25 Things to Remember When Beginning Your Fitness Journey

Here are a few guidlines that you can follow to ensure that you make the most of your fitness journey.

1. Set a clear, definable goal. I want to lose X weight, by X months
2. Break the larger goal down in to smaller manageable ones
3. Drink a lot of water
4. Expect setbacks, but keep on with the process
5. Have a good support system. Surround yourself with people who will support what you are trying to do
6. Aim to work out at least 3x per week
7. Add diversity in your program and use more than a single mode of training. Mix cardio, strength, explosive, endurance
8. Minimize processed foods, eat more whole foods
9. Do not measure your success only by the scale
10. There is no perfect diet. Eliminate the “I need to burn off the bad meals I ate over the weekend” mentality
11. STRENGTH TRAIN
12. Plan your week ahead of time, and schedule your workouts in advance. Time management is key
13. Incorporate speed agility training if and when possible
14. Change the tempos of your actual lifts to create different responses within the body
15. Definitely incorporate sprints into your training
16. Find a work out partner
17. Schedule “cheat” days
18. Record your workouts, and keep track of your progress
19. Establish “non-scale” victories. Increase in strength, decrease mile time, jeans size dropped
20. Hire a coach if you feel like you need more accountability
21. Have a proper warm up. Include foam roll, light cardio, stretches post workout
22. Use variable intensities during your workouts. Not every workout should have you crawling out of the gym
23. Incorporate at least 2 cardio days if you train 3 days per week. More if you are trying to lose weight or tone
24. Have a balanced program. Work in different planes of motions. Train the posterior chain as well. INCORPORATE A LOT OF ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT WHERE POSSIBLE
25. Make it fun