Just getting into fitness? Here is where you should start.
This is part 1 of what you should know, if you are just getting started out with your fitness journey!
If you are someone that has been out of the fitness game for a long time, it can seem like a daunting task getting back into it. Life catches up to us very quickly. Between careers, families, and staying up with the latest Netflix show it can feel like fitness is the last thing we have time or energy for.
Maybe you have never worked out, maybe you used to throw around the iron back in college, maybe you stopped after that knee surgery or maybe you just never got IT back after having a child. Whatever the case is, I am here to tell you that it is not too late and yes you can still get in shape. That’s one of the great things about fitness. No matter how long you have been away from it, it will always welcome you back with open arms.
The biggest mistake I see people make when they start a fitness regimen is doing too much at once. Before you clean out the garage, order an elliptical, purchase a meal plan, join a gym and hire a trainer 4 days a week, you need a realistic and attainable plan. Chances are if you start off with an audacious goal, you will have one, maybe two, great days then you won’t be able to sustain it shortly after leading to a sense of failure and setting you back again.
The biggest factor I focus on when working with individuals is self-efficacy. The most important piece of starting and sticking to working out is creating the confidence that YOU can accomplish something.
If you can create that confidence in one or two areas you are more likely to sustain the completion of those things as opposed to accomplishing EVERYTHING. If you start with a goal of working out 3x a week and you accomplish that for a couple of weeks you are more likely to naturally start making better choices when it comes to nutrition, hydration and sleep even though that wasn’t necessarily your goal.
Setting Fitness Goals
Fitness or health goals can be hard to define sometimes or seem abstract. A lot of my clients didn’t know what their goals were when we first started. I hear things like this a lot: “I just want to get in shape.” Or “I want to feel better.” When you aren’t doing anything fitness related at the moment or you haven’t done anything in a long time your goal sometimes is simply to START and that’s OK but it is still important to map out a game plan.
I recommend starting with addressing the biggest frustration that is holding you back. Ask yourself “What is the biggest frustration I have with getting to where I want to be?” This question causes you to actually take a moment and define the hurdles that are hindering you from getting started. Common answers might be lack of time, busy schedule, lack of motivation, getting started seems like too big of a task, all or nothing mentally, not knowing where to start, limited by injuries, lack of support, etc. By taking the time to look at what is the issue we can then start asking more questions and apply a solution aka form a plan.
Let’s say your biggest frustration when it comes to getting to where you want to be with your fitness is your BUSY schedule. You work or are in school all day then come home to an even busier personal life. The small amount of down time you have is filled up by plopping on the couch at 9pm and trying to catch 30 minutes of the latest true crime series only to be out cold within 10 minutes.
A goal might be to start with 30 minutes 3x a week in the morning (before work), afternoon (lunch break or a work from home day) or evening. For example, before sitting down to watch TV at night do 30 minutes of full body strength training on Monday and Wednesday. On Saturday morning start by taking a 2 mile walk or jog. Have a goal of completing those 3 things for ONE month. Write down your goal. Write down why you are completing this goal then add the 3 workouts to your calendar on the appropriate days.
Now that I talked about setting goals, check back here on Wednesday to read about what happens when setbacks occur.
And make sure to check out my podcast for more tips
