Are you this person? “My health kick starts Monday. I’m going to cut out Carbs, take 5 classes a week and make sure I stretch for 20 minutes a day”. Commonly, Monday never comes, or you have a fantastic 2 weeks of exercise and healthy eating, then it all falls apart. It’s all about balance, you can’t charge headlong into things without a plan. Take it step by step and eventually it will just become habit.
Change Your View of Exercise
Exercise should not be a chore. Nobody likes doing chores and you’ll sack them off as soon as you get the chance. When I was younger I felt like cleaning my teeth was a chore, so I would get out of doing them anyway I could. However, as I got older I realised that smelly breath and bad teeth wasn’t the look I was going for! As a result, I started brushing my teeth and it gradually became habit. (I also felt happier as I looked better!!).
You may be sitting there thinking what the hell does this have to do with exercise, I don’t care about your teeth! My point is this. I didn’t suddenly charge into brushing my teeth 3 times a day or getting expensive specialist whitening strips. I simply added it into my daily routine gradually and it became a habit. It’s the same for exercise. Slowly start to introduce small snippets of exercise and build it up. Before you know it you’ll have gleaming white nashers.
Take a Bitesize Approach to Diet Change
Food shouldn’t be a chore, we should be able to enjoy the finer things in life. By completely cutting things out we are only going to crave them more. I follow an 80/20 rule. 80% of the time I eat clean and healthy foods, the other 20% I allow myself to indulge. I enjoy food, and we are only here once. If I can find a balance that keeps me healthy but allows me to enjoy a few creature comforts without compromising my training, why wouldn’t I? This generally ends up looking like a healthy 5 day working week, a healthy-ish Saturday and a do what I want Sunday.
So don’t’ be that person. Find a balance that suits you. By slowly starting to implement a balanced routine of food and exercise step by step. There may be some trial and error, don’t give up. For more information on Personal Training in Twickenham, please get in touch.
