Ease, Don’t Jump into Fitness!
Your Journey into fitness won’t be as easy as love at first sight, trust me, I know!
[ct_leading]Fitness takes time, patience, and self-love; as I have mentioned before. Come tag along as I talk about my personal fitness journey. (I truly will never be done with the journey) ;-)[/ct_leading]
Imagine if the first time you tried to ride a bike, you jumped on a 2-wheeler and tried to Pop-a-wheelie. How crazy does that sound? This is equivalent to trying too jump into fitness and workout hard-core 5-6 days a week. That’s nuts! This approach always ends up with no results, and a burnt out unhappy individual. Remember, your #bodygoals should be #bodypositive! Burning yourself out in 4 weeks won’t help you achieve that goal.
Your relationship with fitness won’t be like love at first sight.
Tons of times I have tried to get into fitness and my biggest mistake was trying to dive right in. That approach burns you out, distaste for fitness grows in you and you feel as if you failed. I started my relationship during my sophomore year of high school and found takes time to grow that relationship into a lasting love. You have to ease into fitness, just like any relationship that you want to last.
So, for the last 5 years I have been in the gym learning and growing. Believe it or not, I started off with 2-3 days in the gym doing light cardio and simple quick workouts. I would run around 10 minutes or so, sometimes only a mile. Other times I would jump on the elliptical or grab some 5lbs weights and do some curls, squats, tricep dips, and jumping jacks. In the beginning this routine actually worked for me. I noticed a few changes and all around felt better. BUT! MORE! Don’t we always want more? After almost a year of this routine I realized I wanted more specific changes and fitness advances and felt my body was ready to step up to a new level.
I pushed myself and saw #bodypositive results!
I began to push my cardio to 30 minutes, and started separating my muscle groups into specific days. (Ex. Monday= back day, Tuesday= leg day … etc). At this stage in my fitness journey I started to notice a lot of positive changes. Not only was my body taking on a shape I loved, but I also felt stronger, and craved more workouts. I increased the amount of days I worked out to 4-5x a week. As a result, I felt great! I was slowly increasing the weight I could lift and I started to find new levels of inner-happiness and confidence. With muscles and confidence growing I felt I knew it all! BUT I was oh so wrong! I started to plateau and I grew relentlessly frustrated.
There is always more to learn on your fitness journey
Now, I workout 6 days a week, lift at weights I never imagined, and complete 45 minutes of cardio. It feels amazing to have made it this far and conquered so much. But, I have so much left to learn, and so much left to achieve. The most important thing I’ve learned along the way is that you don’t have to try and do this on your own. I utilize Instagram accounts, classes, and my boyfriend for fitness knowledge. I found that sharing my workouts and results on my Instagram account helps to keep me motivated. Without these resources, I might not be where I am today.
Use the resources around you for help
Yes! Only you can motivate yourself, get yourself up, and love yourself. BUT, use the resources around you. Learn, ask for help, and do not be afraid to fall a few times, (literally, like face plant in the middle of a gym, that’s a story for another time!). Seriously though, allow yourself to learn. Classes taught me new moves and proper form, my boyfriend taught me healthy ways to advance and push myself. While Instagram pages show me innovative moves to challenge myself. The resources around you are so vital. You should also feel free to reach out to me, I’m here to help!
This journey is worth it… You’ll never want it to end
Although you may have to get yourself back up a few times and be patient for some time, your journey into fitness is something you will never regret or want to be over. I have found a perfect program for my body and cannot wait to learn more. I am diving into proteins, meal preps, and heavier weight training. My journey to be fit and healthy will never end and I truly never want it too. It may not have started out as love at first sight, but its grown into a lifelong, lasting love. I know I have so much more to learn, and conquer and that excites me. Most of all, I cannot wait to share all I learn about staying fit and healthy with you all. We are all on this journey together.
Are you looking to start a fitness journey but don’t know where to turn?
Finally, if you have questions about your workouts or meal preps (I have workout programs I share in small groups) please feel free to reach out to me! If I can help, I will. If I don’t have the answer, I’ll point you in the right direction and we can learn together. Email me and let me help you start your own love affair with health and fitness!