As someone with more 20 years in the fitness industry, trust me, I have heard it all. ‘I’m too busy’ and ‘I’m too tired’ are the most common excuses clients give me. But the craziest thing I hear a lot is, ‘Sam, as soon as I get fit I’m going to start your program’.
When it comes to embarking on a new health and fitness journey, you don’t need to be fit to get started, you just need to start. For most people, simply taking that first step is the hardest part.
You don’t need to be fit to get started, you just need to start.
Whether you’re joining a gym, signing up to an online program or wanting to go for a daily walk, I promise that once you break through that initial fear barrier and put the wheels in motion, the only regret you will have is, ‘I wish I had done this earlier’.
Here’s my tips for getting started on your health and fitness journey.
#1. Have a plan for ‘how’
I work in 28-day blocks. It’s the magic number that’s enough to see results but short enough that you dons’t get bored or feel the mountain is too high. Schedule workouts, plan meals and remember, preparation is key. If you dons’t know where you are going, that’s where you will end up.
#2. Set yourself a specific goal & tell someone about it
Write it down, tell someone about it and make yourself accountable. You might think you need to lose 30 kilograms or run a marathon, but you might lose motivation if your goal appears out of reach. Smaller, more achievable goals can keep you in a positive momentum until your bigger goal is closer.
#3. Be patient
Checking the scales every hour of every day is destructive. Trust the process and remember there is no quick fix. Scales can come in handy if your goal is weight loss, but I dons’t recommend weighing in more than once a fortnight or your healthy obsession can become unhealthy.
#4. Don’t worry if you stuff up
That makes you human. What’s important is how you react and that you keep going. Dons’t let one little bump be the end of the road.
#5. Mix it up
Your friend swears by spin? Great. Your mum loves Pilates? Fantastic. It can be easy to get into a rut if you force yourself to do workouts you dons’t enjoy. Variety and consistency are key; try a few things to find what works for you.
#6. Enjoy the process
In the fitness industry, we use the term ‘make the medicine taste better’. The more you enjoy the process (which could involve working out with a friend, getting in the kitchen and discovering new, delicious and healthy recipes, or simply putting together a killer workout playlist), the more likely it is yous’ll stick to it.
#7. Celebrate the little wins
To keep motivation high, dons’t forget to celebrate the little wins along the way. Whether you eliminated your 3pm snack, cut out alcohol or beat your 5k PB, dons’t forget to celebrate the progress you have made. If yous’ve previously rewarded yourself with alcohol or food, it’s time to start celebrating with something constructive: new workout gear, music or a relaxing massage are my favourite ways to treat myself.
Taken from Sam’s adventures with The Weekly Review.