Introduction
There’s no way around it, but if you want to look great, be healthy and feel good, you have to take care of your exercising, nutrition and rest, consistently.
However, it’s a longterm game, and that’s why it is so hard to do. In this article, we will help you up and give you some tips to make it at least a bit easier to manage.
Tip #1: Set Reasonable Goals
While it is a good idea to get in shape for the summer, trying to look your best at the beach, you want to be healthy even after vacation. That’s why it is a great idea to set yearly, quarterly and monthly goals.
Because that’s precisely what fitness is, a lifetime journey. You set reasonable goals, that you can achieve in a year. Dropping 100 pounds for summer maybe is possible, but by the end of the year, you will get the most back.
You need something that is doable, that you can keep on doing forever. Things like “never eat after 8 pm” are much easier to do than “eat only asparagus for dinner” when you look at it long term.
Of course, don’t make it too easy. Start slow, but when you get used to the change, introduce something new. If it’s not challenging, it will become boring.
Tip #2: Track Your Progress
The only way to make sure you are reaching your goals is to track your progress. Looking yourself in the mirror is not good enough.
The simplest thing you can do is to step on a scale once per week and write down the number. Do it every week at the same time, in the same conditions, best first thing in the morning.
If you want to add something extra, measure your waist circumference. It will give you much more information about your body fat levels than weight alone.
As for the gym progress, you can go an extra mile, and write down every set and rep, and the weight lifted. That way your workouts will never get stale, and you will establish a new challenge every week.
You should also keep a food log. Knowing what you eat is the most critical thing, health-wise. Yes, quantity makes you fat/skinny, but the quality is what keeps you healthy, so try not to eat junk.
If all that tracking seems to difficult, it is a good idea to hire a personal trainer, who will make a custom plan for your goals, and keep you striving for it.
Tip #3: Be Willing To Switch Things Up
While consistency is about doing things right over a longer period of time, that doesn’t mean you should do the same forever.
Variations will not only provide a new challenge but will also motivate you. Doing just bench, squat and deadlift, year in year out, is all but exciting.
Switch exercises, but also types of training. Maybe try cycling or rowing, don’t just run on treadmills. Or even better, take your activity outside, and play some basketball, or mountain bike.
The same goes for strength training. There are thousands of exercise variations you can try, that will hit your muscles in new ways, giving them new growth stimuli.
Conclusion
Yes, it all comes to doing the right things over and over again. But, so many things are right, and you should switch them up to keep it interesting. Just make sure you track the progress, making sure you go in the right direction. And have the end goal reasonable, that will help you stay motivated. Nice and simple, but it works, as long as you keep doing it!
Personal trainers at Fit and Psyched, West Palm Beach, will keep you on track, taking care of all but the actual hard work for you. Contact us now, and start your fitness journey the right way.
