Looking to start a new fitness regimen? Here’s some do not recommends if you want to increase your odds of success.
Don’t Do Something You Don’t Enjoy
Don’t do something you dread just because it works for someone else. One of the secrets to a fitness routine you stick with is to have a fitness regimen you actually enjoy! Why is that? Doing something you enjoy increases the likelihood of you being consistent. Consistency is what leads to adherence and, thereby, results! Especially when first starting out, if you are moving your body in a way you enjoy, you are more likely to stick with it! (It’s human nature to seek pleasure and avoid pain, after all!)
I was even reading in Arnold’s The Pump Daily newsletters this week that hundreds of studies have found that “consistency and compliance are the most important variables for building more strength and muscle”. Consistency and actually doing carrying out the act was shown to be the first most important consideration when it comes to exercise even over the type or frequency of workout. Once you have a consistent movement routine, then you can venture out and get fancy. It’s more important to start a healthy habit than to begrudgingly force yourself to workout. Health benefits can come from simply moving your body consistently every day. Start with forming a habit, then experiment.
What If You Absolutely Have No Form Of Movement You Enjoy?
Well, then there are ways to quickly and effectively get results. You can get results even if you hate the workout. However, if you don’t keep up with it, then any progress you make won’t stick around.
Tangentially, don’t limit yourself and don’t be afraid to learn something new. As a former swimmer, I was completely burnt out of swimming and thought I hated swimming for a hot minute after I retired from the sport. I knew swimming; I knew I could get results from swimming; I’m still proud of being a swimmer; but, in stepping out of my comfort zone and being willing to be a beginner again I discovered I loved kickboxing, weight training, and Pilates! Everyone has a day one and starts as a beginner. I built my foundation of discipline and habit of moving with swimming, but when I no longer enjoyed it I pursued other forms of movement that I love which allow me the variety and results I desire.
Believe me, discipline will only get you so far! Enjoyment is actually the edge that can help you get and maintain results.
Don’t Forget to Fuel Yourself Properly
Something wonderful that often happens when people get into a fitness routine is that they naturally want to eat healthier because it makes them feel better. It’s a win-win phenomena that doesn’t mean never eating “junk food” again, just naturally wanting less of it. I’ve experienced it myself. The older I became, the more I appreciated how well my body responded to proper fuel for my workouts and recovery.
Just make sure you’re eating enough and eating a variety! We need a variety of nutrients for a properly functioning, healthy body!
Another phenomenon that sometimes happens is that when people start working out they want to eliminate certain food groups, like carbs, to see faster results. While you might notice you’re burning off excess weight, this (like discipline) only gets you so far because our body needs carbs to create energy for us to effectively exercise!
The first energy source our body uses when we start exercising is carbs. When it runs out of carbs then it will use fat as fuel. When the body isn’t being properly fueled then it will start catabolizing muscle for fuel which is the opposite of what we want. In other words, carbs are our body’s primary desired energy source. We can tap into burning fat in other ways than just depriving our body of carbs.
Lastly, while calories in, calories out is how we can lose or gain our weight, we still need to make sure we’re eating enough and replenishing for our body to function. There’s a variety of vitamins and minerals that our body cannot produce on its own and that it requires to perform basic bodily functions. Because our body cannot produce these on its own, we need to ensure we’re consuming sufficient amounts via our diet so our body can function.
The weight will come off gradually, but knowing how to properly refuel yourself can actually accelerate your results. Otherwise you could be causing your body to break down the muscle you’ve been working so hard to earn as an energy source instead of glycogen.
Don’t Forget to Rest & Recover
I know so many people that when they start a fitness routine, especially when they start seeing results, they get addicted. They love the endorphins! They want to keep seeing results! This is wonderful! I genuinely love that for them. (Plus, it’s better than the alternative of not incorporating fitness into their lives at all.)
The problem is that our body requires rest in order to recover and rebuild! Neglecting your rest and recovery can lead to the opposite of what we want like injury, inflammation, or slower results. The worst is when you overtrain and then need to be immobile to recover.
So, while I applaud people who want to workout everyday once they hit their stride, I’d highly recommend that there are at least active recovery days thrown in a couple times a week if you’re uncomfortable with completely resting. On that note, though, you should still be making sure you maximize your sleep! Sleep does absolute wonders for repairing your body. In fact, most of your progress is built during sleep!
Remember that our body will adapt to stimulus and create new set points. If we’re working out every day our body hopefully gets used to that stimulus and creates a new set point. A break actually allows our body to catch up with the adaptations and then allows us to push ourselves farther, faster, stronger, etc. the next time we train. Thereby increasing your results.
Constant movement is great. However, just like with fueling our body properly, we need to rest and recover so our body can properly adapt to the stimulus and raise its performance.
Active Recovery Ideas
Active recovery can look different for everyone. For some it’s a walks, for others it’s restorative yoga or Pilates, for others it’s a cardio circuit.
But wait…what if you you’re doing Pilates as your primary method of working out? Or your daily workout is walking?
When you’re selecting an active recovery activity make sure it’s a little different than what your normal workout routine is to give your muscles and body a break from repeating the same form of exercise over and over. Repeating the same movement over and over can lead to wear and tear so to avoid wearing down your body too much, variety is the antidote.
One More for the Road: Don’t Compare
Easier said than done, but there’s endless ways to be fit and healthy. While you’re finding what work is for you, make sure you’re keeping the staples fundamental parts of your routine. Essentially, don’t forget to take care of yourself and have fun. Not doing so can set you back more than propel you forward.