There’s a right way and a wrong way to get fit. This is not to say that there’s a strict blueprint for people to get fit. The way that individuals achieve their fitness goals depends on their different anatomies and what their body compositions are made of. This being said, there are a number of best practices that exist to help people to get fit.
What not to do
Be inconsistent with your training regime
Attaining physical fitness is not a one-time thing. You also don’t become fit overnight after having done a super burst of cardio and weight training.
Reaching your fitness goals takes a lot of effort, dedication and perseverance. You need to be able to train your mind to get up on a freezing cold winter morning and get to the gym when your body is screaming at you to turn over an get another hour or two’s shut-eye. Your mind is incredibly powerful and can overcome anything – especially a few whimpers that your body makes that don’t amount to much.
But, at the same time, if you know that you physically are unable to get up early and exercise, don’t! Rather opt to exercise on your way home from work. This goes as well for choosing exercises that you hate but know are ‘good’ for you. Don’t do it! The best way to motivate yourself to carry on with exercising is to make it as pleasant as possible. So make sure that you do everything in your power to ensure that you enjoy your exercise programme.
Eat whatever junk food you want
Yes, in your training routine you’ll be burning a mountain load of calories. This is especially true if you’re training with a personal trainer as he or she will be putting you through your paces.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can eat whatever junk food you want. Remember that junk food – such as deep-fried chips, hamburgers and the like – contain trans fats which are harmful to your heart health. So, no matter how much you exercise, the fats will still be sitting in your arteries waiting to cause havoc.
What to do
Set realistic fitness goals
No matter how much you push yourself to achieve your fitness goals, if they are not realistic (in other words, you can physically achieve them) you mind as well not start. If you set unrealistic goals for yourself, deep down you know that you won’t ever achieve them however you’ll keep pushing to do so because there’s a glimmer of hope in you that you’ll succeed.
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t set lofty fitness goals. If you feel that you have it in your to achieve these, then great! If you feel that this is true then you need to make yourself accountable to achieving what you set out to.
But don’t make the fitness goals that you set for yourself out of your grasp. Although you may think that it’s forcing you to aim higher, because you’re not achieving what you set out to it will end up demotivating you and causing you to abandon the fitness lifestyle.
Eat a balanced diet
We said above that you shouldn’t eat whatever junk food you want, on a regular basis, as this could very well be detrimental to your health. You do need to eat a healthy and balanced diet to keep up your fitness levels. However, what you shouldn’t do is to deny yourself junk food entirely. This is because if you do this you may end up bingeing on foods that aren’t great for you as you’ve denied yourself these treats for so long.
Give yourself a treat day once in a while when you let yourself have that hamburger and fries, or that glass of wine. This will curb your cravings and make sure that you keep everything in check.
Getting fit is never easy but follow the tips that we’ve outlined above,and you’ll be well on your way to walking the fitness journey!
