January 1st. King of new goals, new routines, new mindsets. If fitness falls on your New Year's radar, check out these 6 tips to help stay on track!
1. Do!! - whatever movement you can muster IN THIS MOMENT is good enough - just do it, get moving. 10 minutes a day is better than zero minutes a day, 30 minutes is better than 10, so on and so forth!
2. Motion is key, but keep quality the focus - movement is great, but poor movement is a disservice and can lead to injury. Taking things back to the basics, not rushing, and keeping focus on quality movement will lead to longevity in whatever activity/goal you are trying to achieve!
3. "Bro" it up - protein is key with activity - we need to rebuild and repair the "damage" activities cause to our muscles. Protein are the building blocks for muscle, which burns additional calories to maintain AND positively effects our body composition! If you find eating larger amounts of protein is daunting, slowly increase the amount each week! Find ways to supplement through drinks as well. Sure, solid protein sources are ideal, but to hit your daily goal, a quality protein powder can be a life-saver!
4. Learn to distinguish between pain and soreness - with starting any new fitness routine, activity or physical goal, soreness may happen - you WILL and SHOULD feel discomfort (fatigue, burning, muscle tenderness) but that is NORMAL! You are pushing your mind and body to new limits! (safely I hope!) Progressive overload is a great thing! This is how we excel and grow! BUT there is a huge difference between feeling a good quad burn after a ton of squats and a stabbing or aching PAIN in your knee. Pain is NOT normal, it's your body's way of saying "red flag!!" So listen!
5. When in doubt, walk it out!! - walking is the simplest, most fundamental way to get blood flowing, joints lubricated, apply a low-level stimulus AND it can be done pretty much anywhere!! No gym or car ride required! If you want to check out a new park or beach, take a ride! Or, pop in some headphones, put on a good podcast, and explore your neighborhood!! Best part?? IT'S FREE!!!
6. Honor where you are at TODAY - Sure, we all have that ideal fitness level in mind, or a specific aesthetic look we want to achieve, and that is great! Having a goal and a realistic game plan keeps us motivated! BUT, that isn't going to happen over night, and you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. Honor where you are in the moment, not where you were last year or 10 years ago, and use your goals as motivation to get to where you want to go!
Good luck on your new fitness journey! Train hard, be kind to yourself, and have fun!
If you are not sure where to begin, or would like help along the way, do not hesitate to reach out.
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