Dieting and losing weight can be tricky. Let’s face it, it is NOT easy. Yet the biggest mistake I see people making that are new to fitness is going ALL IN at once!
Now this may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true. If you are new to fitness and have sat on the couch eating potato chips and drinking pop the last 7 years, you simply cannot overwhelm yourself by becoming an “instant perfect athlete.” It simply won’t happen. You will most likely burn out quickly and fall back to your old ways.
I have seen this happen. Someone starts out eating the “perfect’ diet, working out three days a week and doing cardio 3 or 4 days a week. If you can make it work, then do it but be cautious. I am not putting this plan down, I am just suggesting for someone new to fitness it may be better to take baby steps.
If a new client comes to me and wants to get fit, the first thing I ask them to do with their diet is cut out fast foods and useless calories like pop and start to cook home cooked meals. They don’t have to be perfect meals, but get in the habit of cooking and meal prepping. We can tweak the diet later, but this simple start will get them headed in the right direction. Avoid boxed meals and COOK basic unprocessed meals. You WILL start seeing results from this simple change.
Now, the workout design part is my job, but I generally start new clients off with a three day a week whole body workout. This helps establish their fitness base. If you don’t have myself, or another trainer helping you, hit a Shoulder exercise, Chest, Back, legs, Biceps, Triceps, and Ab movements. This is a great beginning point. You can see some of my other posts for extra tips.
As for Cardio, mix things up. Maybe Bike one day, then the next day do the Treadmill, or run on a track. Some days push hard for less time, and then next time, go further but at a slower pace.
Over time, you will start seeing results, and then you can start tightening things up. Once you have been preparing meals and are comfortable with it, start cutting out pastas and cut back on rice and other dense foods and start preparing healthier meals. Always have a protein with every meal. Buy a good cook book and start preparing meals with healthier ingredients. Continue your workouts but add in subtle changes to keep the body and mind growing and guessing. This baby step approach will help you start getting into the fitness lifestyle without getting so overwhelmed and then quitting.
If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more.
Scott
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