Because I operate from a private studio, I get to meet a lot of people who have lost their way with fitness.
They feel nervous about starting (or starting again) as everything feels difficult.
Often, the more difficult it feels, the more likely we are to avoid it.
But, if we avoid it, how do we get fitter?
Here are three quick tips to get you started.
- Reflect on the value of being fitter and healthier. Ask yourself “What’s in it for me?”.
It could be having more energy, fitting in your clothes better, feeling more confident in yourself. It doesn’t have to be something huge (often the smaller the better!) but we do need something that we can point our decision making towards.
- Control your food environment. Think about where you are most likely to indulge and over do it. Is it at home, at work or when you are out?
If it’s at home, don’t bring the things you don’t want to eat home with you. Remove the junk food, the fizzy drinks, the cakes, etc. Protect your motivation ‘muscles’ by reducing how much you have to rely on them. If the foods you want to avoid aren’t in your immediate eye line then you strengthen your chance of achieving your aim.
If it’s at work, get your colleagues on board. “Don’t offer me a [cake/biscuit/chocolate/etc], I’m trying to make some changes.”.
Have a plan as to what you are going to eat during your working day. Preplan what you are going to eat at work and either pack it or know what you will eat it and where you get it from. Don’t rely on that pesky will power to do the right thing when your stomach is rumbling.
If it’s when you are out socially, again, have a plan. If you are going to meet friends at [x], have a look online at the menu ahead of time. Think about the foods that align with your goals. Make your choices and try to make a commitment to stick to them. Again, don’t rely on your judgement ‘in the moment’.
- Start low and slow with exercise. Don’t over do it in the early stages.
When you start exercising (or start exercising again), I always think of it as if it’s your physiology is at its first day on the job.
You may have the best intentions but the job of pulling in air, filtering out oxygen and delivering it into muscle in blood, then collecting carbon dioxide and expelling it back out will feel tricky enough to start with.
The same goes for energy. And coordination. And skill. And recovery.
Allow yourself to be a beginner! Enjoy it.
Be patient, start gentle and know that if you are consistent these things will improve.
Get started, be kind to yourself and remember you are doing for your own benefit. It’s not a punishment!