Here are 16 health & fitness tips you need to know and great for anyone about to get started in exercise or planning a body transformation. Exercise can be a very daunting task yet highly rewarding immediately after you finish your first ever workout. Enjoy that endorphine release as that feel good factor will only get better as you progress in your workouts and see changes week-in and week-out. Focus your effort towards making exercise a lifelong lifestyle as oppose to being the fastest runner in your neighbourhood next week.
- Set goals – Always use small achievable goals that help you work hard over a short period of time. Simply imagine that to reach your 12 month goal you need to tick 100 boxes, and for every small goal you achieve is another box you get to tick. The only way to reach your long-term goal is by ticking every box. e.g. No chocolate or fizzy drinks for 2 days
- Bin the sugary snacks and keep a supply of healthy snacks in your office draw or glove box in the car such as nuts, seeds or dried fruit
- Cut a photo of that celeb’s figure you would like to achieve out of a magazine and stick it on the fridge, in the bathroom and on your forehead. Lets get in the zone and make this happen.
- Start the day with a glass of water! Start as you mean to go on and better hydration means improved mental focus and opportunity to wash out any toxins from the body. Hydration is a very important factor in fat loss. (2litres or more per day to hit Jake’s recommendation)
- Take the stairs and miss out the lift! (you hear it all the time but I know this worked for one of my bootcampers, she gained huge progress towards her weight loss over 6 months.)
- Plan your week with an opportunity to exercise on 3-4 different days and make it happen. “Fitness is not about being fitter than somebody else… Fitness is about being better than you used to be.
- Prepare your meals the evening before or in the morning. Ask every lean physique you know as they have all done it. Eating healthy meals is much easier when it’s prepared for you. When you haven’t got anything prepared to eat out of your lunchbox or place in the oven then its ‘panic mode’ as you will go from hungry to hangry. As a result of this you may settle for a pre-packed microwave meal.
- Don’t go shopping when your hungry! This will lead to buying snacks to kerb your hunger and these snacks will not be good!
- Consider a more energetic way to get to work – To travel 20 miles is not an excuse. Always count this as exercise and you can do anything from cycling, running or walking to work. I can always remember one of my clients who was aged 54 when she decided to roller skate 3 miles from her home to work. That’s what I call fun fitness.
- Always count hoovering the house (193kcal per hour), cleaning windows (184kcal per hour), and washing the car (234kcal per hour) as exercise!! Burn off calories without leaving the house.
- Get in the mindset e.g. if your losing weight let a friend or partner know, set a harmless competition with funny forfeits. Always keep me posted as I want to know.(follow me on social media)
- You can’t out-train a poor diet – Click on “Nutrition” and try some of Jake’s healthy recipes. Enjoy #jakewoodpersonaltrainer
- Why do you wish to get fit is it for a holiday? Wedding? Or your own health because your doctor has told you to? Just remind yourself of this reason every now and then.
- Variety is the spice of life – Always incorporate variety into your exercise routine and try new group exercise class, go outdoors for a workout, try a gym session, go for a swim! There is only one thing to remember… If it don’t challenge you then it don’t change you.
- Sleep – Aim for 6-8 hours of undisrupted sleep every night. Sleep is important for hormone regulation within the body and recovery of your soft tissues. You can’t catch up at the weekend because you was awake until late watching soaps. Sleep must be consistent for maximum benefits.
- Let your friends know what your doing. Share your plans and aims of your new lifestyle with a friend. You will be a #fitspiration to others and create positivity for you to succeed. Why not swap pub night for smoothie night? “Don’t surround yourself around negativity.” This is a rule I always enforce in training with clients and myself. Ignore the naysayers!
Enjoy. Thanks Jake Wood
