Finally deciding to change your old habits and improve your health and fitness levels can be one of the best decisions. Proper motivation, essential knowledge, and a few tips and tricks can help you achieve success with your goals. Encourage yourself the right way with our list of eleven tips for beginners that lead to success with your fitness and health goals.
Define Your Reason Why You Want To Be Fit
Being fit and healthy is a commitment and you need to work consistently until you achieve it. Once you do, you need to maintain it by committing to a healthier lifestyle. So, before you start, define your core reason why. Why do you want to start exercising? Is it to improve the quality of life and be healthier? Do you have climbing Mount Everest or a Lares trek to Machu Picchu on your bucket list? Or – is it just because you want to look good for a friend’s upcoming wedding?
Internal motivation will make it easier to commit, while external motivation is often short-term and won’t motivate you enough once things get tough. Define at least three reasons why you want to exercise and be healthier and remind yourself of it when things get tough.
Set Up A List Of Consecutive Goals
Set up a list of workout goals to help you reach your overall health goals.
Once you define your reasons why write down a list of realistic goals. These goals should be as simple as possible in order to achieve them. If you want to jump on the fitness wagon and start exercising, you need to pick three days of the week. Then, schedule your workouts just like you would an important meeting.
Once you do, set up a clear workout goal. For example – workout three times a week. When you check this goal off your list, aim to keep up with this schedule for an entire month. Then, aim to workout consistently three months in a row without any excuses. Each time you achieve a goal, cross it off your list and move on to the next achievable and realistic goal.
Remember To Stay Flexible
Even when we map out our entire week, things sometimes won’t go as planned. If you happen to miss out on your morning HIIT class or pilates class, go to the gym instead or do a short full-body circuit at home. If you have a business trip coming up so you have to skip an entire week of workouts, don’t stress. Just remember to continue where you left off instead of falling off the fitness wagon. Be flexible in order to avoid losing motivation and learn how to deal with setbacks.
Don’t Procrastinate
If you have to skip a workout class, don’t let it happen two days in a row. If you want to be consistent with your workouts until they become a habit, you need to work on those goals. Even the smallest amount of effort counts. If you have a long day ahead of you, try working out in the morning. This way you’ll tick off your workout from the list and start your day with a healthy boost of energy.
Habits are built daily by being persistent and committed. It’s better to squeeze a 15-minute run into your day instead of not doing anything at all. It takes approximately 66 days until an action becomes a habit. Don’t procrastinate, but keep moving forward and make every day count.
Clean Out Your Diet
Starting a fitness journey is hard but the rewards along the way are worth the effort. But, your fitness journey won’t yield results until you clean out your diet. If you want to build more muscles, you need to fuel your body right and spend time on strength training. Also, if you wish to reduce the percentage of body fat, you need to eat nutritious meals that will only support your workout efforts.
Healthy eating habits are essential if you want to improve your health in the long run and become fit and strong. Make sure you eat a lot of protein, healthy fats, carbs, fiber, fruits, and veggies. Limit or completely avoid processed meals, sweets, drinks, and junk food in general.
Find A Workout Program That You Like
Fitness is fun and enjoyable if you pick an activity you’ll be passionate about. Fitness trends are constantly changing which gives you a variety of fitness programs to choose from. You can work on your own at the gym, utilize commercial treadmills, or find a group program that is fun and aligns with your schedule. Whatever you choose, make sure you include the following into your exercise schedule: strength training, cardio, and high interval training.
Strength training will increase your strength and help you burn fat faster. Cardio training at least once a week benefits your cardiovascular system. A HIIT is perfect for those days when you are short on time but you still want to benefit from the post-workout high. It is also recommended to include at least 30 minutes of light movement during the day. When you discover an activity you enjoy, you’ll consider exercise as just another fun activity and achieve your goals a lot easier.
Embrace Recovery Time
Embrace your recovery time to help your health goals
Recovery time is as important as the time and effort you put into your workouts. Each workout puts a lot of stress on the muscles. Therefore, muscles need time to recover. Your body needs to replenish the sources of energy needed for yet another workout. Aim to work out between two to three times in a row and take a day to recover. If you exercise consistently without any breaks your progress will not stall.
Not recovering properly could also negatively impact your motivation and might even be the reason why your motivation is waning. Proper hydration and nutrition are also part of recovery so aim to give your body the fuel it needs to recover.
Engage In An Offbeat Fitness Activity Over The Weekends
Offbeat fitness activity will fuel your motivation to stay active by breaking the monotony of your workouts. After a while you might get bored with your group fitness program or gym sessions, so doing something completely different over the weekends can keep your motivation in check. Take up cycling and explore every part of your city while doing a great cardio exercise.
TRUE® Bikes can help you when you need a boost and assist you while you pedal. You can also try a practical e-bike as a change of pace. Or, take up hiking for the benefit of boosting your cardiovascular system and strengthening your leg muscles. Not only will hiking up a hill strengthen your legs and your core, but it will also fill you up with immense positive energy. Spending time in the open air surrounded by nature improves our mood and reduces stress.
Find Someone To Support You
Everything is easier when you have a partner in crime. Build a strong support system among your friends and family. Find at least one person who will share the same reason why and embark on this fitness journey together. You don’t have to do everything together, you just have to keep each other accountable. Make a weekly plan of workouts, meal plans, and other offbeat physical activities and share that plan with each other. This way you’ll hold each other accountable and provide support and motivation when one of you falls off the fitness wagon.
Don’t Let Your Cheat Days Ruin Your Progress
So you’ve been working hard, eating healthy and you’ve reached a fitness milestone. You feel like a reward is in order and you plan on turning it in an all-you-can-eat cheat day. But, you have to use cheat days smart. One cheat day can ruin all your hard work in a day if you go overboard. Cheat days are fine but you need to be smart – eat a slice of cake, not an entire cake. Proper balance will help you stay committed and motivated to exercise, eat healthily, and still reward yourself with a treat once in a while. So, time your cheat meals wisely and use it as a true reward and something that makes you feel good.
Make Sleep A Priority
Sleep can only aid your goals so don’t skimp on quality sleep. If you do, you put yourself at risk of burnout. Running after your career goals, personal and fitness goals might be the reason why you sleep less and less. Instead, create a sleep schedule where you get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night and organize everything else based on this schedule. You won’t achieve any progress in your fitness routine if you sacrifice recovery time. Instead, embrace the deeply restorative powers of sleep for your body and mind and use it to your benefit.
Don’t stop chasing your fitness and health goals until you reach your desired fitness levels. Even when you do, don’t stop pushing your limits and become the fittest self in 2020. Once you reach the desired fitness level, be proud of your hard work, Fitness and healthy habits deserve to be part of your lifestyle because they can only improve your life.
