Your First Steps To A Healthy Lifestyle

Photo by Evan Krause on Unsplash

When you start trying to work out, it can be a little overwhelming. You know you want to start a path to a healthier lifestyle, but there are so many people giving you conflicting advice. One person tells you to lift weights, another says lifting weights will make to bulky; do cardio. Then another person says too much cardio is bad for you and it needs to be a mixture, while one more person says exercise doesn’t matter at all you just need to watch what you eat. You’re more confused now than when you first started, and don’t know if this fitness thing is for you. If this is you, it’s ok, because in this article we will go over how to set up the best fitness plan for your well being.

Know Yourself

This might seem like a generic advice, but it is probably one of the most important steps in creating a successful fitness plan. Whether trying to lose weight or gain muscle, a common mistake that a lot of people make is hopping onto a plan that they will not be able to stick with because they see it work for someone else. Well, that’s great if it worked for someone else, but you have to set goals and choose a plan that will work for you. If you haven’t lifted a weight in your entire life, don’t just jump into an elite athletes training regimen. Likewise, if you’ve been eating well over 3000 calories for five years straight, don’t just jump on a 1500 calorie a day diet.

Separate The Real From The Fake

Now that you’ve taken some time to be introspective have decided what level of fitness you are at, and what your goals are, its time to actually choose a workout regimen. You don’t want to go to the gym blind, so you look online for some workout routines and dieting tips. You were smart to do this, but now you have to separate good well-sourced information, from gimmicks and fad diets. Almost every workout plan or diet will have some good looking person telling you why that’s the best plan. But, this isn’t always true. A good rule of thumb is if it sounds too good to be true it is. Anyone that says you can get fit while sitting on the couch at home while eating whatever you want is lying to you. You should also keep in mind that a good plan will have science backing it up and be well researched.

Keep With It

After you have chosen a plan, and have started your path to a healthier lifestyle, you have to stick with it. You might not see the progress you want at the beginning, but if you stick with it, I promise you will reach your goals. Try to make friends that go to the gym as they will help keep you motivated to work out. Working out also starts to become a social event rather than just work (it’s always harder to skip a workout when it means bailing on your friends). Remember, even if you don’t have enough time for a full workout, doing something is better than doing nothing. Also, if you feel your workout is getting too monotonous, change it up a bit. Lastly don’t feel bad if you miss a day or 2 as long as you keep going.