Over the past 6 months, I have met an amazing group of professionals from across North America who specialize in many different areas of health and wellness. One of these ladies is Whitney DeLong. Whitney is a certified personal trainer and online fitness coach.
I'm happy to share with you her post on How to Get Started with a New Exercise Plan. Enjoy and please be sure to give Whitney some love. Her contact details are at the end of the post.
As you already know, New Years resolutions oftentimes revolve around weight loss and health. Gyms have their busiest time of the year during the first couple of months each year, because of all the new members pouring in with fitness goals. Sadly, the majority of the time, those new members don’t last, because they have not sought out the advice they needed to get started with a new exercise plan. Without proper guidance, a brand new gym-goer may feel very lost, confused, and out of place. So, you may be asking yourself, how does someone get started with a new exercise plan? As someone who helps people get started with new plans as a career, I’m happy to share some of my tips with you today.
- Consult with a professional that will give you guidance. As a fitness coach, this is what I do for a living; I listen to clients tell me their goals, ask a lot of questions, and help them select a program that is perfect for what they want to achieve. It is hard for anyone to step into a gym or start exercising at home without having guidance on what to actually DO. In the past, before becoming a coach, I struggled with this as well. I wasted a lot of time and effort doing exercises that didn’t help me reach my goals, because I didn’t seek out the advice of someone who knew how to put a plan together just for me. Also, be sure to consult with your doctor if you haven’t already, to be sure that you are in sufficient health to begin a new exercise program.
- Study the plan and make sure you understand the time that you will need to dedicate to exercise and preparing healthy meals. Plan your day around your workouts and the prep of your meals. The professional that you consulted with for help building your plan should have confirmed that they were giving you a program you could easily fit into your current lifestyle, so this should not be an issue, but make sure you schedule your workouts so you are less likely to get busy and forget to do it.
- Set goals for yourself to strive for during the first few months. Oftentimes, we start exercise plans with the thought of our END goal, which for example, may be to lose 50 pounds. Heading into a new exercise program with such a huge milestone in your head can cause discouragement early on when the scale isn’t moving as quickly as you may want it to move. Always keep your ultimate goal in mind, but also set small milestones for each month. For example, if you would like to lose 50 pounds, set a reasonable goal of 5 pounds per month. This allows you to have a celebration and sense of accomplishment on a frequent basis, encouraging you to keep going.
- Seek out an accountability partner or group to support you. As a fitness coach, I create accountability groups based on Facebook for all of my clients to participate together. Everyone is on different programs with different goals, but we all support one another. Friendships are built, and better results are achieved when you work closely with others who are on this same healthy path that you are getting started on. It is too easy to quit a new exercise program when you do not have anyone checking in with you to see how you are doing.
If you’re starting a new exercise plan this year, follow these tips and I guarantee you will be more encouraged to keep going. I’ve watched these simple tips change hundreds of lives in the past two years, and my wish for you is that you reach every goal you set for yourself this year with your new exercise program.
Whitney DeLong is a certified personal trainer and online fitness coach specializing in helping women become happy in their own skin, confident with how they look in the mirror, and empowered to help others do the same. Whitney hosts online fitness groups and one-on-one coaching for weight loss. Contact Whitney and view services at http://www.whitneydelong.com.
