Personal trainers provide us with a wealth of knowledge surrounding exercise and all it entails. But if you don’t have the means to employ your own, there’s no need to worry… Today we share some of the best insider tips and tricks of the trade that every person with a fitness goal needs to know!
A strong vision of what you want to achieve fitness-wise can be one of the most effective driving forces behind your success. Stick an inspirational image on the fridge, imagine the ultimate version of yourself before you fall asleep at night or envisage fitting into those old tight jeans to spur you on as you battle through a tough round of exercise.
Restrictive diets will leave you hungry, fatigued and more likely to binge eat. Fill your diet with a rainbow of whole foods and fresh produce, eating more fruits and vegetables than you ever have before! And don’t feel you have to stick to three large meals a day—consistent snacking will keep your metabolism firing and belly full, vital for energy during exercise.
Don’t hit a new exercise routine with all guns blazing—it’s been proven that going too hard, too fast will lead to burn out. Instead, create a new set of lifestyle habits by gently easing in… Introduce some healthier food one week, a walk every second day the next week, then weekly bootcamps in the third. Building up bit by bit is key to sticking at it.
Eating well and fitting in an exercise routine will likely fail if you don’t prepare adequately. For example, grocery shopping and meal prepping at the beginning of the week is a great way to stay on track food-wise, as is ensuring you work out in the morning if you have any night time commitments coming up.
See each and every meal as an opportunity to fuel your body with vital nutrients, rather than simply a craving fix or hunger buster. Once you change your way of thinking about food, healthier meals, and ultimately exercise achievements, will follow.
Yes, cardio is a great form of exercise! But should it be all you do? No! To ensure you are building your strength, relieving joints of cardio-induced tension and performing a balanced, all-over workout, then strength/weights training is also a necessity.
No matter how many laps of the park you run, you can’t undo days worth of unhealthy eating. Not only can unhealthy foods contain worryingly high amounts of sugar, fat, artificial additives and salt (all contributing to a range of nasty health concerns) but they are more difficult to digest and lack nutritional value, placing a whole lot of strain on our insides which exercise cannot reverse.
Weight loss should not be the sole driving force behind your fitness journey—it’s far easier to fall off the bandwagon when you can internally argue your way around a single benefit to do with appearance. There are so many reasons to continue exercising, including better mental health, increased energy, fewer physical ailments and reduced risk of a host of diseases. So remind yourself of all these benefits if you’re looking to skip exercise.
Have you applied any personal training tips to your fitness journey? Let us know which ones worked for you.