In June of 2017 I decided to do a complete 180 in my lifestyle. I started eating better and exercising more often and little did I know that it was in fact the start of my fitness journey. Almost a year later and here are a couple things I learned along the way. I am by no means a fitness expert but these are some of the tips I held onto that helped me.
It’s A Lifestyle
It’s great to have goals when you are starting your fitness journey, whether it’s to loose 10 pounds, gain 10 pounds, get toned or whatever that maybe. However, I think it’s important to recognized that working out and eating well is a lifestyle’ a way of life. Your body will not stay as toned and that weight will not stay of if you don’t regularly maintain it. Continuing to continuously eat well and exercise will not only help you maintain your goals, but also potentially reach new ones.
Eat Well & Rest
Eating well and resting I found are as important components to my fitness journey as working out. When eating, it’s not necessarily about the amount of calories you put in your body but the type of calories.
I found it was more useful to track my macronutrients (macros for short) then the number of calories. Macros are in fact what makes up calories and the three components that do so are fat, carbs and protein. We all need these components to stay healthy and depending on your fitness goal, the amount of fat, carbs and protein will vary. Exercise is only 20% of your effort and nutrition is 80%.
I find resting supper important. I love to work with weights and having breaks in between your work out days I found are a must for your muscle recovery. You don’t want to over work yourself and become to tiered and sore to go back to the gym the next day or to do anything else with the rest of your day. Pace yourself.
Motivation Comes and Goes
Motivation comes and goes, it’s all about determination. Remind yourself why you started in the first place and stick to that. Looking at fit people on Instagram or finding inspirational quotes on Pinterest might work sometimes, but they are not a long term fix. I like to take progress picture either on a biweekly or monthly basis to remind myself were I came from and keep me inspired to work hard to get where I want to be.
Results will come, be patient
The first couple months of my fitness journey were really hard for me because I felt that I was putting in so much work and I had nothing to show for it. Your body will not change overnight. Starting off your fitness journey is about trial and error and figuring out what works for you. Once I get into a consistent routine I started to see what I thought were “subtle changes”. I say “subtle changes” because maybe you don’t see a difference in yourself, but the close ones around you will. Don’t give up and keep at it.
Do it for you and no one else
This may be a cliché but definitely the most important advice I’ve received and would love to pass on; DO IT FOR YOURSELF AND NO ONE ELSE. No one will have the same fitness journey as you. For some it might take a couple months to reach their goal and for others a year. It’s all about you, work at your pace and work hard. I think true results come when you are motivated by yourself and not the people or things around you. A fitness journey is personal and doesn’t concern anyone but you.