With the new year fast approaching, many of us will reflect and may feel like we need to kickstart our fitness and wellness journey. We may also just want to get back into it after going through a slower dip currently. Remember life has ups and downs, so don’t get too down if you feel like you have ‘fallen off the band wagon‘ or found your fitness level reducing because of other priorities.
The good news is that no matter where you are at, you can always start from there and make some great progress! The 5 tips below will hopefully aid in getting you up and ‘running’ and keep the motivation going!
1 Have a plan/goal and Track it
This may seem cliche, but taking a step back before rushing to the gym and planning out what exactly you want to achieve, and then how to go about it may prove quite beneficial to your journey. This helps to give you a clear roadmap or path to follow when starting out and in turn makes the whole transition or process a lot easier and smoother.
Remember it does not have to be super strict or perfectly planned out at first. You can always refine it as you go on and find what works for you and what doesn’t. Planning out your training days as well as your nutrition and meals can really help with saving you time. You can also check this diet guide on what to eat before a big gym session to help you achieve your body goals.
2 Get a workout buddy
One of the biggest challenges we tend to face when trying to get (back) into fitness can be the loneliness aspect of it. Naturally we want someone to do it with us and have a sort of support system to make things easier and to help keep us motivated and accountable. Therefore, try to find a buddy who will come join you. It would be great if they could workout with you, but even if its your wife or child for example, they can do their own thing but getting ready and going with them, can certainly help as well.
The motivation and accountability of doing it all with someone will most definitely help with your journey!
3 Do what you enjoy
When thinking of getting fit or getting back into fitness, our immediate thought goes straight to the gym and that we have to attend the gym in order to get fit. This is really not the case. Certainly weight lifting helps a great deal with muscle development and a whole lot of other benefits but this doesn’t have to be the core focus of your workouts. IF you do not enjoy the gym, find something or some sport that you really enjoy and that you can keep doing for a long time. You can also change it up and try something else if you find that you get bored with a certain movement.
There are so many things you can do on a regular basis to keep fit such as walking, surfing, tennis, soccer, badminton, martial arts and the list goes on. Make sure you have fun while doing it!
4 Start small and build it up
With both the gym/workout aspect and your diet, it is so important to remember that small gradual change are best. Do not try to rush the journey and make massive changes too quickly.
It takes time and we can become impatient when the progress is slow or halts, but the key is consistency and to keep at it.
5 Find what motivates you
There are many things that can provide motivation, and we each have to find what works best for us. IT could range from almost anything such as motivational videos or podcasts, having a tasty smoothie after a workout, getting dressed in those lovely workout clothes or whatever works for you. Another great aspect of motivation is to understand why you are doing it. Maybe it’s for your kids to be able to keep up with them for example. Knowing your why and reflecting on it every now and again can help to keep you motivated and keep you going on your journey!
Conclusion
The above are five simple tips to help you on your journey and help get you started or back into things, but there are many more aspects to it. Once you get started you may naturally start to research more things and progress more and more on your journey.
Keep it up and keep going with it and remember not every day or every session has to be perfect or intense. Life goes up and down and so does your body and mood, so we have to adapt and stay flexible!