So you want to get healthier. Maybe you’re unhappy with the way you look. Or you don’t feel as good as you used to. Or perhaps you just finally have time to focus on YOU. Whatever your reason, you realize you need to make some changes.
As a personal trainer, my goal is to help others develop a life with fitness. I hear everyone’s goals and aspirations, but I also see their daily struggles and priorities.
I wanted to shine light on the most common mistakes people make when starting their fitness journey. I truly believe fitness should be a part of everyone’s life, just from incorporating walking a couple nights to lifting weights 5 times a week.
I’ve seen people try so many diets and crazy plans and FAIL because those aren’t sustainable. Fitness should just be part of life. Fitness IS self care. It can make you feel better, more confident, and truly change your life for the better. But getting started can be daunting. There’s soooo much information out there.
Below are my top tips for starting your fitness journey and truly making a lifestyle change.
- Consider getting a personal trainer or working out with someone who knows what they are doing. When starting exercise (especially weightlifting), it’s very important to use proper form. The last thing we want is an injury that could have been prevented. Lots of gyms have introductory group classes, or find a reputable trainer and just sign up for a months worth of sessions to go over form with basic exercises. From there, you can either continue group classes or find tons of free workouts online to start following.
- Don’t focus on the scale. Progress comes in the form of mood, energy, strength, the way clothes fit, confidence, etc. If you are SO focused on your weight, you’ll be very disappointed when it fluctuates. Progress is never linear. Heck even I go through periods of super motivation and then to none at all. But I keep going.
- Stay consistent. The number of times people say they “aren’t seeing results” and then come to find out they’ve only been doing something for a week is astonishing. Or they’ve been doing something for a couple months, but on and off. Consistent habits bring results. One workout isn’t going to change you and one night sitting on the couch isn’t either. It’s what you do most of the time. Think of it like a dial 1-10. 1 being the minimum workouts/nutrition habits and 10 being the most. Fitness is not just “on” and “off”, but rather a scale that never goes to zero.
- Everyone’s “healthy” is different. This is why diets don’t work. Just because you see a fit person eating keto, paleo, gluten-free, vegan, etc. doesn’t mean that’s going to work for you. Be open to making small adjustments to how you currently like to eat. Think, “how can I make this a little bit better?”. You want to make changes that enhance your life. Dairy makes your stomach hurt? Try to avoid it. You feel great when you have pasta before a workout? AWESOME. Remember, the main point of this is making a change that lasts, so you need to enjoy it.
- Find ways to enjoy your fitness. Listen, if you hate running, then you’re not going to stick with it. You need to find things you can enjoy and that will make it easier to do them. I’ve run into people who swear they hate all exercise, and to that I think it’s more of a mindset thing. If you say you hate exercise, you’re going to hate it. Instead, think about how grateful you are that you even have the opportunity to exercise and take care of your body. Mindset will make or break you.
- Be patient. Assuming you plan on making healthier choices the rest of your life, try not to get frustrated when things don’t go as fast as you like. This is not a race. Some people will make changes faster and some slower. That’s fine. Focus on your daily habits and the rest will fall into place.
Starting a fitness journey can be scary when you’ve never committed before. Remember the last time you started something new. You probably made a ton of mistakes, but look at you now! After years of experience and trial and error you are better at something. Same thing with fitness. It’s a journey.
I hope these tips helped you!
Good luck,
Em