Celebrate small steps!

Your fitness is cumulative. Not one workout will make or break your fitness. Fitness sticks with small changes. Set a mini weekly goal to maintain your focus. For example: Set a goal to complete 4 cardio workouts lasting of 30 minutes each. Set a goal to complete 3 strength workouts. Set a goal to do your stretching routine daily after work. Short term and long term goals are great, but mini weekly goals will keep your interest and motivation high.

Small fitness steps stick

Look for fitness opportunities around you!

Exercise does not always have to be structured to count toward your fitness. There are fitness opportunities all around you- LOOK! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

While waiting in line: Toe Raises/Heel Raises.

While shopping: Carry what you can. Skip the cart.

While waiting for an appointment: Abdominal bracing. Sit up tall. Pull your belly button in toward your spine. Hold for 10 second intervals.

While watching your kids soccer game: Stand! Don’t sit.

While stuck in traffic: Inhale/Pull your shoulders up. Exhale/Pull your shoulders down and back.

While on the phone: March in place.

Fitness Opportunities

Take a health inventory

Your number on the scale is merely one component of your health and fitness. Your clothing size is also simply one component, that many would argue isn’t relevant to gauging health at all. Instead of focusing on being thin, focus on your total physical, mental and emotional health. Here’s your new checklist:

How do you feel during your day? Do you have energy?

How do you function during your day? Can you lift and carry everything you need to? Can you bend and reach easily?

How is your emotional state most of the time? We’re not talking about the every so often sadness, frustration or anger. Is there an emotional trend you notice?

Do you experience any systemic or bodily malfunctions? For example, regular digestive distress, regular aches or pains?

If any of your answers make you uneasy or aren’t what you want, need or expect, time to visit your physician.

Health Inventory

Healthy Mind:

Fitness takes dedication.

Not every workout will be easy, convenient or go as planned. However, every workout will be worth it.  ALWAYS. Why? Workouts gains are cumulative. Not one workout will make or break your fitness. Every little bit counts! So how do you stay dedicated to your fitness?

Every day when getting up, recommit to making fitness a priority, pushing through negativity and logging a high-quality workout. Consider every workout as Day 1.

Break down your goals, set mini-workout goals, split up workouts for time-challenged days, enlist a training partner, club, or group workouts.

Set periodic fitness tests or workout challenges in the form of races or community-events. You’re less likely to miss a workout when your ego is on the line!

How’s your fitness dedication?

Commit 100%

Fitness commitment doesn’t have levels that vary up or down. Fitness commitment doesn’t wane when times get tough, when schedules are difficult or when you experience doubt. Simply put, either you’re in or you’re out. Are you IN?

Step 1: Choose a fitness goal.

Step 2: Map out an exact plan. Write down all the details.

Step 3. Find a way. For example: Get up early, stay up late, make up your own workout at home, join a gym, exercise in at a park or beach, use a school or community track, pull up a YouTube workout, use streaming workouts, walk your errands, walk your dog, join the community center, join a club, ask a friend to be your accountability partner, create a noon-time fitness club at work, ask your family to exercise with you on the weekends.

Fitness commitment doesn’t have levels

Fit Mind:

Find Your Fitness Second Gear!

When the going get tough, the tough _______! Or do you back down and back off? Find your fitness second gear by:

Practice clearing your mind of distractions and over-thinking what you’re doing. Choose one word to repeat over and over again until your mind is clear.

Focus on your inhale and exhale by counting out load. Count your inhale to 2-3 seconds and your exhale of 3-4 seconds. Repeat.

Choose someone who inspires you and repeat their name as you move through your fitness challenge. Dedicating your effort to a loved one will give you power and focus to complete the task at hand.

Find your Fitness Second Gear

Fit Mind:

Give up your fitness excuses.

Excuses won’t get you fitness results. Hard work, dedication and consistency will. Eliminate your excuses by making a list of the most common reasons to skip a workout. For example, no extra time, not enough energy and no access to equipment. Along side each excuse, brain storm three ways to overcome each according to your own schedule and goals. If you’re stumped, ask a friend to look at your list and come up with a solution together. Fitness results happen by making a daily commitment to your workout. Make your dedication stronger than every excuse.

Give up your fitness excuses.

Fit Mind:

Keep thoughts positive!

You are what you think you are! Strong, powerful, capable? Weak, tired, defeated? Mental fitness is part of a healthy lifestyle. Mental, emotional and psychological fitness is what keeps you focused, determined and moving along the path to accomplish your goals, especially when times are tough. Adopt a workout mantra to repeat while exercising to keep self-talk positive. I am strong. I am powerful. I am capable. Repeating your mantra when workouts are tough or focus is lacking will serve as a moving meditation, powering you forward and through. You will become what you believe, think, say and do. Keep it positive!

How’s your Mental Fitness?

Take small steps to a healthy lifestyle

Small changes in health habits are more likely to be sustainable, lasting changes. Those who make large, sweeping, all-or-none lifestyle changes often burn out mentally or get injured physically from going from unhealthy to healthy in a day, or week. Make a few small changes at a time, every 2-3 weeks. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Walk! Start walking more.

2. Drink one glass of water every morning.

3. Reduce your unhealthy snacks by one portion or piece per serving. Continue to reduce intake or portions by one every 2 weeks.

4. Take 3 deep breaths every time you get in your car.

5. When you go out to eat, skip dessert.

Small Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle

Effort= Results!

Put in the effort to your fitness, and you will be rewarded with results. Fitness takes consistency, commitment and dedication. Here’s how to get started:

1. Get up early.

2. Stay up late.

3. Pack your gym and work bags the night before.

4. Plan pre and post workout snacks ahead of time.

5. Ask for help.

6. Instead of lunch, go workout.

7. Set 30 day goals.

8.  Set mini goals for each workout.

9. Ride, run or walk to work.

10. Walk your errands, carry your bags and don’t sit down.

Do You Need to Dial Up Your Fitness Effort?