What are some things that come to mind when you think about your own personal fitness journey? You may have feelings of success, accomplishment, and self-love. You may also feel frustrated, overwhelmed, stuck, embarrassed, and ready to give up!
Well, I want you to know that you’re not alone! I am writing this blog to share a little more about my story and the 7 things I wish I knew when I started so your health and fitness journey can be more exciting, enjoyable, and effective no matter what stage you are currently in.
1. Don’t let your workouts consume hours of your day!
If you block off just 30-45 minutes a day, you can get an incredibly effective workout! And the short and intense workouts help you to stay consistent. You can burn just as many calories and fat with a 30-minute workout as you can with a 2-hour steady state cardio workout.
2. You can’t outwork bad eating habits!
You can work out as hard and as long as you want but unless you pair your efforts with healthy eating habits, you have a long road ahead of you my friend! Your health and fitness journey needs to consist of an easy to follow workout program paired with a healthy whole foods diet!
3. Don’t believe everything!
There is no such thing as “quick fixes” or “fast results”. There is a reason why people believe the magazine articles that say you can lose 10kg in 30 days or why many buy the waist trimmers, fat burners, and tummy teas or coffees. Everyone is desperate for the end result IMMEDIATELY. Quick fixes sell. However, what’s important to understand is that if you are looking for real results, they are not just going to be handed to you on a silver platter. Results that last are created through time, effort, and patience. The thing about fitness is that there is no deadline and you are always making progress. It’s not a race, it’s a lifestyle. That is why it’s called a fitness journey.
4. Track your progress correctly!
Having a way to track your progress is so incredibly important. And please don’t rely solely on the scale! This can really mess with your head. The main reason is that muscle weighs more than fat. So as your body starts to change and you are building muscle (toning up or gaining muscle mass) while burning fat, the number on the scale may not go down as much as you think it should. TAKE PROGRESS PICTURES! These pictures are going to help you see all the little changes in your body that you don’t see on a daily basis when you look in the mirror.
5. Have an easy to follow game plan!
Have you ever heard the famous quote… ‘fail to prepare and be prepared to fail’?’ That’s about it! Anyway...the bottom line is that you need to be prepared if you want to reach your goals. The best way to do that is to have a plan or program to follow so you’re not always guessing what to do next. Believe me, I know how frustrating this can be because I’ve been there and that’s why I do what I do now. It is such a game changer to actually have your effective plan written down that tells you exactly what to do every day in order to see results.
6. Not everyone is going to support you.
The thing you have to keep in mind is that you’re living this lifestyle for yourself. Fitness is an outlet for so many people in the world to express themselves, improve themselves, and challenge themselves – physically AND mentally. You don’t need anyone else’s approval when it comes to living a more healthy and active lifestyle.
7. You will experience more challenges and uncomfortable situations than you expect.
There is no easy way. If there was, everyone would be walking around looking like a ‘fitness model’. Instead of looking at the challenges as negatives, ask yourself if you’re up for the challenge. Learn to get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. I promise you may just learn some new things about yourself along the way. It never gets easier. You just get better. There is no easy way. But here’s the thing: even if we’re told this, again and again, many of us don’t want to believe it. We want to believe that there’s an easier way, and that destructive belief holds us back.
So, accept the truth that change is hard. Ask yourself if you’re up to become a person who embraces things like hardship, difficulty, and challenges for the opportunity they offer. This is what it takes to succeed for more than a few months. And you can practice this every time you workout – building not just your body, but your mind muscles, too.
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