We’ve all been guilty of letting our fitness lag over the winter months at some point or another. We became too busy, too tired, unmotivated, or life circumstances have prevented us from getting the exercise we need. If you feel like your “get-up-and-go” has gotten-up-and-gone, here are some tips to help you get started.
1. Pick an activity or fitness facility that is right for you. It should be something that you enjoy. This will make it much easier to stick to.
2. Write down your fitness goals! Whether it’s losing weight, toning, building strength or just getting back into shape, you should have a goal. Successful people write down their goals and review them regularly to check their progress.
3. When writing out your goals, pick something that is realistic and that will let you gradually build up your strength and endurance. Don’t try to pick up exactly where you left off and plan for an hour long jog (your body will not thank you, and there is a chance you could injure yourself) start slowly and work your way up to longer workouts. Rome wasn’t built in a day!
4. Make sure you’re doing a good combination of strength training, cardio, and yoga/core. This will give you the most balanced workout for total body fitness. If your workouts are too repetitive, your body becomes too accustomed to them and you will stop seeing results. (also known as plateau) Mixing it up will also help you keep your motivation. Ladies, don’t be afraid of weights! There is a big misconception that lifting weights will “bulk you up” but this is not the case. What they will do is help you achieve toning and firming.
5. Get a workout buddy. Someone who has similar goals or interests would be ideal. If you agree to meet someone for a workout or go to the gym together, you have more accountability and you are much less likely to bail. Getting a personal trainer for 5-10 sessions to help you kick-start things is another excellent option.
6. Plan your meals for the week and shop ahead of time for healthy foods. A proper diet is essential to go along with exercise if you want to see results. Tip: Never go shopping when you’re hungry! This is a big diet killer (along with midnight munching) and a recipe for disaster. You will end up with a bunch of junk and nothing to make an actual meal with. Trust me.
7. Get yourself new workout shoes or a new outfit to wear. This can help motivate you to put it to the test.
8. Just get started! Believe it or not, this can be the hardest part. Remember, thinking about working out doesn’t burn any calories. (sadly) Once you get started, even after just one workout you will feel much better and after a few weeks it becomes a routine.
I hope this helps get you back on the right path. Summer is waiting around the corner, so don’t put it off any longer. Get started now!
Produced by Kathleen and Ron Zalko
