We have all over indulged over the festive period! We now look forward to the year ahead and this is a great time to focus on getting FitAgain. Here is our couch to fitness guide to doing just that. Whether it be getting off your backside to run, swim, walk, or tackle an online class. You can generally improve your fitness.
Set The Intention
A lot of us may have some vague ideas that we need to get fit again. We keep saying “I need to get out for a walk”. We also say, “I really want to go for a run”. This stays as just a thought and never turns into action. Our brain prefers concrete statements, “I am going to go for a run at 08:00”. This turns it into actual exercise.
Set Goals
It is helpful to set goals to make the intention of exercise turn into reality. We enter races throughout the year to help keep us focused and to give purpose to our training. Fitness goals can be anything such as achieving 10,000 steps a day or walking or running a certain distance. Once you have set your goals, write them down. Let other people in your circle know about your goals so they can support you.
All The Gear
You just need a few basics to get going, there is no reason to spend a fortune on fitness gear. www.runningxpert.com is a great place to get trainers. Lucy personally loves www.sweatybetty.com for supportive leggings and sports bras and www.wiggle.co.uk is great for all round fitness equipment. It is also important to consider safety at this time of year when exercising outdoors. A good head torch is a useful investment. Reflective gear is also important so you can be easily seen. www.provizsports.com has some good quality reflective gear.
Family
It is important to let your family and loved ones know about your fitness intentions. You need them on your side to make it a reality. It is possible to include others in your fitness journey. We frequently run alongside our children as they cycle and can get in a pretty good workout this way.
When To Exercise
Each of our body clocks are different and some may feel more comfortable exercising in the morning, or the evening. Lucy is much better training in the afternoon when she is warm and has more energy. Andrew prefers training in the mornings before work gets in the way. Find what works best for you and program it into your day.
Avoid Procrastinating
There will always be housework to do and emails to respond to. In order to make exercise happen this needs to be put to the back of your mind. Avoid checking your phone or lap top before you exercise. This will delay the exercise happening. The more this happens the more time passes without any movement towards your goals. We find that after setting an exercise time, we move quickly to get to the start. Nothing can distract me from getting the exercise done.
Technology
We are lucky enough to have access to hundreds of gadgets or phone apps to monitor and track our exercise. This is all great and can help with motivation to a certain degree. At times it can be annoying if you can’t stop looking at your watch. You also want to be able to do exercise without any devices. Feel the body moving without having distractions. At times it is good to go technology free. If you do like to track your workouts and check for progress a fantastic app to use us strava.
Most of the time getting to the start point of the exercise is the hardest point. Once you begin a work out class or a run or a walk it is likely you will get it done. Just work on getting to the start point.
For any help or further guidance contact us info@fitagain.co.uk
