Beginners' Secrets to Success
đ Plan your workout.
Physically put it in your diary!
đFind a time that suits you and schedule that workout in just like you would do with any other kind of appointment. You are so much more likely to stick to your workout if you commit to yourself that you are going to do it at such and such a time!
đGo at your own pace
Remember that you need to enjoy it to stick to it in the long run. A lower intensity workout that youâre able to repeat and that you enjoy is much better than a higher intensity one that leaves you unable to move for days afterwards and that you hate doing so youâre never going to repeat!đ„”
Try not to think of it as a competition and donât pay attention to anyone else around you (apart from your instructor!) â everyone is on their own journey and you will get the results you want as long as you stick to your plan!â
đ„Set realistic goalsđ„
âStart with something small like âIâm going to do 15 minutes a day for 5 days this weekâ or whatever you think you can fit into your life. Setting goals helps you to keep focussed and it helps you to sustain the momentum of a project. You could set a reward for yourself for when you achieve that goal â just make sure itâs not counter to the goal itself (for example if your goal is to regularly exercise, donât reward yourself with a week off), make it something unrelated like a movie night or massage or whatever makes you feel good.
âIf youâre like me and you enjoy seeing progress you could put some kind of tracking method in place â just a simple tick chart that you get to tick off each day once youâve done your workout, or make a note in your diary or something like that so you can track your progress can be super rewarding for some people.
âPeople that set goals are more likely to achieve what they want to, plus when you reach your goal it gives you a great sense of achievement that makes you more likely to continue with your programme.
đ€Find someone to be accountable to.
Now this isnât for everyone, and you have to make sure that your accountability buddy isnât someone who youâre going to find annoying when they ask how youâre doing. They need to be able to give the right level of support and encouragement whilst also understanding that we do fall off the wagon sometimes! Sometimes a friend or partner is great in this role, but sometimes itâs better to have someone whoâs little bit further from home like a more distant friend, workout buddy or fitness instructor! â„
đSqueeze!
You get stronger by working your muscles. To make your muscles work you have to get them to contract! One of the key ways to make your workout more effective is to SQUEEZE your muscles when youâre working them.
đ€Now this isnât quite so relevant to a cardio programme, although being able to activate your glutes and abs whilst youâre doing cardio will make you stronger and more likely to see results quickly.
âThere are a few ways you can increase the SQUEEZE of your muscles when youâre doing a strength training workout. 1 is to simply squeeze, although this can be easier with some muscles than others. Most people can quite easily squeeze their bum, but a lot of people might find it trickier to do the same technique with their arms or legs. Another is to imagine youâre moving your body through something really sticky â something that will move, but that you have to use effort to move through. A similar technique is to just imagine that the weights or whatever your lifting are heavier than they are.
âĄThese techniques will help you to get more bang from your buck in your workout and help you to see the results you want quicker!
âAsk questions!
No-one is an expert at anything when they first start it. Whether itâs fitness or anything else there are always going to be people who know more than you about something youâre just starting out at. Now, Iâm not saying approach some random person in the gym and ask them to help you to tone up, make sure youâre asking someone whoâs advice you trust and who is qualified to help you out. By getting good advice from the very start you can be sure that youâre going to be getting the most out of your workout. You can save a lot of time and a lot of emotional energy by starting out with a decent plan designed to help you reach your goals. If youâre not sure how you should be doing an exercise then ask a professional who will be more than happy to give you a few tips and pointers.
Remember that you will never regret a workout!
Know that you WILL have days when you cannot be bothered to workout! Nobody who is super fit and healthy is motivated EVERY day. The key to success is to do it even when you canât be bothered.
âșHave a plan and stick to the plan. Often the hardest part is getting started so just decide to do the warmup. Chances are by the time you have done your warm up you will be in a totally different space and frame of mind and you will be remotivated and ready to go!
âłShort workouts can really help you out here, especially if youâre a beginner. Even if you donât feel full of beans and ready to jump and leap about, if you know that the workout is only going to be short then itâs much easier to give yourself that much needed kick up the bum than if youâre trying to convince yourself to go out for an hours run! Obviously there is a time and a place for longer workouts, but itâs always worth having a shorter workout in your back pocket for those days that you need it!
