Maintaining a successful fitness program comes down to mastering the basics and developing a realistic routine!
Below are some essential training guidelines that everybody can use to help their fitness regimes, regardless of your knowledge and fitness levels.
The majority of people do not know where to start and waste time by debating the endless stream of supplements, workout programs and diet plans. However, we have put together these simple and helpful tips so that you will see and feel the benefits in no time!
- In it for the long run!
A lot of people work out with only a short-term goal in mind, like a summer holiday or looking good for a specific event. Your health is with you for the rest of your life so think of maintaining it rather than just viewing fitness as a short-term intervention.
Instead of thinking you want to loose a stone in 4 weeks aim to maintain a healthy weight for your height: Check out the NHS healthy weight calculator: http://www.nhs.uk/tools/pages/healthyweightcalculator.aspx?WT.mc_id=101007
Change your goal from trying to bench press 100kg to becoming the person who never misses a workout, the person who is never put off running by the rain, and who always makes it out of bed if you have planned an early morning workout. Make exercise as much a priority as going to work.
‘ Exercise should be a habit not a chore’
Short-term goals should be used to keep you motivated and inspired, so make them achievable e.g. run a 10k in a specific time or take on a new adventure; you can find lots of ideas at http://www.lifechangingchallenges.co.uk
Do not ignore the short-term results; but if you commit to the long-term process, the results will come anyway. When you commit to being consistent over the long term, you end up seeing remarkable results in the short term.
- Set a schedule!
Results are about CONSITANCY & VARIETY. Most people never train consistently because they are always wondering when they are going to train next. Do you ask your self if you will be motivated to workout when you get home from work or if you will have enough free time to exercise today?
The problem is most people train when they feel motivated or inspired. Instead, stop treating exercise as something to do when it’s convenient, start setting a weekly schedule to follow.
We workout for an hour a day 5 days a week and we schedule it into our busy diaries as a priority along side work, social and other commitments.
Setting a schedule for your training becomes even more important when life gets crazy. There will always be occasional emergencies that prevent you from exercising BUT make it a crucial part of life. The problem is that most people miss one workout and before they know it, they haven’t been to the gym in four weeks.
When you have a schedule for your training, you have a way of pulling yourself back on track as quickly as possible. Let your schedule govern your actions, not your level of motivation.
- Great results = Great exercises.
So many people waste time in the gym because they bounce around without any real goal eg doing a little bit of this machine and a little bit of the treadmill. However, there is a simple rule that will always guide you toward the best exercises: the more an exercise makes you move, the bigger the benefits it will deliver, exercises that force your body to move the most (and the quickest) are often the best for calorie burn and muscle toning.
Include some of these all over body exercises in your weekly workouts: Squats, deadlifts, sprints, bench press, clean and jerk, push ups, pull ups, boxing, swimming, up hill power walking, wall climbing etc.
Try incorporating exercises into your daily routine, perform ten squats when waiting for the kettle to boil, park as far away as you can at the supermarket so you have to carry those heavy bags further, power walk to the bus stop.
- What You Should Do Now!
Here are your action steps to a healthier fitter you:
Set a weekly/ monthly schedule. When and where are you going to train?
Set regular achievable goals
Get a notebook or use your diary to record your training.
Focus on the best exercises that make you move a lot.
If you’re in the gym start with a weight that is very light and train for volume before intensity.
Slowly increase the weight/mileage or intensity each week.
Mix your up training, variety = results and offsets boredom.
If you only manage to make two changes focus on the WW: walk more and drink more water
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