Getting Started With Getting Fit

I realize I talk a lot about fitness, eating well, fat loss and mindset, but it wasn’t until someone asked me how to get started being “a fitness person”, that I realize, I’ve never shown you the proverbial front door into a fit life. Not that there is one specific formula, but there has to be a catalyst. Something that gets the ball rolling. Here are my thoughts on that journey...

The Door Only Appears When You’re Ready to Walk Through it.

At the risk of sounding esoteric, the reality of any life change is that it won’t happen until you’re ready for it to happen. Until the point where you’re no longer “okay” with the status quo. When you’re ready to make a change, the door will appear (maybe this article is the door you’ve been looking for!).

Look For Something That You Won’t Hate.

This may seem like obvious advice, but if you hate swimming and yet you suddenly declare that you’re going to swim your way to fitness, then guess what. You will fail. Instead, factor things like:

• Time
• Physical ability
• Accessibility
• Comfort Level/General interest in
• Solo or group
• Level of complexity/equipment needed/investment required.

Very often the best start into fitness is with brisk walking. It’s easy, doable, most people don’t hate it and you don’t need any equipment to get started. You can also control if it’s a solo activity (just you and your headphones) or a social date (you and your BFF). My own journey started with a brisk walk, graduated to jogging, then running, then triathlon (many years later) and then weight lifting and fitness competitions after that. In that time, I also dabbled in yoga, crossfit, Beachbody workouts, power walking, pilates and barre workouts. I still dabble. You have to do that to keep things interesting.

It doesn’t have to get harder.

Just because my journey grew from a walk to a triathlon, doesn’t mean yours has to. You don’t have to go from running around the block to running a marathon. I feel like some folks get overwhelmed with where they have to go once they start, but really, the only goal is to keep moving. Nothing else. You don’t have to run marathons to be fit.

Fitness is more about food than exercise.

I think this is something that is so important to drive home. If you want to be fit, it’s 75% about what you put in your mouth. That remaining 25% is exercise (and sleep). All three elements are critical to building a healthy, strong, lean, beautiful body, but the food is by far the most important factor. So even if you NEVER GRADUATE PAST WALKING you can still have a super fit body, as long as you’re willing to eat like a fit person.

It takes a lifetime.

I often host fitness challenge groups for women online. They’re small, fun and very accessible because they’re both affordable and doable for people just getting into fitness. These groups last about a month at a time, and while women do generally lose 7 to 10 pounds in that time, please make no mistake – getting fit is not a month-long experience. Weight loss takes time. Once you have it, you have to work to keep the pounds off. More importantly, fitness is something that will dwindle and wain if you don’t make it a habit (hence the name – The Fit Habit). It has to be as much a part of your life as brushing your teeth or showering is. That may seem overwhelming to someone who hasn’t started their journey yet, but trust me – you will come to crave a workout. Yes, even you.

Related: What is a Beachbody Challenge Pack and is it worth it?

Good luck with your journey and if you want help, reach out. I can help.