First of all, are you new to exercise?
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Yes? Welcome! Before you skip ahead, I highly advise you download my free Exercise Guide, designed specifically for the woman who hates exercise, like I used to!
After downloading it, you'll learn about the 5 basic types of exercise and learn how often you need to incorporate each type for maximum results. |
First, find your why
Why did I start working out? Well, to be honest it wasn't the best "why". I went to college wanting to change my appearance after four years of being miserably shy, quiet and having no confidence. Boys didn't like me, I wasn't popular, I wasn't pretty/thin/skinny/not fat/whatever the heck else you want to call it. I just didn't feel good. I wasn't extremely overweight, but as I tell my clients:
"I don't care how overweight or underweight you are, what really matters is how you feel about yourself."
Think about it, who is in a better mental state? Is it someone who is 40+ pounds overweight who can kill anyone with her smile because she exudes happiness and joy? Or, is it someone who has the "perfect body" but can't realize it to save her life? Let that sink in for a bit.
Over time, my fitness journey (luckily) brought me to a place of happiness and self improvement rather than self loathing and insecurity. Sure, working out was helping me gain health in my physical body, but it also helped me gain health in my mind. Instead of hiding behind others, never wanting to speak up, never wanting to meet new people, I felt like I could do just about anything I wanted to. I felt I had a presence, I felt like I had "awoken"... I had found my WHY.
I gained an unprecedented CONFIDENCE when I learned how to lift.
"I don't care how overweight or underweight you are, what really matters is how you feel about yourself."
Think about it, who is in a better mental state? Is it someone who is 40+ pounds overweight who can kill anyone with her smile because she exudes happiness and joy? Or, is it someone who has the "perfect body" but can't realize it to save her life? Let that sink in for a bit.
Over time, my fitness journey (luckily) brought me to a place of happiness and self improvement rather than self loathing and insecurity. Sure, working out was helping me gain health in my physical body, but it also helped me gain health in my mind. Instead of hiding behind others, never wanting to speak up, never wanting to meet new people, I felt like I could do just about anything I wanted to. I felt I had a presence, I felt like I had "awoken"... I had found my WHY.
I gained an unprecedented CONFIDENCE when I learned how to lift.
SECOND: be honest with yourself
Before you start any workout plan, I want you to truly think about your week and be HONEST with yourself. How busy are you REALLY? How much time do you truly have to fit in a workout? If you only have one day, DO NOT try a 2 day plan. Just don’t. It will only lead to frustration when you cannot fit the other day in. If some weeks you only have 2 days, but some weeks you have three, DO NOT try a 3 day plan. Again it will lead to frustration. Instead, do a 2 day plan and repeat one of the workouts a 2nd time in one week. Please be honest with yourself and remember… this is a LIFESTYLE you are building.
One of my mottoes is "workout to live, do not live to workout."
Even though I am a personal trainer, I think that spending multiple hours a day in the gym are NOT healthy. You will become over trained, over stressed and hurt yourself in the long run. No one's life should be centered around working out, YES EVEN THE LIFE OF A PERSONAL TRAINER!
My workouts are meant to fit your life, no matter how busy it may be. This means that the more honest with yourself you are, the better results you will get. If you truly are free only one day a week, then that's all I want you to do. Again, I will NEVER try to sell you on a multiple day workout if it's just not conducive for your life and schedule. I am not here to sell you workouts,
I am here to help change your life by gaining CONFIDENCE through lifting.
One of my mottoes is "workout to live, do not live to workout."
Even though I am a personal trainer, I think that spending multiple hours a day in the gym are NOT healthy. You will become over trained, over stressed and hurt yourself in the long run. No one's life should be centered around working out, YES EVEN THE LIFE OF A PERSONAL TRAINER!
My workouts are meant to fit your life, no matter how busy it may be. This means that the more honest with yourself you are, the better results you will get. If you truly are free only one day a week, then that's all I want you to do. Again, I will NEVER try to sell you on a multiple day workout if it's just not conducive for your life and schedule. I am not here to sell you workouts,
I am here to help change your life by gaining CONFIDENCE through lifting.
THIRD: find what you love
If you don't enjoy it, don't do it. I HATE running... so I don't do it. I like yoga, so I do it when I can. Walking is therapy, so I do it as much as possible. I LOVE lifting weights, so I schedule it in as a part of my week.
Never force yourself to workout in a way that feels like punishment.
After reading this, you might be thinking, "but I don't know if I like lifting" or "but I want to lose weight, not gain it" or "there's no way I can do that and not make a fool of myself." Well, I am here to prove those theories wrong because
I was in the same boat years ago.
I was convinced that lifting would make me get "bulky/too muscular/ ripped/manly/etc", but it didn't. It only helped me gain confidence and a greater appreciation for my body. Again, my real goal as a personal trainer is to help the INNER you, so please give lifting weights a try, because you have nothing to lose.
Seriously though, lifting weights is something that every healthy woman needs to incorporate in her life at least once a week (3 times if you can!). Lifting has SO MANY benefits!
Never force yourself to workout in a way that feels like punishment.
After reading this, you might be thinking, "but I don't know if I like lifting" or "but I want to lose weight, not gain it" or "there's no way I can do that and not make a fool of myself." Well, I am here to prove those theories wrong because
I was in the same boat years ago.
I was convinced that lifting would make me get "bulky/too muscular/ ripped/manly/etc", but it didn't. It only helped me gain confidence and a greater appreciation for my body. Again, my real goal as a personal trainer is to help the INNER you, so please give lifting weights a try, because you have nothing to lose.
Seriously though, lifting weights is something that every healthy woman needs to incorporate in her life at least once a week (3 times if you can!). Lifting has SO MANY benefits!
FOURTH: make "dates" with yourself
I am going to be VERY honest here... Even though I love lifting weights, it is NOT my all time favorite thing to do! I would MUCH rather sit on the couch with my husband and watch a movie. Phew, I said it. That was honest right? Even though I am a personal trainer, I have learned over the years that working out incessantly is no way to have a happy life.
Working out should complement your life, not detract from it.
So how do you make sure your workouts don't detract from your life? You treat them as ways to spoil yourself and treat yourself to a good, health providing habit. Don't let anyone get in the way of this "me time". That means, you need to find the time of day to workout that is best for YOU. This time will be different for everyone and it depends a lot on other people in you life, your job, your responsibilities, your personality.
For me, I need to workout in the morning.
If I don't do it then, it's just not going to happen. By the end of my day, I am OVER schedules. All I want to do is relax with my husband or friends, and have plenty of time to make a nice meal and enjoy the evening. So... I wake up at 5:15 am three days a week and I lift. It's just what works for me. I tried working out right after work, but if we had plans, or some major task to accomplish... WOOSH, working out went out the window. I am not saying that you need to be an early bird like me, but what I am saying is that you need to view yourself as important. Someone who's important deserves to workout when they want to without interruption right? Yeah, you are that person. You don't need to become that person, you already are her. Think about it this way:
if you do not take care of yourself, how are you supposed to be able to serve others?
Working out should complement your life, not detract from it.
So how do you make sure your workouts don't detract from your life? You treat them as ways to spoil yourself and treat yourself to a good, health providing habit. Don't let anyone get in the way of this "me time". That means, you need to find the time of day to workout that is best for YOU. This time will be different for everyone and it depends a lot on other people in you life, your job, your responsibilities, your personality.
For me, I need to workout in the morning.
If I don't do it then, it's just not going to happen. By the end of my day, I am OVER schedules. All I want to do is relax with my husband or friends, and have plenty of time to make a nice meal and enjoy the evening. So... I wake up at 5:15 am three days a week and I lift. It's just what works for me. I tried working out right after work, but if we had plans, or some major task to accomplish... WOOSH, working out went out the window. I am not saying that you need to be an early bird like me, but what I am saying is that you need to view yourself as important. Someone who's important deserves to workout when they want to without interruption right? Yeah, you are that person. You don't need to become that person, you already are her. Think about it this way:
if you do not take care of yourself, how are you supposed to be able to serve others?
