Getting Started
There’s a lot of content around fitness with what appears to be thousands of lifestyle brands, each preaching something different. For starters, a healthy, fitness-oriented lifestyle already has a certain level of subjectivity because people’s goals can vary, as would their expectations.
If you’re confused on the subject, you’re not alone. With so much information out, it’s become increasingly difficult to understand the true fundamentals. So forget the silly trends and learn how to create a strong fitness plan for yourself.
Identify Your Goals
If you’re confused on the subject, you’re not alone. With so much information out, it’s become increasingly difficult to understand the true fundamentals. So forget the silly trends and learn how to create a strong fitness plan for yourself.
The most important rule is to stick to your goals! Pick something that’s achievable, rather than shooting for the stars, which will increase your chances of quitting.
Developing Your Plan
The most important rule is to stick to your goals! Pick something that’s achievable, rather than shooting for the stars, which will increase your chances of quitting.
Regardless of your specific goals, your plan should have a keen focus on these major categories:
- Workout Routine
- Diet and Nutrition
- Sleeping Habits
Workout Routine
Your workout routine should… you guessed it – reflect your personal goals. It’s usually best to start small to allow your body to get used to the changes and avoid injuries.
Diet and Nutrition
Your diet and nutrition is the most important aspect of your plan. This applies to anyone, whether your goal is to lose weight, increase muscle mass, improve in a sport, general health, or anything else. The expression “you are what you eat” is a little more accurate than many think. The truth is, we’re basically made up of what we consume and our bodies can only work with what we provide them.
When most people hear the word “diet” they automatically assume it’s geared towards weight loss, but the reality is that a diet is simply a controlled method for regulating bodily fuel. Having a nutrient-rich diet will supply a multitude of benefits, depending on which nutrients we’re talking about. For example, someone looking to be more active will want more complex carbohydrates, along with iron, potassium, and magnesium to ensure they’re getting sufficient nutrition throughout their body.
Sleeping Habits
Failing to have a strong sleeping routine can be a detriment to your overall success. The key is consistency! Lacking sleep can harm your workout results and cause you to negatively alter your dieting decisions. A common example of this is the overconsumption of caffeine. People try to compensate for their lack of energy due to insufficient sleep, which only furthers the initial challenge of getting enough sleep.
We all live different lives and if having a consistent sleeping routine is especially difficult, there are reliable sleep vitamins that can help.
Executing Your Plan
Putting everything together can be a real challenge because it becomes a lifestyle, rather than just a string of changes. It’s best to keep your goals in mind and plan everything ahead of time. It’s important to understand that everything should be coming together to work in harmony. A good night’s sleep and successful workout help get your mind and body on the right track, then a well-balanced diet helps the other two maximize results.
Following Through
Real results take time – and successfully executing your fitness plan is a marathon, not a sprint. It helps many to have motivational reminders to help them get through especially difficult periods, such as the holidays. Here are a couple of tricks!
Cheat meals: If your goal is to lose weight, you have to understand that you are a human and temptations are totally normal. Unless your goals are incredibly strict, such as an Olympic athlete, you can afford to indulge once in a while to maintain your sanity. This is where cheat meals come in. It might help to use fitness forms if you want some motivation or tips from other people.
Here’s how they work: You plan 1-2 meals per month ahead of time and eat whatever you want. It’s important to plan ahead to avoid temptations which simple make you lose your cheat meal for a moment of weakness and keep you on track. Having a meal to look forward to helps keep people motivated and ready to go, rather than seeing no end in sight. Even though the access in calories might not be ideal, it’s often preferable to having no outlet, which is a major reason why people quit in the first place. Be human and reward yourself for working hard!
Rest week: Sometimes your body gets worn down, especially if you’re highly active. It’s ideal for bodybuilders to plan a week off every 4 months or so to let their bodies fully recover. The gym can feel repetitive after some time, so time away is a great way to refill your motivation and get you pumped for your workouts.
Tracking Your Progress
Like we said before, living a fitness lifestyle is a marathon, it’s certainly not a sprint! One of the keys to success is tracking your progress to make sure you’re on pace. As we’ve said, the key is to break long-term goals into smaller, more attainable goals. For dieting, we recommend MyFitnessPal, which is an app with an extensive inventory of meals with all of their nutritional values. For strength training, we recommend writing down your goals and tracking each individual workout in a book. You can then basically have a spreadsheet of each workout. Say you want to increase your bench press – you can track your progress and use the data to help you strategically increase the weight.
Good luck with your goals! Stick to it and you’ll get it!
