10 Tips to Help You Get Fit
So you want to get “fit”. Here are my 10 tips to help you on your way.
- Remember fitness is attainable by anyone People too often think they were born “Big Boned” or with a slow metabolism. Anybody can get fit. You are never too old, fat or weak. Keep a positive mindset.
- Define what fitness means to you Fitness is more than long distance running, it involves speed, strength, power, anerobic endurance and agility. Pick what traits you want most and train for that purpose.
- Plan your goals. Write down and track your goals. If your goal is to be able to bench press 60kg write it down. Note your progress along the way. Some goals will be attainable very quickly, others can take years. Be realistic in setting them but don’t be shy either.
- Find a Mentor/Coach. The web is great but articles are no substitute for a real coach. At the very least get someone you can call on the phone. A good coach will push you when you need it and tell you to stop before you hurt yourself. They are worth their weight in gold.
- Don’t Rush into it. When you start training it hurts! This is the same for the 24 year old pro athlete as for the 65 year old starting back.
- Look after your Nutrition. You’ll realise soon enough that you can’t run for 30mins after eating spaghetti bolognese. Eat your fresh fruit and vegetables. Take a protein rich after training to help repair. Nutrition is an education in itself - use the web wisely for this one.
- Find an Exercise Buddy. If there is someone starting at the same time as you try to partner up with them. A training Buddy will be make time go faster, push you harder and will someone to bounce ideas off.
- Enter a Competition. Nothing focuses the mind like a bit of competition. If you are completely at stage one, enter a short fun run and try to jog for the most of it you can. The sense of achievement comes from pushing your body to its current limits, not finishing or winning.
- Rest when you need it. The great Coach and Nike founder explained fitness as follows: You put an organism understress, then leave it rest. It responds by becoming incrementally stronger, faster or more durable. All the improvement happens when you rest, don’t forget that.
- Have Fun. It’s your program and your goals. If it’s something you want you should be having fun attaining it. Change your program if it feels stale. Their is a fine line between laziness and staleness. Listen to your Body.
I’ll try and add to this list with more practical concerns later on.
Posted 04.10.07