We’ve all been through the cycle, often time and time again. You decide that you want to get fit and lose some weight, so you get a new pair of gym shoes, a new gym membership, and you start working out. You start of a few times a week, eating right and putting in the effort. Then maybe you decide to take a break for a day or two. Then you decide to treat yourself to something that’s not on your diet plan. Then you skip another day. And another. And before you know it you’re spending every evening on the couch eating Doritos like your workout plan never appeared in the first place. This is one of the most common things in the world and is certainly not something you should feel guilty about. The reality is that working out and losing weight are not easy things to do. If they were, then there wouldn’t be tens of thousands of blog posts and articles on the internet dedicated to helping you do it. But just because something is hard doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. Here are a few simple things that you can do to get started with your workout and finally make it stick this time!
Know what you want
One of the biggest mistakes that a lot of people tend to make when it comes to their fitness plan is that they don’t have a clear enough goal. Sure, they might think “I want to lose weight,” or “I want to get toned,” but these things are far too vague to every actually act as real motivators. Sure, you want to lose weight, but how much? So you want to get toned? Okay, do you want lean muscle or do you want to bulk up? Getting specific with the questions of what you want out of your workout is incredibly important to help you figure out how to reach those goals. Knowing exactly what you want is going to help you figure out what it is that you need to do to get there. If you just want to shed a few pounds then focusing on things like cardio will be just fine, but if you want some serious gains, then you need to start focusing on strength training instead. Only once you know what you want can you start to figure out how to make it happen.
Sort the facts from fiction
There are so many different pieces of advice out there when to comes to getting fit that it can be pretty overwhelming. This is made even worse by the fact that the vast majority of this advice is completely inaccurate. It’s a sad fact that there are plenty of companies out there who are more than willing to scam you out of your money with the promise of making your workouts easier. The same goes for certain products on the market. Some are going to work, but some aren’t. This is my favourite creatine brand, but there are plenty out there that simply won’t have any real effect. Make sure that you’re checking things out thoroughly, reading reviews and talking to experts, before putting any money down on them. Otherwise, you could end up with no results and an empty wallet, and there are few things more discouraging than that.
Find your motivation
Motivation is probably the toughest thing to deal with when you’re trying to stick to any kind of workout routine. After all, why would you want to spend your time working up a sweat at the gym when you could be at home relaxing on the couch? The first thing you need to do to find that motivation is to make sure that your goals are always at the forefront of your mind. If you lose sight of what you’re aiming towards, then you’re likely to end up losing all motivation very quickly. There are also plenty of techniques that you can use to keep yourself motivated to do what you need to do. One of the best famous is the “don’t break the chain” method. It was originally used in creative pursuits, but it’s one of the most effective motivation tools out there. Essentially you give yourself a goal and mark off the steps you take towards that goal every day. Having something as simple as that as a visual sign of the progress you’re making can be far more motivational than you might expect.
Have some support
Doing anything all on your own is incredibly difficult and the that applies doubly so to getting fit. It’s incredibly easy to justify taking a break or giving up to yourself. But when you’ve got someone else around to support you, those excuses sound a lot less convincing. Who you choose to have around to support you is entirely up to you. It could be a personal trainer, a family member, or a friend. Working out with a friend who also has their own fitness goals is a fantastic option because it means that you can support each other and help push each other forward in a way that you simply wouldn’t be able to achieve if you were trying to do everything on your own. Of course, there’s always the chance that you’ll both end up wanting to give up from time to time, but having someone around to keep you honest can make a huge difference.
Now, it’s important to remember that, while these are all very simple pieces of advice, they’re still much easier said than done. Just because you follow this advice doesn’t mean that you’re going to suddenly drop dozens of pounds and become instantly toned. The reality is that working out and dieting are things that take time, effort and, most importantly, commitment. If you’re not willing to put those things in then it doesn’t matter how good any advice is; it’s never going to make a difference. However, if you’re truly willing to do your part and make an effort, then these simple pieces of advice are going to help you along that road every step of the way.
