If you are considering starting a fitness or diet journey, you’ve come to the right place. I have found a real passion in working out and I’ll tell you that it did NOT come from wanting to lose weight! In fact, I’ve gained weight! But don’t let that scare you, I’ll touch on it later. Now might be a good time to tell you that I have ZERO qualifications in this, just experience! But stick with me! I am not being paid to endorse any products. These are just products that I have experience using and I do receive a very small commission if you use my links to purchase.
First, establish YOUR WHY! (I know you’ve heard that before but you’ve really got to think about this) If you “goal” or your “why” goes a little something like this, “I want to lose 20 pounds before my cruise.” just stop and backup a little. That’s not going to work! I’m going to tell you the exact opposite of every other diet page or fitness site. Your WHY needs to be an umbrella goal that is all encompassing.
Here are a few examples for you:
- I want to have the energy to play with my kids.
- I want to NOT have an asthma attack at the top of the stairs.
- I want to prove them all wrong!
You see, with those goals, they don’t expire and they don’t have a failure rate. The hardest part of fitness is NOT seeing the progress you think you should be seeing! Ya’ll it takes time and dedication to see change.
That leads me to #2: Set the standard!
Go ahead and step on the scale, measure yourself (watch some Youtube videos on how to do this correctly), TAKE THE PICTURES (with and without clothes, preferably your favorite outfit!) I know, it’s hard to be hit with reality but if you want to see your progress, you need to see your starting point. Even more important is that when the scale stays still, your body is still changing. If you don’t have the pictures and measurements, you might miss it!
***Back to me gaining weight*** I’m 5’8” and 190lbs. I stay frustrated with the scale because it flops between 185 and 192 on any given day (don’t weigh yourself after pasta night, take it from me!). I’ve even been frustrated with my measurements lately! But, better yet, MY BUTT looks good. My love handles are disappearing. I can see my collar bones (yea, it’s been a while). When I flex in just the right light, I have biceps!
Third, decide your budget and how you want to get started. There are tons of choices:
- Beachbody has great programs at all intensities including modifications for those with injuries or those new but want higher intensity programs.
- Gyms like Orange Theory have group classes that focus on staying at a certain heartrate.
- Cross fit gyms keep it fun and challenges you in crazy ways you thought you would never accomplish (if you are motivated by progress, this would be fun!).
- Health Clubs like One Life or the YMCA offer open gyms along with group classes (think Zumba, yoga, Body Pump)
- Low cost open gyms (Planet Fitness)
- FREE, home workouts (I’ll touch on this below)
- Low cost, home workouts
Whatever you decide, you don’t have to stick with it if it’s not for you. Gyms usually offer free trials so TAKE ADVANTAGE! Spend a month checking out all the places in your area for free. Why not?!
From here on out, I’m going to focus on home workouts and supplements:
If you need FREE, here’s what I suggest:
- Find some good people/pages to follow on Instagram. @LifeWithKorissa is one of my favorites. She’s a military spouse, funny, and very motivating and educational. Follow her for some great workouts.
- Check out Pinterest for your workouts. Literally just type, “upper body workouts” or “lower body workouts”. Explore the pages and find you something that’s not too complicated.
- Make a list for your workout. You need the exercise, the reps (how many at one time) and the number of sets (usually about 3 is good). You can do 3 sets of 1 exercise then move to the next or do 1 set of every exercise then start over for 3 full rounds. There’s really tons of ways to do this but you will explore those as you get more experience.
- Decide on your cardio! Aim for 2-3 days a week of 25-30 minutes of cardio when you first start. You can walk, run, bike, or do full cardio workouts!
Your schedule might look like this…or very different:
- Monday – Upper Body
- Tuesday – Cardio (walking)
- Wednesday – Active Recovery/Stretching
- Thursday – Lower Body
- Friday – Cardio (bike ride with kids…yes, that counts!)
- Weekend – Active Recovery (That means don’t binge on Netflix for 8 hours unless you are on a treadmill at the same time)
If you are up for purchasing a few things, here’s what I suggest:
- Dumbbells – 1 set is great but 3 sets is best. You might want a low (5 lb), medium (8 lb), and high (10 lb). I started with 5’s and bought a new set each month for 3 months. (A set is 2 of each weight)
- As you get into bigger weights, buy one at a time. There are so many benefits to isolating muscle strength to avoid compensation…so use that 1 weight by itself until you have 2!
- Yoga Mat – Not all mats are made equal. You want something easy to clean and hard to rip!
- Weight Lifting Gloves – These are to protect your hands. You WILL start getting callouses so just go ahead and invest in these.
- A piece of paper – You’re going to want to track what you do so you see your progress! I prefer a notebook or an app but write it down SOMEWHERE and put it all in one place!
That’s it! Those 5 products will get you started for prime results…but they are absolutely NOT necessary! You can do this without any equipment at all!
Lastly, prepare yourself for an addiction. I promise you that the first time you do a chest press with those 5 lb weights and on the 10th rep on your last set you’re thinking, “this is way too easy”, the addiction begins. It really stops being about dropping the pounds and turns into getting new PRs (personal records).
In 2021 I injured my back doing a weighted squat. It was bad. It took over a year to recover then I injured it again at work! In 2024 I got a nerve block and was finally able to work out regularly without pain. I have focused on core strength and protecting my spine. Today I hit a weighted squat PR when I squatted 120 lbs! In November 2024, I hit a PR on my Romanian Deadlift when I lifted 185 lbs!!!! I am so proud of myself and the recovery I have made. I am doing this so that I can live a life free of pain, everything else is a bonus!
If you have questions, leave a comment! I’d love to chat with you!