GETTING STARTED
Depending how you start can determine your level of success
Firstly, if this article is targeted at you then CONGRATULATIONS are in order. To recognise the fact that you would like to change your current lifestyle, before you even step foot into a gym is a big step. What is article is designed to do is to make the transition from the current you, into the super new and improved you much easier, and much more enjoyable.
Where do we start? Right from the beginning! You no doubt know the benefits associated with a fit and active lifestyle, so we are going to concentrate on one step at a time so we can make an efficient change. There is no need to rush in head first without a plan, only to waste valuable time in the coming months.
Now, who wants you to change? This might sound funny but beneath lies a very serious question, one in which can really make the difference between success and failure. So I ask you this. Is it your desire to change or is it someone else's? Is there pressure from your partner to lose a few kilos, or is it someone at work? Is it societies view on body size or even maybe a parent? If the desire to change is not YOUR goal, then it will be so much harder. If someone is pressuring you, and the goal isn't really yours, then do you believe that you will give the best effort possible - I highly doubt it!
Also, you will not enjoy yourself. If you do not enjoy a healthy lifestyle, then it will be so much harder to maintain and the chances will be that you will fall off the wagon and revert back to the current you. How will you feel knowing that you once made a change, only to slip back again? If it is YOUR desire to change, then you will put forth the best effort possible. This is because you will be doing something for yourself, not for someone else. And when you are trying to do something for your own self-satisfaction, you always seem to succeed, no matter what the obstacles may be.
What do I need? Desire! You must really want to change, so bad that you can taste it. It must be the driving force behind you each an every day. It should not consume your whole existence, but it needs to remain a constant thought. Then you will be continually reminded of your goals, and what you need to do to achieve them.
No, really, what do I need? OK, you have accepted the challenge and decided that it is something that YOU want to do. So what do you need to do! You need to focus on a combination of diet and exercise, not one nor the other. They both work together to create changes the quickest way possible.
Equipment - What do I need? A good, comfortable pair of athletic shoes for starters. You do not need to runout and buy the latest NIKE catalogue just because you want to get fit. A pair of shoes will do for starters. At the beginning of any exercise program, consistency is the key. To run out and buy all the new gear might end up being a little over whelming so we need to start slow. If you have never exercised before, it could be in the form of a five-minute walk every day. Hardly enough to make a change you say - exactly. But for someone who has never exercised before, it is a big deal. It might only be five minutes, but you are doing something every single day. What this enables them to do is to become used to exercising on a consistent basis, and start to build up incredible exercise momentum. In the end, exercise will become second nature. So when the transition is made from walks around the block to the gym/PT studio, it will be much easier to stick too.
Weight Training. Weight training will make the biggest change to your body within the shortest amount of time. Do you want to know how to make it work even better for you - start off right? So many people do not know how to weight train properly. They go into the gym, look what everyone else is doing, then imitate. They never take into consideration their own goals, or physical characteristics, and as a result, end up like everyone else. Dedicating years to a healthy lifestyle, with little results to show for it. You are different and you deserve results right away. Let me tell you that it is possible to get results from the very first trip to the gym, so don't waste another moment thinking about what could only be, when results are waiting to happen for you now.