Fitness Feedback

So due to the many personal responses I received from my previous post about my journey toward more of a healthy me, I've decided to incorporate some tips that have helped me throughout my battle with weight loss as some of you guys have requested. Take note, I am in no way a certified nutritionist, personal trainer or anything of the sort. These tips are things that I've gathered from other trainers and have tweaked them a bit so they were more effective for me personally.

A lot of people may have different things they need to work on such as eating more healthy foods or finding the motivation to kick your butt enough at the gym. For me, it was getting my mind in the right place. If you don't make fitness a main priority in your daily schedule, then you'll find yourself piling on the excuses. "Oh I have too much work to do." "Oh I'm so tired." Blah, blah, blah. Once you finish that workout you'll feel accomplished and on your way toward a better version of you. (Ugh, totally sound like some kind of Dr. Phil character...my apologies).

 

One thing I have learned to do in the very beginning was to plan my workouts ahead of time so they were in my schedule right away. Once I scheduled my workout, there was absolutely no canceling it unless it was for a work-related reason or family emergency. On Sunday when I planned my workouts I also made sure I was doing something different almost everyday. One day it was boxing, another for running after work and others were reserved for strength training with kettle bells. Switching up my workouts prevented me from plateauing in weight later on. Once my body gets used to the same old workout, it just doesn't have the same effect. Oh and for those of you who whine about lifting weights because you don't want to "bulk up" PA-LEASE you're not going to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger for doing some kettle bell swings or bench presses and the strength training will help turn that flab to FABulous muscle. It's awesome when you work yourself so hard you can barely lift yourself out of bed in the morning.

Another tip that I found useful was to find a way to hold myself more accountable for my progress or lack thereof. I realized that I needed to hire a personal trainer since I knew that if I didn't do my workouts in the middle of the week, he would definitely notice if I wasn't up to speed. Other more affordable ways I've learned to do this now is partnering up with a friend and meeting them for a workout or run in the morning. What are you going to say? "Oh no, I'm too tired" when they're there knocking on your front door? Nope!

Yet another beginner tip I absolutely had to focus on doing was to find my motivation and KEEP IT. It's easy to start out since your motivation is at its peak, but to keep it there I did several things. I did things like purchased a goal dress or picked out a goal outfit that I would get once I achieved a goal for myself, I created a motivation board on Pinterest that is full of inspirational photos and hard bodies that I wish I had myself and I subscribed to fitness magazines so I could not only read about adapting to more of a healthy lifestyle but also maintain that state of mind. Baby steps kids, you'll get there! It's all about progress!