5 Easy tips and tricks
If you’re trying to be more active and fit this year as part of your new years resolution or if you’re realizing that working from home and gyms closing as a part of lockdown has left you unmotivated and lost, here are some tips for you.
I am of course not a trained professional in personal fitness, however I have been exercising pretty regularly for maybe 8 years now. If you’re trying to lose weight, you really need to watch what you eat and figure out what type of “diet” or food choices are sustainable for your lifestyle.
This post is basically a beginners guide to keeping a regular workout regimen at zero cost to you. I am a big proponent of a balanced lifestyle. I think that with regular sleep, diet and exercise you can really solve a lot of problems you may be having (you can minimize work stress and increase productivity). Here are my best tips some of which I continue to do and some of which I did when I first started working out years ago that really helped.
1. Wear your workout clothes to bed
If you find yourself unmotivated in the morning one trick is to wear your workout clothes to be bed. That way, when you wake up you’re forced to do your workout (you’re already dressed for it after all). This goes without saying, make sure your clothes are of course CLEAN before you put them on before bed.
2. Keep a calendar/log
An easy way to track your habit is to keep a log of the days you workout. I think the best way to do this is to have a month calendar and to mark off each day you work out. If you’re trying to make this a habit, try to aim for not having two back to back rest days. If you use this simple goal you will find yourself easily able to work out 4-5 times a week.
3. Remember any activity is better than no activity
If you have a fitness tracker this is a great way to keep track of your activity throughout the day. The best practice is to spread your activity out throughout the day rather than doing a big workout in the morning and then sitting at work until you go to bed. Think of little things you can do to get some more activity in your day. For example, you can walk somewhere instead of driving, you can take a lunchtime walk to clear you mind and increase your activity after a meal. You can also opt for taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If you are able to, perhaps get two short 10-20 min workouts in a day instead of one long one.
4. Make use of the free resources out there
There are tons of free resources on Youtube and Instagram. I would encourage you to make use of these two platforms for workouts before paying for a program. Many ladies on Youtube also have their own programs that they provide for FREE. If you want to know what my favourite accounts are, check out my fitmas highlight on Instagram where I highlight 12 of my favourite fitness products/Youtube and Instagram accounts.
4. Know your fitness level and listen to your body
Make sure you are modifying workouts that you follow online to suit your fitness level (no one expects you to be able to keep up with the instructor on your first try). In addition, if you are just working out free-style and doing videos and workouts you find here are there (with no structured schedule), I would encourage you to try new workouts you maybe haven’t tried before. There are so many different workout categories out there that you may have never known existed: standing workouts, barre workouts, beginner workouts (with clear instructionals), military style workouts, no repeat workouts and many many more. I encourage you to try everything and figure out what works best for you!
Make sure you listen to your body. If your legs are sore, look for a lighter impact upper body workout for example. Try not to do two similar workouts back to back as this can really cause some strain (for example two HIIT workouts) especially when you are starting out.
Let me know how your fitness journey is going (if you’re on one) and what tips you’ve tried!
