1. Get lots of sleep!
Without sleep, your body can go into exhaustion mode or overdrive. When I feel well rested, I am more productive in the gym and in life.
2. Drink lots of water!
Yeah, yeah… but seriously! Drink up. You’ll feel more full, your skin will improve, you won’t cramp up, you’ll lose weight faster, and so many other benefits.
3. Eat more fruits and veggies!
Obviously I would say this since I am newly vegan, but even if you are not, it is still super important to get whole foods such as fruits and vegetables into your diet as much as possible. This day and age, processed junk is EVERYWHERE, so it is important to make yourself eat these whole foods as much as you can.
4. Schedule your workouts!
For me, this is an absolute must. If I do not plan a time in my schedule to workout, I simply will not do it (like many other people). If I know there is a designated time in my schedule to hit the gym, I feel less stressed, more relaxed, more accountable, and more inclined to go.
5. Surround yourself with people who enjoy the “fit life”!
It’s hard to stay motivated and on track with your fitness goals if everyone around you is doing the complete opposite thing. If you find friends who enjoy similar interests, whether it’s the gym, hiking, jogging, etc., you’ll be more inclined to stick with it. You might even need to encourage your friends to try new activities with you. Point is, get moving with the people you enjoy being around.
6. Eat out less.
This one was hard for us in the beginning. I read somewhere that we are the generation of “drinks and appetizers”, in which socialization occurs at happy hour or reverse happy hour. In my early twenties, you could bet I was at a happy hour 3 out of the 5 days in a week catching up with friends after a long, stressful day of work. This broke my bank and wasn’t good for my health. The calories in appetizers, drinks, and then maybe a meal, do eventually catch up to you. I always suggest to clients to stop eating out at restaurants during the week, and make it a special event for the weekend.
7. Track your macros!
I will be writing a longer post about tracking macros in the near future, but for now I’ll keep it short. Learning how to track macros wasn’t something I did until last year when I got my nutrition certification. I’m now on Day 294 of tracking food with My Fitness Pal, and let me tell you, I have never had a healthier relationship with food in my life! This is probably my favorite thing about living the “fit life”, because I have more freedom with food, and I know what exactly is going into my body.
8. Eat less sugar.
You’d be surprised at how many people would see more progress in the gym if they simply cut out sugar in their diets. Sugar is literally in EVERYTHING. Most people who aren’t paying attention are getting anywhere from 3 days to a week’s worth of sugar in just one day. By consciously limiting sugar, you will see benefits almost immediately. I am a sugar-holic, so trust me when I say I struggle with this, too.
9. Work out at LEAST 3 days/week minimum.
When I first started working out, I would only go on Saturdays and Sundays when I didn’t have to go to work. I thought two days a week was enough to actually see progress in the gym. HA. I would plateau and didn’t see any muscle definition. I thought there was something wrong with me. Well, there was… I wasn’t being consistent enough to experience muscle hypertrophy. Muscles shrink in 7 days, so I was really pushing the limits when I would only go every 5-6 days. Main point, at least go every couple days if you want to see some sort of progression. Personally, I now make 5 days/week the minimum based on soreness, but I prefer to do something every single day.
10. Ask for help when you need it!
This is something I’ve struggled with, but I’ve now learned that if I want to keep learning and progressing in the “fit life”, then I might need to ask for help when it’s appropriate. There is SO much to know about the human body that it can be overwhelming to even try to process. In the beginning of my fitness journey, I would get embarrassed about asking for help. I now know that people who are truly passionate about fitness are more times than not willing to help someone learn and grow. Some of the coolest exercises or things I’ve learned about training have come from me asking for help.
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I hope these tips on how to live the “fit life” help some of you reading this. Like I said, they’re mostly basic concepts, but you’d be surprised at how many people I’ve come across who never drink water, lack sleep, or don’t workout but once a week. It’s important to prioritize things that help and matter most to you, and these are just my top 10 ideas for seeing success in the fitness industry. Good luck!!
-Jess
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