Top 6 Fitness Tips for Beginners
Starting a new workout routine can be really exciting until you realize you aren’t really sure how to start or where to begin! When it comes to deciding how to eat healthier, what workouts to do or how often to do them, it’s easy to get discouraged, but don’t let that stop you from creating the healthy lifestyle you want. Whether your goals are centered around losing weight or you simply want to live a healthier lifestyle, these fitness tips for beginners will give you the confidence to start a workout plan you love and stick with it! Each of the tips below can be applied to beginners who workout at home or more advanced gym goers. Let’s get started!
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Set Specific Goals
We have all been there. January 1st comes and everyone sets new goals for the year with full confidence that THIS will be the year they actually achieve them. The only problem is, most people RARELY create measurable and specific goals about how and when they will reach those goals. Anyone can say they want to be healthier this year. But what exactly does that look like? Does being healthier mean going to the gym more? Eating out less? Going on more walks with the dog?
If your goal is to lose weight, start by making a list of all the habits you have that are preventing you from losing weight. Once you have your list, go through each point and think about how you can change the habit and make it a healthier one. For example, if you notice you eat out several times a week because you don’t have time to meal prep, try starting out by ordering healthier options. This is a simple way to make a change without trying to go out and buy a bunch of food to meal prep, knowing you won’t have the time or energy to do it. Once you have this new habit mastered, maybe you can progress to only eating out one or two times a week.
Don’t Set Too Many Goals At Once
Now that you know how to set specific goals, it can be tempting to decide you want to wake up early to workout three times this week AND meal prep twice AND cut out all dessert AND go for a 20 minute walk over lunch every day. BUT setting too many goals at once is a quick way to burn out and then before you know it, it’s February and you’ve given up.
Start with ONE small goal at a time and only add another one when you’ve mastered the first goal. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit. So, create one new habit at a time and it becomes so much easier to transform your goals into a lifestyle.
Don’t Workout Everyday
If setting too many goals can lead to mental burn out, then working out everyday can definitely lead to physical burnout. I see so many beginners making this mistake. Everyone thinks the more you workout, the faster you’ll see results but this just isn’t true. Working out everyday without any rest days in between will lead to burnout that will ultimately prevent you from ever losing weight or seeing results. When our bodies are “stressed”, they are programmed to hold on to weight. Unfortunately, the human body doesn’t know how to differentiate “good” stress from “bad” stress. In both cases, the stress hormone, cortisol, is released. It is super important to allow for time to recover in between workouts and let the cortisol levels return to normal, the same way you might give yourself a relaxing evening after a stressful day at work.
Not to mention, once you hit burnout you will most likely lose all motivation to workout and will be back at square one. So, just save yourself the time and start slow. As mentioned, being consistent every week and allowing your body time to heal will give you results you want in the long run without constantly starting over at square one, getting more discouraged each time that your goals are actually attainable.
Include Strength Training
Many beginners tend to think that cardio is the only way to lose weight and become fit. While cardio does help improve cardiovascular health and burn fat, it usually isn’t the preferred form of exercise and the good news is: it isn’t the only way to get in shape. Strength training has far more benefits than cardio and actually burns more calories because of the energy required to repair muscles after the workout. In addition, muscle burns more calories than fat so increasing your muscle mass can help your body burn more calories throughout the day resulting in a higher metabolism.
Set Realistic Expectations
Setting realistic expectations is one of the most important tips you need. If you start a fitness plan expecting to be lose weight after only two weeks, then you will be very disappointed. It takes six to eight weeks to START noticing changes in strength, muscle tone, and cardiovascular fitness. This means that after about two months, you will finally start feeling like you are improving and getting stronger. This does not mean that in two months the scale will read the number that you want. It takes time.
Depending on what your specific goals are and how much weight it is that you are wanting to lose, it can take closer to six months to a year before you start noticing real changes in appearance. Imagine where you could be now if you hadn’t given up two years ago! Don’t be too hard on yourself if this is the fourth, fifth or even tenth time that you’ve started over on your health journey. Set back are normal so don’t be discouraged but instead let this encourage you to keep at it.
Be Patient and Consistent
The important thing to remember is make a plan and don’t overthink it. Once you pick the first small goal to work towards, put it on the calendar and don’t think about it. Overthinking and obsessing will only make those six months go by slower. Get busy on your goals and stop checking the scale every day. Before you know it, six months will have gone by and you’ll be so glad you stuck with it!
As you can tell, setting goals isn’t a “one and done” kind of thing. It requires choosing to have healthy habits EVERYDAY and adding in new ones when necessary. Of course, some goals may take longer than others to master, but at the end of the day, wouldn’t you rather reach your goals in five years than spend five years constantly starting over on the same goal, never making any real progress?
If you are ready to transform your lifestyle and learn all the tips step-by-step on EXACTLY how to achieve the fitness level you want, check out Sculpting Secrets: The Complete Guide to Creating Your Own Fitness Plans With Ease! This eBook will give you all the tools you need to make sure you are on the write track with sample meal plans, workout templates, and an exercise bank that shows you exactly what to do in the gym!
