How to start your fitness journey
Starting a fitness journey isn’t going to be easy, so here are 11 tips to start your fitness journey:
Make a commitment to yourself-
It’s all up to you to decide that you’re ready to change for the better. You have to be fully committed to the process and know that your fitness journey is a lifestyle change it’s not a quick fix to lose weight fast. You have to remind yourself of your commitment to the journey, no matter what challenges come up.
Start small-
If you’re just now starting your fitness journey and have never worked out a day in your life or have only worked out in elementary school things might be hard at first because of all the information on the internet (which not all is true)? You don’t need to get consumed with needing to workout 2 hours everyday for 7 days a week and taking no rest besides sleeping 5 hours a day. do a full workout routine. Do manageable workouts like walking, hiking, a new sport, spin class, or watch youtube videos or download an app (and there are many free recourses online)
Set goals-
Why are you starting your fitness journey? Maybe to lose weight, gain muscle, improve your health or just to get in better shape and have fun. Knowing the reason why your working out (the results you want) helps you determine what exercises you should do to form a workout routine.
Expect setbacks-
Life is a never ending graph going all over the place you have amazing days, than you have the worst days or right in the middle where your just eh. The most important thing is to not quit. God throws curveballs to the strongest people for you to become even stronger. Just get back to your daily routine and start where you left off. Any amount of exercise is better than no exercise.
Remember nutrition-
Nutrition is the most important aspect of your fitness journey. Fitness isn’t just about working out, food is fuel and your body needs food to fuel your body in order to workout. But that doesn’t mean you need to try all the newest fad diets. Just start incorporating more fruits, vegetables, lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. You can still have all of your favorite foods in moderation, I like to live by the 80/20 rule eat nutritious foods 80% of the time and eat your favorite foods 20% of the time. If you have specific goals like weight loss then you need to eat in a calorie defcit (I have many youtube videos about how to find your calorie defcit in order to lose weight)
Celebrate yourself-
Give yourself rewards for the hard work you’ve put in. Maybe it’s a spa day or new gym clothes. No matter what your rewards are celebrate how far you’ve come since you started your fitness journey.
Create balance-
The all or nothing mentality is not the way to live life, you will fall off the bandwagon and have many setbacks but that shouldn’t hold you back. The 80/20 rule like I previously mentioned helps you not don’t feel discouraged or deprived when eating ice cream or pizza, because it’s totally normal you can still eat treats and desert to have an overall healthy lifestyle.
Commit to feeling good-
Your fitness journey should be positive, you should feel good about yourself 24/7. Working out shouldn’t just be about lifting the same amount of weight as Bradley Martyn or doing hours of cardio on end. It should be about doing whatever form of exercise you like because it makes you feel good. The same thing goes for eating, you don’t need to eat a salad because it’s “healthy” if you hate salads, make sure to eat foods that make you feel good.
Do your own thing-
Your fitness journey is your own experience, your going to start having very little knowledge but you’ll gain more overtime be patient, experiment and you’ll find your own groove. Do whatever makes you happy in life!
Create a workout plan-
Going to the gym can be very hard as a beginner, not knowing what muscles the machines work and how to use them. If you want to create a lifestyle change need a plan that align with your goals, you should have a good idea of what exercises to do. Remember you’re a beginner, you’ve just started your journey.
Rest-
Rest days are just as important as training days, sleep and rest helps your body perform at your best. It will help your muscles grow and your central nervous system will go back to the optimal state. Get some sleep and let your body rest, your body will thank you later when you’re lifting more weight or going faster on the treadmill.
