Today’s expert author is a good friend of mine and a top-notch trainer who developed FierceFIT. I love her fitness philosophy, which aligns with what we do here at DIY Active. Check out her article on exercise tips and ways to elevate your fitness with simple exercise tips!
Women wear many hats every day: mother, wife, aunt, caregiver, best friend. Often, life takes over, and our fitness, health, and well-being get pushed to the backburner. This is how women operate, always putting others before themselves.
I enjoy learning about a woman’s daily activities and then creating a personalized weight loss program that suits her. Here are five tips to becoming the FierceFIT you want to be:
1. **You are the most important person.** If you’re not at your best, no one around you will be either. This can be hard to accept at first. Does it require you to be somewhat selfish? Yes. As you give every day, remember to carve out time for yourself and let nothing interfere with that.
2. **Schedule your workouts.** Have your weekly workouts planned and include at least 20 minutes of activity on the other days. When life gets hectic, you are your weapon of choice. Be prepared for it. Examples of 20-minute activities to fit into your busy schedule include quick exercises that leave you feeling great, energized, and ready to tackle the rest of the day. If you leave your workout dreading the rest of the day because you feel exhausted or nauseous, you’re less likely to continue consistently. Exercise to stimulate, not annihilate.
3. **Consistency is key.** Regularly stimulate your muscles and make healthy choices, and you’ll see excellent results. Remember, the scale is not your friend. Your body weight can fluctuate for many reasons other than fat and muscle. Are you hydrated? Did you just exercise? Have you gained muscle mass while losing body fat? The scale can be a useful tool, but if it controls your mood and anxiety, step away from it. Gauge your progress by how you feel, look, and fit into your clothes.
4. **Find your reason for exercising.** While many people exercise to lose weight, find a deeper reason. Do you want to fit into a dress in five months? Play with your grandchildren in ten years? Perform better in a specific sport or activity? Whatever it is, find significance in why you want to work out. This will help you stay on track and work towards your goal until it’s achieved, then move on to the next one.
5. **Set realistic goals.** It would be great to say you’ll hit the gym every night for the next month, but life happens. Instead, commit to getting to the gym three days a week. If something comes up, reschedule your workout for another night and still hit your realistic goal. If you exercise three days a week, that’s three hours out of 168 hours in a week. What are you doing with the other 165 hours? Commit to getting enough sleep, creating a healthy grocery list, and sticking to it. Limit fast food intake gradually until it’s minimal. Be a healthy role model for your kids. They learn from you, so show them healthy habits.
6. **Invest in yourself.** Don’t let money be an obstacle to a healthier lifestyle. Look at where you can cut corners in your budget to allow for healthier choices. Expect to pay more for healthier food, but this can lead to less illness and lower medical costs. If you need guidance, invest in a personal trainer or organized exercise program. Just as you consult professionals for other aspects of your life, give yourself permission to invest in your fitness, health, and well-being. Not just for yourself, but for the people in your life.
How do you become FierceFIT? Decide, commit, succeed!