April 3, 2022: Fitness Decisions

My weekly Get Your Stuff Together Sunday email series gives you one actionable focus for the week that will make your life a little easier.

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There is so much to know when you’re first starting out on a new fitness routine. But before you even step foot in a gym, there are 10 decisions you need to make. This week, we’re going to talk about the top 10 decisions to make when starting a fitness program.

1. What You Want

Do you want to improve your endurance? Lose weight? Build muscle? Get healthier overall? Have an outlet for stress?

You need to know exactly what you want to accomplish from your workout plan. Having your goals down on paper will help guide your program when you do get started.

2. Your Schedule

If you want to stay consistent with your program, you should start slowly. Try going to the gym a couple times a week, for at least 30 minutes. Not only does this help you establish a routine, it gives your body a chance to recover.

3. Your Support Network

Do you have friends who go to the gym? Is there a class with people who have the same goals as you? Finding people who will support you on your quest to better health can act as motivation to stick with your plan. You can also find support online - they don’t have to be at your gym or even in your city!

4. What Exercise You Like

There is nothing worse than doing an exercise you hate. It’s one of the easiest ways to ruin a good workout. Choosing activities you like to do could go a long way to helping you stick with your workout plan. You might need to experiment a little to find what you do and don’t like.

5. How You’ll Deal with Setbacks

Setbacks are going to happen, but you can’t let them stop you from the goals you’ve set in place. You need to keep going forward—and be persistent. There is a lot you can learn from setbacks, and the drive and motivation you have to keep going.

Figure out ahead of time what you’ll do when a setback happens. For example, you might give yourself an extra day off, or try a new type of exercise, or revisit your goals to re-up for your motivation.

6. How You’ll Make Time for Warming Up and Cooling Down

Although they may seem insignificant, never skip your warm up or cooldown. Warming up prevents injuries, and the cooldown is ideal for lowering your heart rate, and improving your flexibility. Spend adequate time for these two phases of your workout, and plan enough time to get them both in when you set aside time for your exercise. If you’re in a rush, these are usually the first things to go, and that can lead to injury.

7. What Your Unique Fitness Journey Will Be

Everyone is on their own fitness journey, and you can’t expect to be where everyone else is. Comparing yourself to others could also tank your motivation by creating negative self-talk. Instead of comparing, use them as motivation to get better and keep pushing forward.

Know what you want to achieve and some ways you can get there. It’s a unique experience. Be open to trying things and being flexible as you get more into fitness.

8. How You’ll Measure Success

Have a plan for tracking your successes in place when you start. This can be anything, from writing down your workout results to noticing how you feel each day.

You won’t see results right away. It takes time, persistence, and dedication to your plan. Give it time, and the results will come.

9. What to Do When Distractions Happen

There are plenty of things that could distract you from your goals, but you can’t let excuses ruin your progress. Packing your gym bag the night before and prepping your meals on the weekends are great ways to eliminate excuses that often cause you to put off your plan. Think of all of the things that might keep you from doing what you need to do for your goals. Then, come up with how you’ll eliminate those barriers.

10. How You’ll Continually Celebrate Your Hard Work

You’re healthy…you’re making changes…you’re staying consistent. Celebrate the small things, and be grateful that you made another workout or took a small step forward. All progress is worth celebration!

Next Sunday, we’ll talk about 4 important questions to ask yourself when creating goals that you’ll have the best chance of achieving with your current lifestyle.

Want some expert help with reaching your health goals painlessly? Check out my programs! We’ll get everything taken care of in a way that fits into your current lifestyle so you never have to think about your health again.

Do you have a friend who could stand to G(her)ST? Feel free to forward this!

I hope you have a wonderful week,

Kelly

Kelly Morgan, Ph.D.

Tsirona - www.tsirona.com

My weekly GYSTS email give you one actionable thing to do for the week that will make you life a little easier. As "they" say, "Fail to plan; plan to fail." Get these emails (and more!) delivered right to your inbox by clicking HERE.