So you want to lose weight or you want to get in shape? What is your first step? Second step? This article is designed to give you a basic idea of how to start and what to expect. In future posts we will broaden our understanding on all of these topics and much more. This blog has been created so that health and fitness information, regardless of whether you are a beginner to expert, can easily be provided to you. Everyone struggles with how to start, what steps need to be made and how to keep moving forward.
Training:
What do you want out of your training? Do you want to lose weight, bulk up, run a marathon or just get healthy? You must have a goal in mind for your training. Think about how fit you are and find a routine that is going to fit you best. Don't start running 10 miles tomorrow if you haven't ran in three years. Be honest with yourself, this is for you and no one else. So how do you know where your fitness level is at? Do you work a job that you are constantly moving or do you sit at a desk all day? Are you active in sports or do you just like watching sports? Remember everyone has to start somewhere and if you are not active and you don’t play sports WHO CARES! Find yourself a low impact set of workouts and start hitting play. If you are active at work and in your home life then you may not have to buy the “beginner” programs. If you can’t afford workouts start walking 30 minutes a day 5 days a week, it is ok to start a routine that is not quite intense enough for you but you don’t want to start a routine that is too intense and hurt yourself. If you find that walking 30 minutes is too easy then take it up a notch and run for 5 minutes and then walk for 5 until you complete your 30 minutes.
How do you find a program that is right for you? You have more options than time. A great place to start is walking. Walking is free and easy! Just set a time everyday that nothing else will interfere with and walk for 30 minutes. Setting a routine is a great way to stay on track. If you don’t want to just walk you can visit almost any sporting goods section and find “work out” DVD’s and equipment. I started my workouts with a yoga mat and balance ball DVD program. I wasn’t concerned with looking cool while working out; I just wanted to start somewhere and couldn’t afford to spend a bunch of money. You have so many more options available and I have added a few links to take you to a few of my favorite beginner workout programs as well as a few of my now favorite advanced programs. I also use a free app called Run Keeper. The app provides multiple FREE beginners and advanced running programs.
Beginner workouts:
Intermediate workouts:
Extreme workouts:
Nutrition:
Nutrition is the hardest easy part. Simply stop eating fat's, salt, sugar and chemicals. No takeout, meals from a box or meals from a bag. Like I said the hardest easy part. This kind of commitment does not happen overnight. You have to start educating yourself on finding whole food recipes that are easy, and start making better decisions with your takeout. No more triple burgers with fries! Try the grilled chicken and fruit. Start eating your vegetables, fruits and lean meats. Stay away from butter, oil, fatty meats (pork yes that means bacon & cheap beef), dairy and snack foods. Trust me I realize this is vague and I promise I will start to clarify the nutrition part however trying to fit it all in one or two posts just isn’t possible. Keep coming back for recipes, tips, tricks, and how to tutorials.
Accountability:
How bad do you want it? It’s not easy to be overweight and overwhelmed. But it’s a lot easier to be overweight then it is to lose weight. The choice that most of us make is the easy one, to stay overweight because we don't like to be uncomfortable. Guess what! You are going to be uncomfortable, you are going to be in pain, but it is going to be so WORTH IT! It’s your decision to make, but you don't have to make it alone. Tell all your friends and family, not the ones that will hold you back but the friends that have always been there and always will be. You want the people that will continue to build you up. Tell them you are going to make a change, tell them you are eating right, tell them you are walking away from the junk food and pushing play on your new life! Having people that know you are committed will keep you accountable to more than just yourself. DON’T MISS THIS!! It’s paramount to your success.
Schedule:
Finally make a schedule and stick to it. I want you to write down your next 30 days of fitness. I have included a link (30 day calendar) for you to use. I don't care what it is, but make a calendar and write it out. After you write your next 30 days out post it somewhere you will see it every day. You need to be doing some type of fitness five days a week for at least 30 minutes at a time. This is outside of your job or running after your kids. Having multiple calendars will not only remind you but will continue to hold you accountable.
The next schedule you need is for food. You are going to track your food intake for the next 30 days. This will start to make you more accountable of the things that are going into your body. Be honest with yourself and track everything that you are eating. Lucky for us we don’t have to write it down. There are multiple apps you can use but I will give you the two that I personally use to track my daily intake and to track my fitness. Daily Burn and Fat secret. These apps are so user friendly and the best part is they are free! Don’t worry if you don’t have a smart phone you can use Fat secret on you PC.
Remember this is just a basic outline of the building blocks for your fitness success. Together we will be visiting all of these topics, going further in depth each time. Be sure to check back often so you don’t miss anything!
Coming soon:
The good, Bad, and just plain stupid food choices:
(We will discuss how to make smarter choices at restaurants.)
How to recover your muscles:
(This article will feature multiple ways to recover after your workouts, from supplements to better food choices.)
Break your mental blocks:
(We will take a hard look at who we are and how to overcome our own self doubt.)
Affordable "health food”
(We will take an in depth look at Meal planning for a healthier you and how to do it on a budget!)
