18 Tips to begin a fitness journey!

Are you thinking about making a decision to start your fitness journey in the beginning the new year?  Most people choose to start on January 1st. Some people start a couple of weeks before to get over the newness and accustomed to new routines before the crowds get there. If life, as usual, has gotten in your way to starting your fitness journey before, don't fret.

Like everything in life, there is no such thing as perfection.  Consistency is the key.  Over time, it will look like perfection.  Just ask Patrick Mahomes.  As we are now mid-December, statistics show that a lot of people sign up for gym memberships to get healthier and fitter.  By the end of January, half have stopped going to the gym.  By March/April, most will stop going to the gym or exercising.

Here are my tips to starting a fitness journey that is successful for the long term.

The Beginning

1.  Start with a checkup with your doctor.  Especially if you have never worked out, have medical issues, or your BMI is over 25.  Your doctor can give you guidelines on what your limits should be, on how hard to workout, and what exercises (movements) to stay away from.

2.  Have a daily routine.  Get on a set schedule as much as possible for your situation.  Just like brushing your teeth when you wake up and when you go to bed, habits (good or bad) are just routine actions.  Be mindful and purposeful about what you do and when you do it.  Suggestions are to wake up/go to bed at the same time, exercise at the same time, prepare most of your meals in advance. 

3.  Consistency.  Consistency creates habits.  Be consistent with your workouts, nutrition, sleep.  If you workout one day one week and then don't go back for a couple of weeks, you won't see the benefits.  Same with nutrition.  If you eat fatty foods and/or a lot of sugary foods, that will hinder what you do with your workouts.

4.  Get active.  You have a lot of options.  You don't need a gym membership to get healthy.  It helps, but it is not necessary.  If you are budget conscious, you can just start by walking, you can do that.  As far as I know, all the malls open their doors early so people can go and walk around.  I've taken my kids to special events before the mall opens and see a lot of people walking the perimeter of the mall getting their exercise in.  Great if you live where you get a lot of snow and ice in the winter.  Plus you can meet up with friends for accountability.  This is not the only way to be active.  Play with your kids.  Play with your dog. Do something that you enjoy.

5.  Set a goal.  Think about what you want to change and why.  Not a surface why but a down deep why.  Your reason needs to be something that will keep you motivated when you don't feel like doing something.  Your goal needs to be SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely.

The Workouts

6.  Start slow.  This is especially true if you have never worked out or it has been years or decades since you have.  The fitness journey is not something that you start one day and have a set finish date.  Sure, your motivation may be to slim down for your wedding or a reunion.  Those goals have a definite completion date.  What will you do after that?  Also, this is not a sprint.  If you start by doing cardio really hard, you will likely get winded quickly, get really sore, then not want to do it again.  If you have never exercised, it will take a short time for your body to start getting used to you moving in ways that you haven't in a long time.  Your body needs to get used to all this motion.  It doesn't take long.  Your muscles will take the longest to get used to all of these changes.  They will be sore for about a week.

7.  Use machines.  If you do decide to get a gym membership, start by using machines.  They will reduce the likelihood of injury.  Make sure you do full range of motion.  If you're not sure how to use it, ask gym staff to show you how to properly set up the seat and how to properly use the machine.

8.  Number of sets.  Sets are a group of repetitions of an exercise without stopping.  Start with 3 sets per exercise.

9.  Number of Repetitions.  Repetitions are the number of times you do a given exercise.  The number of repetitions will eventually be based on what your goals are.  Just getting started, I would suggest starting in the 8 - 12 range to get used to the movements, allowing your muscles and tendons to get used to lifting resistance, and building some muscle endurance. The weight should be heavy enough that the last three reps are a challenge. If you can do 15 - 20 with ease, the weight is too light.

10.  Rest Periods.  Rest periods are the time between sets where you allow your muscles to recover.  A minute and a half is good.  Starting out if it is too short, you will tire much faster.  If you waite too long, your muscles will cool down.  90 seconds is enough to recuperate and keep your muscles warmed up.

11.  Cardio.  You don't have to spend hours doing cardio.  You are not a hamster, and you have a life to live.  You can start by doing 10 minutes a day.  My longest cardio workout lasts 20 minutes.

12.  Challenge yourself.  Don't just go through the motions.  The reason my cardio lasts only 20 minutes is because I slowly challenge myself and I stay active with the exercise.  Same with weights.  Don't use two pounds when you can lift 5 or 10 pounds.  Your body will get used to what you put it through.  To improve, you have to challenge it.

13.  Enjoy what you do.  Do what you like to do.  If you like swimming, go swimming.  If you like rock climbing, do that.  Only caveat to this is make sure you don't just do the same motions all the time.  Make sure your whole body gets a workout, not just one side (left, right, upper body, lower body).

14.  Stretch.  A lot of people think that stretching is a waste of time and not needed.  Stretching is actually important to do.  It will help with your flexibility, reduce muscle soreness, and it will also help to slow down your heart rate.  Stretch after your workout when your muscles are warmed up.  Think of your muscles as a rubber band.  They are hard to stretch when they are cold (pre-workout) and easier to stretch when warmed up (post workout).

The Nutrition

15.  Nutrition.  A lot of people think that exercising is the hard part.  The really hard part is the nutrition.  There are 1,440 minutes in a day.  If you work-out only 30 minutes, that gives you 1,410 minutes to be tempted to eat stuff you don't need and will hinder your progress to reach your goals.  Like stated above, start slow.  You don't have to give everything up and just eat carrots and celery sticks.  No one can do that.  Pick one item to change and focus on that one thing for the week.  For example, drink more water.  See how your doing with that after the week.  If you're succeeding with that, add something else to the mix like cutting down on sodas.  This way you will start to replace bad habits with good habits, which will last you for the long term.

16. Nutrients.  The three macro nutrients that we focus on are protein, carbohydrates and fats.  Carbs give us energy.  Proteins help rebuild muscle and keep you full.  Some fats are actually good for you but need to be kept to a minimum.  Make sure you have at least one meal with all three.

17.  Calories.  Know what your calorie needs are at rest.  To loose weight, you need to eat less than what you need.  Not a lot less, otherwise your body will go into starvation mode and it will keep fat and loose muscle.  You can find your calorie needs here.

18.  Variety.  There is so much food and variety out there.  Live life and enjoy.  Enjoy different type of meats, vegetables, healthy fats.  Don't forget sweets in moderation.  Foods that you like, that you know are not good for you, you can have periodically.  I enjoy fried catfish, fried okra, and chicken fried steak.  I grew up eating this in Texas.  I still enjoy them periodically.  They are treats for me when I do have a chance to eat them.

In Conclusion

I know this seems like a long list. Please don't let his add to your stress.  Take it one step at a time and you will have control of this in no time.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  Just remember:
1. Enjoy whatever activity you choose to do
2. Make changes slowly so you can keep your new habits (drastic changes don't last)
3. Be constant.