1. Set goals before you begin. Having short-term and long-term goals makes a big difference. For fitness goal setting, think of your short-term goals as daily, weekly, or even monthly targets, and consider your long-term goals as semiannual and/or annual ones. Do you remember the philosophical approach I follow when working with fitness, health, and weight management enthusiasts (the philosophy I presented in the book’s introduction)? Yes, it’s the phrase, “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.” To apply this approach to yourself, break up your goals into manageable stages. Also, as you progress in your exercise program, feel free to revisit and modify your goals at any time. You are ready. To help you stay on track, I invite you to write out a personal fitness contract for yourself that answers these goal-oriented questions:
a) What is one overall (and major) long-term goal of your exercise program you’d like to achieve in the next 6 months? Would you like to lose some weight? If yes, how much weight per month for the next 6 months?
b) What are some short-term goals you’d like to attain on a daily and weekly basis? Think this through and then answer these questions: Do you want to be active each week? If so, how many days per week would you like to do some physical activity? How many minutes per day would you like to exercise? Do you want to join a fitness facility or sign up for an exercise class? If so, when do you want this to begin? Do you want to eat more of a heart-healthy diet? Go ahead, write down all of these short-term goals.
After you’ve done this, evaluate your goals and determine the best way to manage and organize your plan of action. Sometimes it helps to schedule a meeting with a certified fitness professional to discuss your goals. If this is not an option, you may wish to choose a close friend who you feel will help you achieve success. Ask this person to read your goals and provide sincere, constructive, nonjudgmental feedback. Finally, both of you should sign your personal contract when it is complete. It helps when you commit yourself to your goals and have the other person sign, too, because this shows you are accountable to this person.
2. Reward yourself as you attain some of your goals. Keep track of your progress. As you achieve some of the goals you have written out in your fitness contract, reward yourself with a thoughtful gift, such as a book, new outfit, movie, new app, show, or—better yet—some new exercise gear.
3. Regularly self-evaluate how your exercise program (and lifestyle) is progressing. To evaluate your progress, I suggest you write (or type) out a health, fitness, and lifestyle evaluation list that includes things you are doing right (such as not smoking, eating well, and not abusing substances) and things you need to improve (such as not consistently exercising, neglecting to deal with stress, and sleeping inconsistently). Next, self-assess ways you can shift more entries to the “right” side. For instance, learning some yoga breathing techniques may help you manage your stress and improve your sleep patterns. Self-evaluation is a great way to consistently self-improve.
4. Find a workout partner. Research on sticking to an exercise program indicates we are more likely to adhere to daily exercise routines when we exercise with another person or persons. It’s best to partner with someone whose fitness level and goals are similar to yours (but if that’s not possible, any partner who gives you support for your exercise program is still better than no partner). Discuss what exercise activities or fitness classes you both enjoy, and commit to participating in them as workout partners.
5. Schedule your workouts on your daily and monthly calendar. With your workout partner, schedule your exercise sessions 3 to 5 days per week. Treat your workout time like a special meeting that can’t be cancelled (except for emergencies), because doing so will help ensure you don’t just blow it off for other obligations and tasks. I am frequently asked if it is better to exercise in the early morning, mid-morning, afternoon, or evening. My reply is always the same: select a time of day that has the best chance of helping you succeed. And if you discover the time you’ve chosen doesn’t seem to work, feel empowered to try another time. Let’s face it: you, like most people, are juggling multiple work-related and family-related activities daily. Once you determine a time or times that are best for your workouts, be selfish about preserving that time for your workouts. Dedicate this time block to yourself.
6. Get in tune with your body by “body checking.” Body checking is a technique I have used with my students for many years, and something you can do readily. Let me explain how it works. Always assess how your body reacts during your workout and recovers after your workout. If something feels too hard, immediately slow down or lighten the intensity. If it feels too easy, go ahead and challenge yourself a little more. If you are unusually tired after your workouts, you are most likely doing too much, or your diet is insufficient to fuel your workouts. Body checking is a way of listening to your bodily signals during and after exercise and then responding to them. I call it “body checking” because your body is incredibly intelligent, and during exercise it is sending you hundreds of signals. Listen to these messages and respond appropriately! If you are just starting a new exercise program, such as your HIIT workouts, it is always best to progress gradually. Over the years I’ve always told students and clients I’ve trained that the first several workouts should feel too easy. Let your body adjust to the workouts and build strength and stamina. Most fitness injuries come from people doing too much, too soon, too fast, and too hard; don’t get trapped in this downward spiral, as it may lead to your early “retirement” from exercise. Learning body checking shows a real dedication to respecting your exercising body.
7. Wear comfortable clothing and proper shoes. Your exercise clothing should permit you to move freely and allow your body to cool itself. Be aware that some exercise clothing fabrics have chemicals that may not be safe during exercise. Avoid exercise gear with acrylic, rayon, acetate, and stain-resistant chemicals (such as those treated with perfluorinated chemicals). Some of the more exercise friendly fabrics include bamboo pulp, cotton, cotton blends, nylon, polyester, and spandex. Proper attire is important for exercise enjoyment and success. (In Chapter 16 we’ll discuss workout gear and shoes further.)
8. Plan to exercise at least 1 to 2 hours after a meal. By waiting to work out after eating a meal, you will prevent stomach cramping and pain. Eating too close to exercise may also make you too tired; you don’t want your digestive system competing with your muscles for energy. Prior to a workout, always choose foods that your body finds easy to digest.
9. Be ready for some exercise speed bumps. Yes, we all have speed bumps when it comes to exercise—even people who have been training for years. Most of these come in the form of a missed workout or a lapsed goal. First and foremost, don’t get angry with yourself if you miss a workout or backslide on one of your goals. In fact, the first step is to forgive yourself for the lapse. Next, try to focus on what caused the lapse and how you may better deal with it in the future. For instance, if you start missing your workouts, perhaps you are scheduling them at the wrong time. Or, if you are too tired to exercise, it may be that you need to have a light snack a couple hours before your workout. Speed bumps are challenging, but they won’t undo all the progress you’ve made. Take a moment, reflect, and focus on the best way(s) for getting back on track.
10. Consider using a fitness tracker. Our world is flourishing with fitness trackers, mobile apps, and other wearable devices that calculate our daily movements and exercise. Some of the newer fitness products are quite accurate in measuring calories, steps, heart rate, and other physiological data. These fitness trackers really do inspire people to move more. In 2007, a comprehensive study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association involved reviewing twenty-six previous studies in which participants used pedometers to increase their physical activity, and it found that the average increase in physical activity among participants was 2,491 steps per day, a 26.9% increase. Don’t, however, expect trackers to help you automatically lose weight. Weight management, which I have dedicated the second section of this book to, requires learning new strategies to modify behaviors. Fitness trackers do not prompt you to change a behavior; they just track your activity, inspiring you to be more active. So consider trying a few of them out and seeing how they