Article by: Em-Em Aban
VQS Advice Blog
New Year – New GOALS!
The hardest part of this journey isn’t getting your body in shape, it is getting your mind in shape.
Health – Fitness – Nutrition
Some of the most common New Year’s resolutions are “I need to lose more weight” or “gain strength and flexibility.”
If you have any of these goals and not sure how or where to start, consider these tips below to JUMPSTART your fitness journey!
1. Commit to be Ready and to Consistency
Assess your lifestyle and be ready for a change!
Be ready physically, emotionally, and most of all mentally! The hardest part of this journey isn’t getting your body in shape, it is getting your mind in shape.
This is going to be your journey so ask yourself, how badly do I want this? Am I ready to prioritize my health this time? (YES!)
You see, if you are not fully committed to the process, chances are, you will stop even before reaching your goals.
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2. Set Time, Plan Ahead
Understand that for this to become a lifestyle, you have to set time for working out.
You know your schedule and your possible roadblocks, so plan ahead. Create a personalized program that will be consistent for you. Mark your calendars if you have to!
Set yourself a reminder and make sure to stick to the schedule, unless you REALLY have to skip it for something very important.
Be mindful with the roadblocks though as letting other developments in your life cut into this, can easily put you off track.
Ask yourself:
- How many days in a week can I dedicate to exercising?
- How much time do I have daily for workout?
- What time of the day am I available to workout?
Make at least a month-long schedule for your workout routine. It doesn’t have to be everyday and it doesn’t have to be really long sessions. Whether it’s an hour or just a 30-minute session, make sure to make it count.
It’s all about consistency, efficiency, and quality of your workout! A 3-times a week workout is fair enough. Just make that conscious effort to prioritize the habit of exercising regularly.
3. Improve Your Nutrition
Accept that diet is part of the process and a change you will have to make. You have to change your mindset with food.
“I exercise because I want to eat.” I have heard this so many times, even from friends I work with. We all have to eat, but careful with this mindset because if you are aiming to lose weight and get back into shape, this mindset might jeopardize your goal. While this might be true to some, the mindset to exercise so you can eat can lead you to eating more than you burn calories on your workout.
Exercise is an actor while nutrition is the star of the show.YOU CANNOT OUT-EXERCISE A BAD DIET
NO to starving! Educate yourself about what foods are most nutritious and learn to eat right and eat moderately.
YOU CANNOT OUT-EXERCISE A BAD DIET
4. Set a Goal and Realistic Expectations
One of the reasons why people throw in the towel so fast is because they jumped into the wagon clueless!
Having a goal that you are working towards is important so that you can measure your progress. Workout with a specific goal in mind.
What is your desired outcome?
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your body. The key is knowing your body and PATIENCE!
Set goals that are realistic and achievable according to your exercise routines/frequency and nutrition because you will want this to be something doable and lasting.
Patience is virtue, so do not be alarmed if the weight does not come off as fast as you’d imagined them to be. Bear in mind that IF you are making an adjustment to your diet and moving more, it’s impossible not to see some extra weight coming off as the days progress.
Track your progress only if you are consistent with #2 and #3.
5. Find Something You Love
Another reason why people throw in the towel so fast is because they are not enjoying the fitness activity that they do.
Let’s face it, if exercising feels like a chore, you won’t last long and that’s when this fitness journey becomes just a fad for you, a seasonal thing. Participate in exercises and activities that you enjoy doing. Everything does not have to be very structured or should be done in the gym.
Do you enjoy being in the outdoors? Go for hiking, trail running, or just go for running. Do you enjoy dancing? Join an online Zumba class and meet new friends as you go along. Do you like lifting heavy stuff? Then strength training is for you!
If you want to up your game, add some variation. Try both cardio and weights: the perfect combination for a fitness routine!
There you go! I hope these tips will help jumpstart your fitness journey. Starting out doesn’t have to be overwhelming — go at your own pace. The starting point can be difficult and the scary, but don’t let that be your hindrance in improving your health and well-being.
The number one tip actually is to PRAY all about it (the fitness journey) because that’s what I did when I started, it was in my prayer list and I am amazed how God sustained me ❤️.
Article by: Em-Em Aban
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