20 Fit Tips For The New Year
Follow these simple tips and I can guarantee you’ll be in better shape than you are now!
- Have a goal, and a plan on how you’ll reach that goal. It's the New Year, everyone has a resolution.. but over 85% of them fail. Make sure your goal is realistic and achievable.
- Drink a lot of water - Buy a nice water bottle for yourself and carry it on you at all times. Make it a nice one you actually care about so you’ll be less likely to misplace it. You should drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water each day.
- Do some form of strength training with weights at least 3x per week. You’ll look a hell of a lot better once you lose that fat if you have muscle tone :)
- Get in some form of cardio at least 2-3 days per week. Cardio can be anything from walking, swimming, playing sports, playing with kids, walking the dogs, running, gym machines, etc…
- Stop watching so much tv. If you find yourself bored with nothing to do, most people turn on the tv and watch a show they could care less about. Get your butt up and get moving! Go to the gym, or outside! Any movement is better than no movement.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. The body repairs and builds muscle while you are sleeping and at rest. You could be sabotaging your progress if you don’t get enough sleep. Also you’ll be much less likely to workout if you’re short on energy.
- Eat more lean proteins and less processed carbs. Most people get over 50% of their food intake daily from carbs, but if you’re weight training your goal should be to get almost equal parts protein, fat, and carbs.
- Get .8-1g of protein per pound of body fat. This is widely regarded as the go-to standard for minimum amount of protein you should eat when exercising.
- Eat less fruit (1-2 servings a day) and more vegetables. The calories and sugar in fruit can really add up quickly!
- Dont skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast usually results in overeating throughout the remainder of the day because you’re starving by the time you eat. Also skipping breakfast entirely will leave you with a lack of energy until you finally do eat.
- Download a pedometer (free app on your smartphone) and set your goal for at least 10,000 steps per day. Hit that mark, every single day.
- Eat protein and carbs roughly 1-2 hours before working out, and again within 1-2 hours after working out. This will ensure your body is properly fueled for the workout, and afterwards you’ll be able to start the muscle building and refueling process right away. Fat consumption before or after workouts has not been shown to have much of an effect.
- Cut out high calorie condiments such as mayonnaise, bbq sauce, and honey mustard for lower calorie options such as hot sauce, salsa, low sugar ketchup, yellow mustard.
- Drink 1% or skim milk instead of whole milk. This will end up reducing your total caloric intake by quite a bit. (12oz whole milk = 225cal. 12oz 1% = 165cal. 12oz skim = 120cal.)
- Find a GOOD workout partner who is motivated. This will add a ton of accountability as you both look out for each other and also help each other through workouts.
- If you’re someone who loves to weigh themselves religiously, stop it. You shouldn't weigh yourself more than once per week, the scale just isnt going to change drastically from day to day. Weigh yourself once per week, same day every week, first thing in the morning before food or drink. This will ensure your body isn’t heavier due to what you had already eaten or drank that day.
- Start judging your results based more on how you feel, how your clothes fit, your energy levels, your sleep, compliments others give you, etc…
- Drink less alcohol. I’m not saying you need to quit entirely, but cutting down will definitely help you get fit. Along with drinking almost always comes bad eating habits, both the night of and the next day.
- Make sure whatever program design you are following is smartly designed and can deliver results.
- Make sure that you’re making progress week to week, whether its with how much weight you use, how many days you workout, how long you workout, shorter rest times, more reps/sets… theres lots of ways to continue to make progress!
Follow these guidelines and you’ll be off to a healthy and happy New Year! Its not rocket science, but it is hard work… are you up to the challenge?
Anything else you want to know or have questions about please feel free to reach out to me and ask!