Strange stares can make any vitiligo fighter feel isolated. But, this is particularly hard when you are working out in a gym. No matter how much you try, the idea of beauty is rarely separated from fitness by some people. You may often hear passing remarks like – “so sad, what’s the point of working out when you look like that”. Though dealing with the stares and unwanted comments take its own time, what you can do to stop feeling bad at the gym is taking a break. Until you develop a thick skin about it, be your own fitness guru and work out at home.
After all, what does a fitness trainer do? He educates you about the benefits of exercising, makes sure that every visit you make to the gym does not go waste, monitors your goals, keeps a check on the steady pace of your workouts and gives you a fuel of motivation. But does this kind of support really need to cost you dealing with stares (when you are not ready to deal with them)? No one knows your body and your lifestyle better than you. You know the activities you enjoy, and the amount of time you can dedicate to those activities.
So, until you are comfortable to get back to the gym, put your knowledge to use and design a perfect plan for you. Self-motivation and discipline are the master keys that help you unlock the door of being your own fitness guru, even with vitiligo. Here are some basic steps which will guide you through the process.
Do a Reality check
Before you start your fitness schedule you need to analyze your physical as well as your mental health. Make sure, all that you are planning for yourself whether it’s a gym routine, running or jogging, your body is capable of bearing it all. You need to be in a right physical and mental frame in order to succeed at making lifestyle changes to attain fitness.
Set your goal
Ask yourself some questions: What exactly you want to achieve? Want to lose weight? Increase your strength? Or you want to maintain your body the way it is? Once you know the answer, figure it out if these are achievable. Allot a time frame to reach these goals. This is the most crucial component of your plan of being fit.
Plan your workout
Once you have come up with a realistic and achievable target, plan your specific workouts and learn to do them correctly. There are many mobile applications that can help you teach the correct exercise form. Sign up for a fitness app (that is at least FDA registered) to create your fitness routine. It’s important to tune-in the exercise intensity as per your comfort. Here is Unite For Vitiligo recommended ‘at home’ workout regime to begin with.
Along with a workout plan, prepare a diet plan too. There is a fixed amount of calories that keep our body charged and energized. You can take a dietician’s help to do that.
Track your progress
Health and wellness start from awareness. The more aware you are about your body functions, better you perform during fitness activities. Fitness bands help you in tracking and monitoring health-related metrics like the heartbeat, calorie consumption, quality of sleep, distance walked, steps count and many more. They don’t just give you an idea how your body is reacting to the fitness exercises, but also offer you the psychological stimulus to push yourself more.
Besides, tracking your progress can help you gear up and catch up on missed sessions. Set up a record-keeping system to organize your health information. You should always track following metrics to make the most of your fitness regime.
- Heart rate: It’s time to take your heart beat rate seriously. The speed at which your heart rate decelerates after a strenuous physical activity tells a lot about the way it responds to the autonomic nervous system. If the heart rate decelerates at a fast pace, then you have a reason to be happy.
- Are you aware of your calorie intakes? You cannot be sure about the calorie level of every food item that you eat. Why to eat anything in dilemma and half-heartedly? Enjoy what you eat to the fullest by knowing the calorie intake after every meal with fitness trackers.
- Sleep: Your body metabolism is also directly aligned with your sleep pattern and quality. Monitoring the sleep pattern will motivate you to change your lifestyle. Besides, there is a connection between vitiligo and good sleep.
Motivate yourself to keep going
Human nature always dictates that our efforts slowly decline. Vitiligo may make you tired and sometimes can make you skip the workout but don’t quit. And, without an occasional kick (pun unintended), you could just give up on your fitness goals. Ask friends or family members to be your workout buddies. This will give you daily encouragement to adhere to your program.
Remember, when you are fit, the world seems to be a better place to live, even with vitiligo.