5 Tips To Get Fit And Healthy

Christmas comes and goes and at new year, at least 60-70% of people make a new years resolution that they want to get fitter.

So how do we get fitter.

1.

Firstly, set out an achievable realistic goal.

The smaller the better for new starters. For example it might be to lose 6 lbs in a month, run 5k in two months or lose 2 inches of my waist. By doing this you become task oriented and goals are easy to achieve. Without a goal and a generalisation such as 'I'm going to get fit' you will find a week or two you'll lose interest.

2.

Get into a habit of exercises you can manage to keep up.

Telling yourself your going to either go to the gym or exercise 5 times a week is a bit excessive. You'll find it becomes to much, you body won't have time to recover and you'll get tired and stop exercising. Start by going to the gym a or exercising a minimum of 2-3 times a week and set yourself a goal of doing this at least a month, make a diary or a calendar to tick off the days ensuring you stay focused. Research shows that keeping to a plan for 21-28 days mentally then becomes a habit and becomes part of your routine.

3.

Start gradually and build up.

You can't be expected to run 5k or 20 mins straight from the first week, or start bench pressing 50kg. The first week of exercise ease yourself into it and test out what you can do. Fitness training and exercise is the same as any project management, you don't go live straight away, you have to assess, plan , test , error check and test again before you get the final end product. For example start with a 5min run on a 2.0 gradient and see what speed you can be steady with, if after the first week you can do this easily, test again on the second week by going to 10 mins and so on. Other things such as interval training are also a good starting block.

4.

Don't be put off by others around you.

'Being fit', 'getting fit' or 'achieving your goal' are no easy tasks. Everyone is different in terms of fitness approach and fitness levels. Don't be intimidated at the gym or stop yourself taking part in classes or groups, exercise is for everyone, we all have to start somewhere. If your not sure about equipment or exercises don't be afraid to ask. Everyone is there for the same reason.

5.

Finally you made it..now do the exercises you enjoy

Associating fitness training with fun helps train the mind, find exercises that you can and or want to. As you get into your gym routine trial and error will get easier to use and your whole body workout will be a success and give more enjoyable sessions.

Fitness training can be enjoyable and fulfilling if you do it right, don't be afraid to try new ideas in order to achieve your goals and remember slow and steady wins the race.