Choosing the correct workout plan can be extremely overwhelming at first because of the vast amount of programs available and because you might not understand how to perform the movements within the plan etc. In order to ensure that your workout plan is correct for you, you need to first set achievable goals, accept that it will take time, and then commit to achieving these goals without wavering. The cornerstone of success will be consistency and intensity.
Determine your fitness goals
Start by setting yourself realistic and achievable goals. It is important to keep your long term goal in mind but set yourself small achievable targets that you need to meet on your way to your ultimate goal. Creating smaller achievable goals will allow you to stay motivated and committed to reaching your long term goal. Any major change in your body will take time to achieve and its easy to become demotivated if you feel progress is too slow. Be realistic in what you would like to achieve. For example, if you are really skinny, do not aim to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Dwyane Johnson, but rather to achieve a more athletic physique. If you are overweight and want to lose 15kg, do not set yourself a deadline of 2 months as this will not be achievable. Any meaningful and sustainable change to your body will require time and this is incredibly important to understand and accept which is why Personal Trainers continually emphasize this. It is highly recommended that you recruit a Personal Trainer to help you start this journey as they will help you determine what is achievable based on your goal, your fitness level and your capability. Within the first 8 sessions you will have a very clear plan of what needs to be done and how you will achieve it. You can browse the Trainer section on the Your Fitness Coach app to see the qualified freelance trainers that are available to assist you.
Choose the correct gym
Choosing the right gym for you is a principle that is undervalued by many. Not all gyms are the same and choosing the right gym makes a huge difference in staying motivated and committed to achieving your goals. Going to the gym must not feel like work, it needs to feel like something you want to do because of the atmosphere, the classes or the social interaction you have at the gym. For example, if you prefer a more quiet environment with more one-on-one attention, you go to a boutique gym, whereas if you enjoy the loud music and hustle and bustle of others training around you, you choose a commercial gym. For those who prefer to do short but high intensity workouts, try a Crossfit gym and if you are someone who wants something a little more physically competitive there are always MMA gyms.
We recommend that you start by visiting a variety of gyms before settling on a specific type. A subscription to Your Fitness Coach allows you access to multiple different gyms and gym brands so that you can explore them all without having to commit to any of those before you are sure which gym suits you the best.
Stay committed to your plan
Now that you know what your goals are, how you are going to achieve them and selected the right gym for you, what is next? Well, for one, to start!
Do not delay starting because it will already begin with a non commitment to achieve your goals. At this point there is nothing that should hold you back. Prioritize your training days and commit to achieving them at all costs. The smallest deviation will potentially lead to an inevitability of failing to achieve those smaller goals and your end goal will become an unreachable one mentally. The easiest example is where one of your goals is to do 10,000 steps every day. This includes weekends, so you need to make a plan as to what you are going to do on a Saturday and Sunday to achieve your steps every day. Some days you will come home from work, be tired but only have achieved 8,000 steps. You should not accept that. You need to get your walking shoes on and go do your extra 2,000 steps to get to your 10,000. Doing this will be hard and feel like a lot of effort for very little reward but what you don’t know is that you are training yourself mentally not to give up and to stay committed to your goals. Soon enough it will become your norm and you will never look back from there.
Rest and recovery
Rest and recovery is crucial in reaching your fitness goals. If you are one of those people who only sleep 5-6 hours a night, you will need to adjust your sleep routine to where you go to bed at a time where you will allow yourself to get 8 hours of sleep. Your body requires time to recuperate after being physically active and failure to allow yourself this recuperation will lead to injuries which might make workouts hard or impossible to complete and you will lose weeks or months of progress in the process.
Creating a healthy sleep routine will be difficult at the start but your body will adjust relatively quickly and the effects will be almost instantaneous. You will feel more relaxed, you feel more patient and less rushed and ultimately be more motivated to continue this journey to a healthier lifestyle.
Consistency
The most common question people have at the start of their journey is, “What happens when I reach my goal?”
Valid question, easy to answer, difficult to understand until you reach that point…
Easy answer is, you continue to workout and rest properly. After all it is what got you to your goal in the first place, right? Why stop now? Why throw away weeks and months of creating this new version of yourself? But here is the kicker that only those who reach their goals understand – Once you achieve your goal, you won’t want to stop. You will not even think about it for one second because you have experienced all the benefits that come with it. Workouts, proper rest, healthy eating habits and everything around it has become a habit, a new norm and a new you.
