If you’re here, you are probably interested in fitness and nutrition, or at least thinking about it. Maybe you aren’t too sure where to start and are searching out some good information to help. We have good news! We have some answers, guidance, and direction for you when it comes to your fitness and nutrition.
First, know this. It can actually begin anywhere. From your home to the gym, there is no wrong place to start. No matter where it starts for you, let’s start with some basics.
- Why?
Why the heck would you decide to do hard things, instead of just continuing to relax, chill, and let life happen. Seriously, WHY? Figure out your “why”. This will be your main motivating element for those days when you don’t feel like getting up and exercising (I can promise, those days WILL happen). The stronger, deeper, and more personalized your WHY is, the better motivated you will find yourself when you need a little pick me up on lazy days (which happens to us all).
- Baseline.
You first need to know where you stand to get to where you’re going, and nutrition is an easy place to start. Establish your starting point by writing down what you eat for a few days. Once you get a sense of where you begin, you will be able to start finding holes in your health and tackle those first.
Then comes the physical aspect. You first want to see what your body is comfortable doing and work to increase the intensity of your workout (slowly). Find a coach to help you figure out your baseline so that you can safely build a program that is going to be challenging but doable for you!
- Create Milestones
Working off of your baseline, set goals in metrics that you find may be the best motivators for you. Can you easily run a 5k in 25 minutes and want to up your ability? Great! Set your goal to run it in a shorter time or a longer distance. Continue to build and dream about new goals!
But wait! Don’t forget to celebrate your wins and accomplishments first!
Did you know our brains are actually wired to see the negative and threats of the situation? It is a safeguard of the human body to keep ourselves safe and secure in an environment that is not. This mentality may be dominant in most, making it harder to see your own achievements. Don’t focus on the fall at the 3k mark of your run (that dang stump got in the way!). Remember that you chose to stand up again and finish your 5k! These small pats on the back keep you from being demotivated and keep you working harder to celebrate yourself (because you are awesome!). The importance of acknowledging your tiny wins is for you to pick up on the habit of congratulating yourself, even while not having finished your main objective… yet. People fall off the routine when they finish the 5k in 20 minutes because they aren’t used to the praise of rising after the 3k fall. When you train your mind to improve on your every action, no matter how small, there will come a point when it is second nature to think about achieving your next win. WUP WUP!
- Programming (for YOU!)
Once a goal is set, use it as your platform to establish a great program that best fits your mindset and lifestyle. A program based on all the previous building blocks will have the highest success rate for you to achieve your milestone. Build on it, customize it to your capability and keep working on it until you familiarize yourself with the next building block.
- Rinse and Repeat
Y’all, there is no “I’m all done!” when it comes to your health and fitness. Celebrate, and then reevaluate, and recreate new goals once you achieve them. This is also where you can revisit your WHY (remember that thing?).. Never forget the paradox of life in which the only permanent thing in this world is change. Your reason for establishing a good workout may be different a year from now when you have a family and kids than when you were still single. Another aspect of this Building Block is conditioning yourself to continual improvement is surrounding yourself with a (gym) community that celebrates each other (Greater Purpose is the BOMB at this!). It makes a significant difference when your support system sees your potential and motivates you to be the best version of yourself. After all, who else do you expect to cheer you on when you reach the finish line of your 5k marathon?