Have you been too busy to get into a gym routine? Now with the holidays in full-swing, we are all so busy that it’s so easy to avoid going to the gym. In addition, we all know that the number one most common New Year's resolution is to get in shape. With this in mind, I thought it would be helpful to provide you some encouragement on how to beat the trend and start your gym routine early, with four simple steps.
Tips From an Average Girl:
1. Sign up with a personal trainer to get used to the gym and hold you accountable to get into a routine
2. Attend group fitness classes (BodyPump, Total Body Conditioning, Barre - to name a few) and use fitness apps (Coutch to 5K and Running for Weightloss – great running apps) to figure out a variety ways to figure out what you enjoy to do so you’re more inclined to keep going!
4. Be prepared! Have you gym clothes laid out, have you gym bag packed and ready to go as soon as you get home from work, and keep a yoga mat in your car.
5. Bonus tip: Invest in some cute workout clothes to give yourself a little more of a confidence boost!
Tips From a Fitness Expert:
I thought this post would be more encouraging if I included some information from an expert in the field of fitness...so I decided to reach out to my very close friend, Scott Schratwieser. Scott Schratwieser is the Owner and Founder of Performance Edge Athletics, a Body Transformation, Sports Performance and Conditioning Company, a Personal Trainer, EFTI Master Instructor and Group Fitness Instructor for Equinox. As a former athlete, Scott uses his drive and passion to help implement strategic healthy change with his clients. Having worked with the likes of professional athletes to CEOs of billion dollar companies, Scott knows what it takes to get motivated and stay disciplined to a workout routine.
1. Believe in Yourself
2. Figure out “Your Why”
3. Accountability
4. Have a Plan
Continue reading below for more information on how to implement these four tips into your gym routine!
1. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
Throughout our conversation, Scott highlighted that the most important part of starting a workout routine, or really any new task, is to believe in yourself. A lot of people don't start things because they don't think that they realistically can. In about a month or so January 1st will be here and all of the advertising and marketing schemes will be out to encourage you to get into shape and turn your new year's resolutions into a reality. With all the hype, you start to think you can do this, but then you realize it's hard work {a lot of hard work!} and you end up falling out of your routine and giving up. Scott reminds us to have the confidence to keep going and that all starts with believing in yourself.
2. FIGURE OUT "YOUR WHY"
Scott told me about what happens when he first meets a client - he starts off by asking them "why are you here?". He says more times than not, it's usually the same answer..."to lose weight". But he always knows there's more to it than that - there is an underlying reason that we usually don't like to admit out loud. Maybe it's because you want to feel more comfortable in a certain type of outfit, maybe you want to look better in a bathing suit, or it could be an order from your doctor that you need to lose some weight. Whatever the underlying reason is, it's important to verbalize it to not only yourself, but also to someone you can trust, which brings us to the next tip!
3. ACCOUNTABILITY
You need to hold yourself accountable! Scott recommends entrusting in either one person {maybe a close friend} or a group of people to help support you through your fitness journey. For me, personally, I enjoy taking classes with a friend more than just going by myself, and I am more inclined to attend them if I know she is counting on me being there! Scott highlighted that there are so many ways to hold yourself accountable, including online communities that provide a platform for members to encourage and support one another. He hosts his own FREE Facebook Group that offers a safe place for members to ask questions, get inspired, and motivate one another to keep going.
4. HAVE A PLAN
Whether it's to start a workout plan, drink more water, diet, or lose weight, it's important to have a plan and then START IT! Scott reminded me that timing is NEVER perfect and nothing is more true than that statement. As I mentioned above, it's so easy to make excuses {think about everything you need to do before the holidays ;)}, but Scott was persistent that you have to take that first step, that leap of faith, and actually start. Scott shared with me that one's chances of achieving a goal significantly improves when the individual focuses on changing one aspect of their life versus changing multiple aspects at once. So make sure you're thinking about that underlying reason, "your why", and figure out what the number one thing is that you want to achieve and then go from there. He encourages people to not worry so much about falling off the horse, but to continue to add to the foundation when you can. He gave me the perfect example of why this is so important:
Let's say it's Friday night, you've had a long week at work, and you're just too tired to cook the healthy dinner you had planned...so you order a pizza. Then, the next morning you wake up and think since you already ruined your progress last night by eating pizza, you might as well give up on your entire routine this weekend and you end up eating a half-dozen donuts for breakfast! Scott reminds us that it's OK to have that pizza on Friday night, but that shouldn't dictate your progress tomorrow - keep going and don't get discouraged; don't let one set-back throw off your entire plan. This resonated for me personally, in the fact that I'm guilty of trying to plan out my weekly workout routine, but then if I miss one day I automatically want to give up on the rest of the week, and I tell myself I'll just re-start next week. Hearing Scott's advice, reminds me that I shouldn't be so hard on myself, and that I can't let one night off turn into the entire week off...timing is not perfect and plans are not set-in-stone, you need to be willing to adjust!
What I love about Scott and his overall message is that he keeps NO secrets to himself - he is always willing to share the wealth of information he has on this topic with whoever wants to knows. Anything he learns or finds out, he posts and shares with his followers so that he can help them accomplish their goals. Scott's motto is #madefromeffort, and if you are interested in making a change and willing to put in the effort, he is there to help guide and support you through your journey. Visit his Facebook page and other social media accounts to learn more!
Facebook: Scott's Personal Facebook Page
Facebook Group: Performance Edge Athletics
Instagram: scott_schrat
Email: scott@performanceedgeathletics.com
Scott also has openings in his most affordable transformation group ever - find out more here: https://gum.co/performanceedge
I hope you’ve found this post helpful and that you’ve found some motivation for getting into shape before the rush of the new year!
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