For many, starting a fitness regimen can seem foreign and overwhelming to say the least. Not everyone can just leave their jobs and family and go on a reality show like "The Biggest Loser" and have someone hold them accountable, teach them how to eat, show them how to work out, and be surrounded by 24hr encouragement. I'll have to admit. I dont watch that show, but I have seen some clips where I was
impressed by the way the trainers educated on snacking and finding quick alternatives to poor eating choices. They understand the psychology of the people who do not have the skill set to get themselves fit on their own. There is no way I can deny my sister's impact on my fitness lifestyle.
She used to wake me up early in the morning and we would go to the gym together. I like waking up in the morning but there was a time where I was so slow at waking up (and still am at times super slow), but once I got the routine down I was up and at 'em to the gym with my sister every day during the work week and even on Saturdays when she would go to step class. If you do something like that for a year it teaches you that it is attainable and you will see the results. During that time we had a goal; The Body for Life contest. We entered the contest because we felt by entering a contest and investing in supplements we would not quit due to the investment of money. At the time we were both living with our parents and didn't have much disposable income. We finished the course and I have photos somewhere of us holding up the newspaper in our little shorts and sports bra somewhere, but thats not the point. We set a goal. We had a road map. We followed it and made it to our destination.
On your fitness journey, you need to set a goal; a destination. Where do you want to arrive? How soon do you need to get there? This journey cannot afford many detours to the fast food drive in. You can't keep stopping at your favorite ice cream shop and arrive to your destination on time. It will always prolong your goals if you deviate from your plan. Lets talk about types of goals we all need to set.
We all do this anyway. Now we are going to do it with intent, vision, and rigor.
1. Daily goals. Set goals that are attainable.
I am going to drink 4, eight ounce glasses of water by lunchtime. (this means I'll probably go to the restroom 2x by then). Think about your work environment. Do they have bottled water near your workspace? That gets you out of your seat 4 times and moving.... that requires energy spent, energy spent requires calories burned. That is not going to get you into shape though its a start.
Walk for 30 minutes. Great, that is an attainable goal. Raining? Go to an indoor mall and walk around each level. See how long that takes you. When I first began working out again after a long break I set a 15 minute goal in the pool. 15 minutes without a break. I thought that was attainable. I did it. When I was done, I still had energy and kept swimming laps, only I allowed myself to rest whenever I wanted after my goal was attained. Sometimes, if I'm really busy, my goal is to make it to the gym. Once I'm there it doesn't matter what I do. I made it and that is really hard to do more often than not in our busy world.
2. Weekly Goals
Work out 5x this week.
What does that look like? For beginners, it looks like 30 minute walks around a track 5 times. What if you you miss a session? That is when we re-evaluate our goal. Was it really attainable? What transpired? Did you get sick? or just sick of walking? Just kidding, but we need to stop and think about our goals and reset them back to either the same or adjust. I actually work out 6x, but my 6th workout is always something fun and sports oriented or maybe just to sit in the jacuzzi or sauna at the gym.
My average week contains a mixed variation of resistance training, cardio, and yoga. When Soccer season starts up I'll go work out with the team and practice. Thats about 2 hours of cardio right there! Here in Los Angeles we have Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon to take the dogs and that counts as a workout for me. So you see, if you look for alternative ways at an active lifestyle it might knock down a barrier toward your goal. Its not all iron and treadmills.
3. Monthly Goals
Lose a dress or pant size.
Lose or Gain ___ pounds of fat/muscle. I know that is funny one but some people are trying to gain weight when others are desperately wanting to lose it. But this blog will try to help speak to fitness as a lifestyle, not a get thin quick exercise.
If you can make it through one month of attaining your goals you are well on your way to living the fitness lifestyle.
In the next post we are going to begin tying fitness to my other passion; Fashion! I look forward to sharing my thoughts about eating disorders and we will do a comparison of healthy and unhealthy models.
But for now, write down at least one goal. Put it on your bathroom mirror, or your driver's wheel.
Keep it in front of you as often as possible. Visualize your self and how you feel after you have accomplished your goal.
Posts
and all of them did
program. My sister and I actually entered the original contest from EAS supplements before he sold the company. But I liked the way Shawn wrote about being a personal trainer in 
you can buy this book for about a buck now! He mentioned his morning routine and supplements and I adopted his philosophy. I took 
for those 3 months. It really worked for me! I went from 215-220 down to 175-180 in about 3 months of being on his schedule and supplementation regimen. I felt great, my abs were starting to pop and I was so excited running along the river in Tulsa, logging close to 30-40 miles every week. 
I would recommend going to an actual store and getting fit by a specialist
