1. EATING LESS ISN’T MORE
While restrictive dieting is frowned upon in contemporary fitness culture, it definitely still exists. I know this because I’ve been there. I’ve been the ‘restrictive eater’ and have suffered the consequences (uncontrollable bingeing, constant cravings, food obsessiveness).
At the end of the day, caloric deficits have their place and definitely shouldn’t be dismissed, but there are a time and a place where a deficit should be implemented. There is also a guideline as to how severe this deficit should be.
Quite often, unknowingly, girls are placing themselves in deficits that are so much more extreme than what they need to be to get the results that they’re searching for. In some cases, these extreme deficits can even be doing more harm than good!
Be wary of your food intake girls, just like too much food can cause damage, so can too little.
2. ONE TRAINING METHOD DOESN’T SUIT EVERYONE
It’s okay to ask for advice and it’s okay to learn from what others promote, but don’t get stuck in the mindset that only one training method is suitable to get you the results and physical changes you so desire.
Different physiques respond differently to different training methods. Be open to trialing different methods until you find what works for you, your physique, and your goals!
3. LIFTING WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE PHYSIQUE CHANGES YOU HOPED CARDIO WOULD … BUT DIDN’T
At the beginning of my health and fitness journey, I spent years doing cardio. I was your typical cardio bunny – cardio was life! Every day I would hit the gym for my hour of cardio. As I was stepping away on the Stairmaster, I would picture my dream physique and increase the resistance to work harder and harder. It’s safe to say at that time I made very little physical changes to my physique.
Again, I’m not saying cardio doesn’t have a place in helping you reach your goals, but so does weight lifting. It wasn’t until I started hitting the weight room in the gym that I started to see true changes in my physique and shape!
4. TAKING THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND MACROS IS WORTH IT BECAUSE FLEXIBLE DIETING IS LIFE CHANGING
Understanding and tracking macros can be a daunting experience. You don’t want to get it wrong and spend a week over or under eating – I get it! But taking the time to understand how to track macros and implement flexible dieting is going to make such a difference to your everyday eating habits. It allows so much more flexibility and balance whilst still hitting your macros and calories to reach your goals.
If you’re someone who still hasn’t had the courage to move from a meal guide, I strongly recommend you give tracking macros a go – even if it’s only one day a week. I can promise you it won’t take long to get the hang of it and once you do you’ll have so much more flexibility!
5. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE EATS ‘THIS MUCH’ OR ‘THIS LITTLE’ DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO, OR SHOULD
We’ve all been there – “Sally eats 4000 calories a day and looks incredible so that’s what I should eat” or “Suzi only eats 800 calories a day and looks phenomenal so that’s what I should eat”.
Just because someone eats a certain way, it does not mean you should. Every individual is so, so different and has such a different story to their dieting history. Comparing yourself to someone who isn’t you; and trying to replicate what they do, is going to cause you so much grief. Find what works for you and stick to it. 6. WEIGHING IS WORTH THE EFFORT
‘Guestimating’ food is a difficult concept. Don’t get me wrong – there will be occasions where you may be out and need to ‘guestimate’ portion sizes and that’s okay. But where you can – take the time to weigh your food!
Weighing your food alleviates any room for error. Whilst we all ‘think’ we’re confident in eyeballing food quantities, most of the time if you were to actually weigh the same amount of food our ‘guestimation’ would be so off!
Leave as little room for error as possible – weigh your food girls!
7. TAKING PHOTOS IS WORTH IT
Starting a fitness journey can be hard, and taking photos at a time where we aren’t feeling great about ourselves can be even harder. But I promise you girls, you will regret not taking photos.
Take photos! Track your journey! Allow yourself the opportunity to look back on how far you’ve come. Allow yourself the opportunity to stay accountable.
You may not feel like taking them now, but you will regret it in the future if you don’t!
8. FOOD WILL ALWAYS BE THERE
This notion was life-changing for me. For so long I lived by the idea that I needed to eat ALL the food on my plate. If I was having a cheat meal I needed to go ALL OUT. If I slipped up in my diet I didn’t just have the one piece of chocolate I’d finish the WHOLE family size block.
Then one day out of nowhere someone said to me “you know food will always be there, hey”. OH MY GOD – just like that the realisation came to me that yes – food will literally always be there. The obsessive behaviour was so unnecessary.
As soon as I came to this realisation, my whole relationship with food changed. I still enjoyed treats, I still enjoyed meals where I didn’t follow macros or a meal guide. But I didn’t feel the need to go hell-for-leather with my food consumption. I enjoyed what I was eating until I was full; and then I stopped. I didn’t over eat, I didn’t finish off enough food to feed 12 grown men. I didn’t over obsess.
This notion really has made such a difference to how I view food and is really something I think everyone should try to tell themselves, especially if you’re someone who finds that they are constantly obsessing and thinking about food!
9. IT’S ABOUT THE JOURNEY NOT THE END DESTINATION
For so long, all I would think about was the end – getting to my ‘perfect physique’. But the truth is, a health and fitness journey doesn’t really have an end point. It’s a journey that always has the ability to keep going.
For me, I love the lifestyle I live. I am always wanting to improve my eating habits, physique and knowledge around health and fitness. Whilst I love how far I’ve come I also LOVE that I have room to keep improving.
There is no end point for me, I love the idea of constantly being able to improve my health and fitness lifestyle for the better.
10. YOU SHINE MOST WHEN YOU ARE WHOLEHEARTEDLY YOURSELF – YOU WILL ALWAYS FAIL AT TRYING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE
I feel as though this really does speak for itself. It’s so easy to get caught up in other people’s lives and the way other people look or what other people do. But at the end of the day, you really do shine most when you are wholeheartedly yourself. Embrace who you are and embrace what you have to offer this world.
Quite simply, be positive! You wont get through Monday in a great mood if you’re constantly telling yourself it’s going to be a bad day. Instead of wishing you had a longer weekend or not wanting to deal with another week, think about all of the great things you could achieve this week. Let’s face it, Mondays aren’t going anywhere any time soon! So we may as well embrace the opportunity to have a new week, a fresh start. Focus on something about the week that excites you!
Organisation is key. One of the easiest and most effective ways to be motivated for a new week is to know exactly where you’re going, what you’re going to achieve and how you’re going to get there. Put 30 minutes away for yourself on a Sunday afternoon where you can schedule the important things. Decide when you’ll do your exercise, put your workouts in your diary, make sure you’re ready for any appointments and know what’s ahead.
Hands down, the easiest way to eat well and feel great is to prepare your meals in advance. Fuelling your body throughout the week with good nutritious foods will keep your energy high and have you feeling great. Do your healthy grocery shop over the weekend and dedicate an hour or less to prepare at least your lunches before Monday. Then each day of the week you can just grab & go! If you know you struggle a lot with meal prep, why not look at a fresh meal delivery service!
Mess is frustrating, right? An un-tidy or cluttered house can sometimes leave your mind cluttered as well. Try to start Monday with a clean home and work space. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle the week. Plus, no one likes to come home to a list of chores after work each day do they?
You could also try diffusing some essential oils throughout your space for a calming scent and to awaken the mind!
Make sure you relax for at least a short time on Sunday. You do need your down time! Sunday is usually a day to reset, recover and restore or simply a day to do the things you love! Read a book, lay on the beach, watch a movie. Whatever it might be, even if you can only spare 30 minutes, spend it in your own relaxing way.
Give yourself a bed time for Sunday evening and try not to scroll through Instagram for 20 minutes before you actually sleep! Try to get at least 7-8 hours sleep every night, but especially right before a new week. You want to wake on Monday feeling fresh and energised, not tired because you stayed up all night watching reality TV! Also try having a 5 or 10 minute full body stretch before you sleep to help relieve tension.
Setting the standard for the week is a great way to make sure the rest of your week goes well. Try not to miss a Monday workout. And when I say ‘workout’, this can be different for everyone! Regardless of how much time you have, fit something in just for your body! It could be anything from a 10 minute power walk before work, a 20 minute HIIT session on your lunch break or an hour of yoga before dinner. Just move your body (especially if you sit at a desk all day!).
There’s nothing worse than starting the day super rushed!! You feel flustered, pushed, did I leave something at home!? Getting up just 10 or 15 minutes earlier than you need to will help you start the day on the right foot, calm & organised. Try not to hit snooze 3 times! Take your time getting ready for the day.
Even if you think meditation isn’t for you! Just 5 or 10 minutes of quiet time can make you feel so great! Meditation can help quiet your mind, reduce stress & anxiety as well as help to sharpen concentration. The easiest and most basic way to meditate is to simply be present. Sit or lay in a quiet comfortable space. Close your eyes and tune into your surroundings. What do you hear? What do you feel? Does your body feel tight or strained? Then, focus on your breath. Take long deep breaths and feel the air moving from your lungs. You will naturally shift your thoughts to random things, what you have on and what you’re worried about, but bring your focus back to your breath. Try this for just a few minutes and see how you go!
Don’t throw the rest of the week out of the window! Bad days happen, things get in the way and life doesn’t always go to plan. The important thing is that you do your best to stay focused, remain positive and begin fresh again tomorrow.
Chase Squires is the first to admit that he’s no fitness expert. But he is a guy who used to weigh 205 pounds, more than was healthy for his 5’4″ frame. “In my vacation pictures in 2002, I looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at the beach,” says the 42-year-old Colorado resident. Squires decided enough was enough, cut out fatty food, and started walking on a treadmill. The pounds came off and soon he was running marathons — not fast, but in the race. He ran his first 50-mile race in October 2003 and completed his first 100-miler a year later. Since then, he’s completed several 100-mile, 50-mile, and 50k races.
His secret? “I’m not fast, but I’m consistent,” says Squires, who says consistency is his best tip for maintaining a successful fitness.
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently surveyed 1,000 ACE-certified personal trainers about the best techniques to get fit. Their top three suggestions:
“Don’t strive for perfection or an improbable goal that can’t be met,” says Kara Thompson, spokesperson for the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). “Focus instead on increasing healthy behaviors.”
In other words, don’t worry if you can’t run a 5K just yet. Make it a habit to walk 15 minutes a day, and add time, distance, and intensity from there.
Find a friend or relative whom you like and trust who also wants to establish a healthier lifestyle, suggests Thompson. “Encourage one another. Exercise together. Use this as an opportunity to enjoy one another’s company and to strengthen the relationship.”
Too busy to get to the gym? Tennis star Martina Navratilova, health and fitness ambassador for the AARP, knows a thing or two about being busy and staying fit.
Make your plan fit your life, she advises in an article on the AARP web site. “You don’t need fancy exercise gear and gyms to get fit.”
If you’ve got floor space, try simple floor exercises to target areas such as the hips and buttocks, legs and thighs, and chest and arms (like push-ups, squats, and lunges). Aim for 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, adding more reps and intensity as you build strength.
Be sure to pick an activity you actually enjoy doing, suggests Los Angeles celebrity trainer Sebastien Lagree.
Your body clock, that is. Try to work out at the time you have the most energy, suggests Jason Theodosakis, MD, exercise physiologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. If you’re a morning person, schedule your fitness activities early in the day; if you perk up as the day goes along, plan your activities in the afternoon or evening.
“Working out while you have the most energy will yield the best results,” Theodosakis says.
Especially if you’re first getting started, Theodosakis suggests having a professional assessment to determine what types of exercise you need most.
“For some people, attention to flexibility or to balance and agility, may be more important than resistance training or aerobics,” he says. “By getting a professional assessment, you can determine your weakest links and focus on them. This will improve your overall fitness balance.”
“Fitness is a state of mind,” says fitness professional and life coach Allan Fine of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. One of Fine’s tricks to get and stay motivated is to read blogs or web sites that show him how others have been successful. “Who inspires you?” he asks.
Finally, remember that even if you follow all these tips, there will be ups and downs, setbacks and victories, advises Navratilova. Just be patient, and don’t give up, she says on the AARP web site: “Hang in there, and you’ll see solid results.”
You’ve probably heard loads of exercise advice over the years, some of it likely conflicting from various trainers, TV shows and gym buddies. To clear things up, we sought out top fitness experts to get their take. We asked them for game-changing tips and proven difference makers shown to keep your body safe while burning fat and building muscle. Here are their top 20 tips.
What’s the best fitness advice you’ve ever gotten? Something that keeps you motivated? A tip you learned from a trainer? Advice you read in a magazine or online? Share your fitness wisdom in the comments section below, so the rest of the Livestrong community can benefit from it as well!
If you see exercise as a chore, you are less likely to experience its benefits because you probably won’t stick with it in the long-term. Find an exercise you love and you don’t have to go in search of your motivation. No one has to drag you out of bed to do something you love. Experiment until you find a type of exercise that makes you happy.
The feel-good emotions can also help you stick with exercise long-term. In his book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, Dr. John Ratey, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard, writes, “When we begin exercising, we almost immediately begin releasing dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Those are all neurotransmitters that deal with feelings of reward, alertness, contentment and feelings of wellbeing.”
What to do: What exercise did you love as a child? Use your answer as inspiration to find an exercise you love as an adult. Ride a bike. Go for a hike. Swim laps or try water aerobics. Take up Pilates or the newest class at your gym.
If making yourself exercise is a tall order, you might be immediately dismissive of strength training. However, “doing some form of strength training is mandatory as we age,” says national fitness trainer and founder of GetHealthyU Chris Freytag. “You can use dumbbells, resistance bands or your bodyweight, but muscle is the best way to rev up your metabolism as you age, and it’s something you have control over,” Chris says. “Muscle tissue can burn three to five times more calories than fat does. So the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn, even while sitting,” Chris explains.
Strength training also slows bone and muscle loss as you age and keeps your body strong for everyday activities like taking the stairs and gardening. “As people age, there needs to be a stronger emphasis on functional movement and activities that are performed in daily life, such as squatting and pushing doors open,” says Mary Edwards, MS, director of fitness and a professional fitness trainer at Cooper Fitness Center. “Strength training helps increase muscle strength in the limbs and core, which are most important as people age. American College of Sports Medicine recommends strength training, especially for those ages 56 and up as important for maintaining functional movement, balance and power.”
You don’t need to invest much time with strength training to see results.
What to do: “Working with weights or your body weight for as little as 20 minutes for two to three days a week can crank up your resting metabolic rate over time,” Chris says. If you are using your body weight, try pushups, squats, lunges and planks.
If you love to jog or love to run, you might just want to stick to your favorite workout day in and day out, but your body needs a mix of cardio (for your cardiovascular health) and weight training (for your body’s strength). Founder and chairman at Cooper Aerobics Center and practicing preventative physician, Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper prescribes the following ratio of aerobic training vs. strength training for maximum health benefits as we age:
What to do: Sometimes people are intimidated by the weight rooms or weight machines at gyms. You can strength train using your own body weight by holding planks, doing pushups and situps, wall-sits, lunges and squats. Or buy some hand weights and do some workouts at home. There are lots of online workouts both free and subscription-based.
Write down the workouts you do on a calendar you see daily. Seeing your efforts in writing (or on your phone) gives you a boost and a sense of accomplishment. As happiness expert Shawn Achor says, “Happiness is the joy you feel striving toward your potential.” Use what you’ve done to fuel your motivation to do more. A goal can be a powerful reminder to exercise consistently.
What to do: Set a goal that holds you accountable. Maybe it’s signing up for a race, a desire to see muscle tone in the mirror, or working out a certain number of times per week. Keep going until you reach that goal.
“After age 30, we start losing elasticity in our tendons and ligaments, making them tight,” Mary says. “As we age, stretching helps us maintain a good range of motion in the muscles, allowing joints to operate at normal functionality so they’re not limited.”
What to do: Make it a practice to stretch regularly when your body is already warmed up. American College of Sports Medicine recommends stretching muscles surrounding major joints two to three times per week, while holding each stretch for 60 seconds.