Getting started

Getting started to make that lifestyle change is by no doubt challenging. I have a lot of people telling me that they start of so motivated and start of great which is fantastic - but this often only lasts a week or so and then they're back to their old ways. I was in this cycle for years and years until I made some sort of permanent change. Motivation and consistency both assisted in this. 

What motivated me to make the change in my lifestyle in the first place (at the very beginning)  was not because I was unhappy with my appearance but simply because I was fed up with feeling unhealthy. I was sick all of the time, I felt sluggish all of the time and had little to no energy. I was by far the laziest person I knew and this in itself made me unhappy. Since I started exercising (about 8 months ago) I haven't been sick once, I have so much more energy and feel happier because of my health. 
I admit that yes, at the start it was extremely challenging to eat healthier and go from no exercise to at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise daily - but I'm convinced that if I can do it (after being the girl who was so lazy and wouldn't even walk 15 minutes home from school) anyone can! Never give up starting up! 


I'm sure a lot of people would agree with me when I say exercise can become extreeeemely addictive and what a great addiction to have when it's improving your health in the process! 

Ways you can get started! 

• Firstly, choose a form of exercise that's best suited to you, and more importantly, one that you enjoy. Doing something you enjoy as your form of exercise will motivate you to do it more often. Whether you enjoy team sports, individuals ones or just going to the gym - stick to what you love. I tried a range of group sports and I was never any good at them because I'm very uncoordinated...so I gave kick boxing and self defence classes a shot and loved it. Try new things to see what suits you, you may surprise yourself :)
• Pick a friend or family member who has similar interests as you to exercise with you, keep you motivated and provide some friendly competition. I don't currently have one and it proves to be lonely at the gym sometimes *cough* (pick me pick me) 
• Allocate a certain time of the day to exercise  If you're busy at least 30 minutes will do, but I really find making exercise a part of your daily routine and life an easy way to get into your long lasting health kick
• Setting realistic, healthy and maintainable goals can also motivate you to get started, eg. "I want to notice a change in how toned my legs are by next month" or "I want to exercise at least 15 minutes a day for the week" 
• When it comes to fitness, there's absolutely no room for negativity! Think positively about your lifestyle changes, don't make them seem like a chore and start off small with what you're wanting to achieve THEN work yourself up. If you start off small, you're going to feel successful, making you feel good about yourself, this will encourage yourself to do even better and/or more. You can then build on this successfully feeling by taking baby steps, eg. adding 5 seconds on how long you plank for each day, or increasing how long you exercise for by 2-4 minutes. You will never fail like this :) 
• Don't change anything too drastic about your lifestyle, it may be unrealistic and therefore too hard to maintain. For example, Sundays are my cheat day meaning I eat whatever I want (within in reason) and just relax. Cheat days are important so you're not depriving yourself of the things you love, thus making it less likely for you to binge later on. I absolutely love ice-cream, I could never cut it out of my diet completely so instead of eating it ever second day or so, I just save it for my cheat day!
  
  
  
  Today's a new day, lets get started!