When getting started in your fitness journey its always good to have some reference points. Here are 10 highly successful strategies.
10 Strategies Of The Grind
01
Be True – Be true to yourself. Many times in our fitness journey we can look around our exercise environment at others and begin to compare and critique. You must keep in mind this is your fitness journey and no one else has gone through what you have, not physically, mentally, nor emotional. All those factors affect the body and your exercise program. We are all different and we all need different things. The only way to be the best version of you is to focus on self. Accept where you are today, but understand there is a better version of you. Love yourself enough to chase that version!
02
Just Move - Many times when we think about exercise we think about heavy lifting or hard conditioning. Exercise is simply about movement. Learn to master your bodyweight before you ever look to add external load. When you look to add external load too quickly you open yourself up to injury. In the moment you may be able to do the exercise but later down the line you may pay for it. Gravity is always resisting you. Use your body.
03
Create Your Metabolism. – A sluggish metabolism is caused by many factors including lack of exercise, lifestyle and food choices. Most people fail to recognize that while lowering their calorie intake is an important part of weight loss, it may decrease metabolism. It isn’t a good idea to skip a meal or reduce calories by an extreme amount, since the decreased metabolism causes the body to burn fewer calories and less fat. It may also cause your body to store excess fat in reserve. Eating the proper foods every 3-4 hours will maximize your energy level throughout the day, keep you from feeling hungry, and help to raise your metabolism rate.
04
Cardiovascular Training – Cardio exercise allows your body to burn calories while you are performing that actual activity. Performing cardiovascular exercise within a specific target heart rate zone will allow you to burn fat more efficiently. By exercising in a heart rate zone that is calculated for your goals, you are able to obtain the maximum results in the least amount of time.
05
Grind Session – The benefits of resistance training includes long term increase to metabolic rate increased, lean muscle mass, increased strength, improved balance, flexibility, and stability. Goal specific resistance training will help you look and feel better. In order for you to achieve long term weight loss and weight control, it is necessary to increase the lean muscle in the body. Muscle burns substantially more calories, resulting in a higher metabolism and toned physique.
06
Document your journey – Keep a journal or diary. You will be 90% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. Every day write the following sentence at the top of your journal entry. I control my success choice by choice!
07
Plan Ahead – Plan or plan to fail. One of the most critical factors to achieve optimal health and fitness is to plan ahead for your meals and have your meals prepared, ready to eat and convenient. Pick a day to shop and prepare your meals for the upcoming week. Failing to plan ahead and skipping meals is a common stumbling block for successful weight management.
08
Increase water intake – Water is absolutely essential when you’re working out. When your exert yourself, dehydration does more than just make you thirsty. It affects your performance and you tire more easily. This occurs because your body runs out of its most important ingredient, water. Bring a bottle of water to the gym every time you go. Make sure to drink before, during and after your workout. During your workout, try to take a drink every 5 to 10 minutes. Take frequent breaks throughout the day.
09
It is extremely important to eliminate simple carbs like fruit juices,
processed snack foods (pretzels, chips, cookies, bagels, and white bread) and sodas. Diet drinks may be used to replace regular soda and other sugary drinks in your diet but these should be limited to no more than 24 oz each day. If you eliminate sugar items on a regular basis, the first 48 hours of your program will be the most difficult. However, if you eliminate sugar from your diet completely, your cravings for the simple sugars will drastically diminish.