Hi, Today I am going to talk about getting started with your exercise program in a planned manner . Many of us do the mistake of jumping into any exercise regime without considering the most important fact of all which is ” Why do I want to do this?” Am I doing it for myself or for my near and dear ones or just to be in good shape or just fit in the new dress i just bought and so on and so forth . Hence whatever the reason u must have a plan in your mind before you start out in your journey to find your ideal weight or fitness level. 

Let me quote the old adage that says, ‘Prevention is better than cure.’ So wake up and start taking care of your health. Remember, [we are] given this life to live for only once.” – Unknown

So how do we get started ????

First of all whether you have already joined a gym or planning to , you have to sit and evaluate what you are looking for , If you like to do cardio, aerobics or weight training or you  like to take it slow then yoga and Pilate is your best bet. Based on your needs you need to find a proper place which will meet your requirements. If you are a first timer who has never been to a gym in his/her life then I would personally suggest join someplace where you would get personal assistance and starting with normal cardio, aerobics and some weight would be ideal. Another important factor is to always get yourself checked with your physician in case you have any history of illness or surgeries or any lifestyle diseases, this is a very important step in order to avoid any complications or injuries in future.

Step two is setting your goals … you need a blueprint if you ever want to change your current state of things in your life this is absolutely necessary. In order to set realistic goals you will need to consider both short term and long term so that you always have  something going for you and you wont feel disappointed if your long term goal is taking too long.  Aim to loose not more than half to 1 kg a week ideal is half a kilo…for that you will need to create a deficient of 3500 calories a week which is 500 calories a day. So for this you will need proper diet and exercise plan… I will be writing more about how to go about it in my next blog..

Then comes the journal ling stage which is again the most important stage but unfortunately I have seen  many people don’t want to do it … I know that you must be thinking what’s the big deal about writing down what I put in my mouth or what activity I am doing the whole day, when I know I am eating less and working out more …. well good question but do you know that it has been estimated that more than 80% of the time women more than men underestimate their food intake and overestimate their workouts. Yes,  so here comes where you start putting down your details. This way you save yourself with future disappointments and failures.

Now comes the actual stage where you start doing your workouts and plan your meals diligently everyday for the next few weeks. Remember you must take baby steps towards your goal. Make small changes in your everyday routine and practice them daily till it becomes your second nature then add on more slowly and steady build upon your good habits losing the bad ones. Always keep in mind that ” Rome was not built in a day”.

A Blueprint for Goal Achievement

Strategies to Reach Any Goal

A Vision

First you must already have It in your mind what you want exactly. Second step,  put it down on paper immediately.

A Plan

Before You do  anything make a detailed blueprint on paper of how u are actually going to go about it.

A Timeline (and a Deadline)

Plan each workday including the meals and your workout routine keeping your end result in mind always . Set a realistic deadline to achieve your goals.

Action Steps

Each day  focus on only a few steps at a time—without worrying about the others. If you are working on your abs that day just focus on it instead of worrying about your arms or butts just concentrate on what you are doing at the moment .

Motivation

This is the most important factor without motivation , no amount of planning or execution can help you reach your destination. Think of all the good reasons you should be working out and eating right remember the reasons will have to be pretty strong for you to endure for a long time (along with an immovable deadline) . Do Not Procrastinate!

Lots of Help

Take help if you need,  we all do at some point or the other , two hands are better than one as the saying goes. A workout buddy is a great source of inspiration and motivation. You are obligated to each other and you can motivate each other to move on when the going gets tough. Without support equally difficult to reach your aim no matter how self motivated you are.

Good Resources

Changing body depends a lot on time, patience, and having the right tools and techniques (emphasis on the right techniques). Because If you have all of these than achieving your ideal body image will be  less of a frustration, and more of a piece of cake.

Persistence

If something doesn’t turn out just right, could be your workout routine or your new diet plan just tweak it a little move around it and adapt to a new pattern. Do not let one step back stop you from moving forward.

Learning Curve

Take one step at a time. At first this whole losing weight and eating right business seems overwhelming to most of us . But, by taking things one step at a time, you learn what you need and grow more confident with each passing day.

All of these strategies combined will give you sense of invincibility. You will become convinced that as long as you took your time, followed your plan, and used the right techniques, there is no way you could fail.

In fact you can follow the same strategy with other goals in the future.

All The Very Best!!!