I get it. Getting started is actually the hardest part! Making yourself start a new, healthy routine can be daunting. But my best advice is start somewhere. If you’ve never run a mile, don’t go out there and try to run 5 miles. If you have never lifted weights, don’t try to show off and lift super heavy too early. You could wind up hurting yourself!
Start with taking a walk, 15-30 minutes a day. If you want to start running- set a small goal. Run .25 miles without stopping. When you hit that, go .50 without stopping. Build up to it. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re making an effort and that deserves recognition!
It will not always be easy. Especially waking up early to go to the gym. I know from experience. I get up every morning, Monday through Friday at 3am to hit the gym for an hour to an hour and a half. It’s become such a routine, but there are still days I wake up and struggle! Remember your goals. Remember your WHY!
Whether your goal is to run a 5K, 10K, half... or it’s to lose weight, or just feel better, you can do it! Set goals, with deadlines. REALISTIC deadlines. I say this because we throw something out there like-- I want to lose some weight. Well, how much? By what date? Knowing what your goals are and setting a deadline can be crucial to your success!
I want to give you a little of my background:
I grew up dancing (ballet, tap, jazz, etc.) so I was in good shape, and my metabolism was really high. I ate pretty much what I wanted and stayed thin. In fact, I'd always been the skinny girl. That is, until a few years ago when I started adding a few pounds here and there and really didn’t watch what I ate. Now I know some people would have still considered me "skinny", we all have different ideas of where we feel best. And don't think for a minute that your beauty/success is dependent on a number on a scale! It's not. I just knew that I'd put on some pounds and didn't feel great about myself. So I decided to make some changes. I was walking my dogs every day, and doing some workouts here and there, but not consistently. One of the biggest things I think that helped me was PORTION CONTROL. I stopped getting massive portions, or seconds. I ate slower and told myself-- you're not hungry, you're (bored, mad, sad, etc.). This changed a lot for me and then me and my fiance decided to start working out together. We committed to 5 days a week back in August or September I believe. But from October to today, we've pretty much never missed a workout.
That's where my next advice comes in. Accountability! If you can find someone-- your spouse, partner, friend, that will commit to doing this with you... it helps SO much. There are days he's not motivated, and I help him, and the same for him helping me on my hard days. It truly helps to have someone depending on you!
Now, while I have pretty much lost the weight I wanted to, my goal all along has been to tone up. Because while I may be "thin"-- that doesn't mean healthy or in shape.
My ultimate goal is muscle tone. I don't want those skinny, scrawny arms. I want definition.
Fitness goals are:
-Nice, toned arms!
-Run another half marathon (I'm only half crazy.... and it'll have to be a while from now)
-Ripped up abs (because who doesn't want that... haha)
-Do pull-ups-- unassisted (again... I have accomplished this before-- years ago!)
Here's a photo from January. I am SO proud of how far I've come, but still have some work to do!
My plan is to share a little bit of my fitness journey (and struggles) with you each Friday. I hope this motivates and inspires you. I'd love your feedback, questions and comments. Let's make this a place we can work toward goals together-- through the good and the bad! We are worth it, and we CAN do it!