Change is never easy and almost always has challenges and setbacks. The reason why gyms are jam packed January 2nd and back to their normal capacity by February 2nd is because of this. It takes consistency, hard work and stamina to persevere through the challenges and setbacks and continue onward towards your goal(s). Long story short…it’s tough and the majority of people quit. But that doesn’t mean you have to be the majority!
Below is a list of tips and tricks I’ve found helpful to start and maintain your wellness journey
1. Start slow.Don’t go from 0-60 overnight! This will just set you up for overused muscles, potential injury, fatigue, frustration and not to mention an incredible amount of soreness. For example, if you have a goal of running your first 5k, start out by going on 30-40 min brisk walks daily and gradually build your endurance up to start running rather than sprinting right out of the gate first thing (pun intended)
2. Don’t set unrealistic expectations.I’ve had so many clients come to me on their first day of training say they are going to workout every single day, eliminate carbs, sugar, dairy, gluten, etc from their diets and only eat vegetables. First of all, that sounds like a very mundane, boring life and second of all…it’s completely unrealistic and sets you up for failure before you even start! You need to find BALANCE in your life–adding in exercise, vegetables and gradually modifying the amounts of certain foods you consume. There is no way you can completely alter your former lifestyle overnight and expect you to maintain your new one (and you shouldn’t have to anyways!!!)
3. Write your goals down.Having a tangible list of your goals helps you remember why you started when things start to get tough. I like to go month to month so things don’t seem overwhelming in the beginning as well. First example, again if you want to run your first 5k and start eating healthier your first month of goals can be something like this: -Walk 30 mins 4-5 days/week and gradually build your way up to 45 mins with 15 mins of light jogging 4-5 days/week; Start meal planning each week and bringing lunch for work. That way, you have working sets of smaller goals that help guide you to achieve your larger ones!
4. Give yourself a break.You missed a workout, you ate pizza and cake…it’s not a big deal, we’re all human! Sometimes your body needs to have an extra rest day and sometimes you just crave to eat pizza and cake– when your body tells you these things, listen to it!! We’re often way too hard on ourselves and create the mindset that if we don’t eat completely clean or workout the allotted amount of days and hours each week, we won’t achieve our goals and fall back into our old habits entirely. That’s not true. In fact, I’d argue that it’s actually more unhealthy to restrict your body of LIVING than it is to miss a workout and eat a giant piece of ice cream cake instead (my personal fav). So don’t be hard on yourself, listen to your body and give it what it needs, every day is different, that’s the beauty of living!
5. Have fun with it!!Goal accomplishing SHOULD. BE. FUN.! Sure, its challenging and can be frustrating at times but setting yourself up to achieve something you never thought you could do is an empowering thing and should be met with excitement and joy, so have fun with it! Celebrate every milestone you conquer, take in the difficult moments and tell yourself “holy sh*t! I can’t believe I’m doing this, I’m AMAZING!” Believe me, it makes it so much better if you find enjoyment in it and relish in your accomplishments along the way!
Cheers!
xoxAmanda