If you’ve recently made the decision that you want to prioritise your health but you don’t know where to start, these first few steps into fitness will help kickstart your fitness journey.
Get Motivated – Find your ‘Why’
Setting yourself up for success starts in the mind, which is why identifying your core motivators is so important when it comes to sticking to a fitness programme. If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so hard to keep new year’s resolutions or stick to a new exercise plan, it’s probably because you haven’t identified your ‘why’.
If we aren’t clear on why we truly want to achieve an exercise plan, we are going to prioritise other things in life, and before you know it, months have passed and we’re no closer to achieving our goal. Setting yourself up for success involves knowing exactly what you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it and why it is important that you do achieve it. When you have identified the answers to these questions, the motivation you will have for that goal will be deep-rooted and much easier to tap into on a daily basis. We need deep-rooted motivation to keep us on track, I know I do. This type of motivation allows us to navigate through our busy lives, handle the setbacks and stay dedicated to the goal because our ‘why’ has made this goal a priority, and therefore we don’t just give up when it gets tough. If you’re looking for real, authentic motivation, start by asking yourself why you want to start this fitness journey, and spend some time understanding what’s really important to you.
Establish Goals
What do you want to achieve from this fitness journey? Is it to lose weight? To feel healthier and get more toned? Or is it just to enjoy the benefits of improving overall fitness? Whatever your goals may be, it is important to establish what exactly those goals are in order to achieve them. Once you have identified and written down your goals, break down each goal into smaller goals or short-term milestones. For example, if one of your goals was to lose 10kg, a sub-goal would be to lose 2-3 pounds in the next 3 weeks. Or if you had a goal to run 10k without stopping, then a sub-goal would be to go for three 10-minute runs in the next week. These smaller milestones are key to maintaining motivation for those bigger goals as they provide us with short-term targets. The more short-term targets to achieve, the stronger and more resilient the motivation becomes for those big goals. Defining your goals and smaller milestones will give you a sense of achievement and help you stay motivated in the long-term.
Nutrition
Having a balanced diet is an important part of maintaining health and well-being. A balanced diet provides us with the nutrients we need to fuel our body and we need this energy for our workouts.
Take a look at your current nutrition and make sure you are eating a healthy balanced diet. Your nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated or restrictive and remember that crash diets are a big no-no. If you’re unsure about whether you’re current diet is healthy or not, I highly recommend that you follow the link which takes you through the NHS guidelines on how we all can achieve a balanced diet.
Have fun with it!
Numerous studies have shown that a person’s mindset surrounding exercise will directly influence how much physical activity they do and will impact their exercise adherence. We can choose to perceive physical activity in a positive way, and one tactic is to have fun whilst we do it. In other words, you are much more likely to stick to your workout regime if you are having fun while you are moving. The beauty of this is that having fun whilst moving will look different for everyone. Some people may absolutely love a solo outdoor hike whilst others may prefer a group HIIT class. The key is to find what works for you – because a fun workout is going to really help you to stick to your workout routine.
Have a plan
There is a reason why even the most successful athletes and Olympians still follow fitness plans. Don’t underestimate the importance of setting goals and writing a fitness plan. Having a clear strategy in place will significantly increase your chances of achieving your goals. At Studio Fitness we can help you create a personalised fitness plan that will act as your ‘roadmap’. Based on your goals, your plan will clearly identify the steps you need to take in order to achieve them. Don’t forget that having a plan in place will also allow you to track your progress throughout your fitness journey, enabling you to monitor your milestone successes along the way!
