you will forage for food. Same holds true for exercise—schedule it in so you don't question its existence on your calendar. It's just there, much like your 3 PM meetings and your OkCupid dates.
Be mindful
One of the best things you can do for your body? Pay attention to what it's trying to tell you. Practicing mindfulness can help teach you how to tune in to the things your body needs and is feeling, whether that's while you're eating ("I'm full!") or while you're working out ("this doesn't feel right").
Invest in good workout clothes
Research shows that when you feel confident in your appearance, that translates to your performance.
Choose your friends wisely
Of course happy hours and weird warehouse loft parties are fun, and they're an essential part of being in your twenties. But if that's all your friends wanna do, that's not going to be super helpful when it comes to meeting your fitness goals. Be sure to also cultivate some friendships with people who are interested in being active, too—you'll be more likely to follow suit and stay motivated
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