5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Fitness Success in 2019!

Hello There!

Do you feel as though your fitness plateaued in 2018?

Could you never motivate yourself to get outside, or to the gym?

Do you want to change this?

OF COURSE YOU DO!

I thought what better way to start a brand new week than with 5 ways you can set yourself up for fitness success in 2019!

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Trust me, I’ve been there – doing all these random exercises but not seeing any progress. Well, at the start of 2019, I decided I was fed up with it! 3 months in and I am already seeing progress in the way I feel and perform!

I don’t want to dilly dally with much of an introduction this time, so without further ado – let’s get into it! (Imagine me doing the youtuber arm movements, along with a transition to the side haha)

1 – Organisation

O.R.G.A.N.I.S.E! Do you want to make sure that you are hitting all the muscles throughout the week? Do you want to make sure you are going to have enough time to get in your workouts? Then I highly recommend organising yourself and getting a routine in place!

At the start of each month I have been sitting myself down and writing what I want to do, fitness-wise, each day. You would have seen a glimpse of this in my ‘Febuarary in a (pea)nutshell’ post, however here is an example of what the hell I’m talking about!

• Monday – Leg Day
• Tuesday – Push Day [Running club in the PM]
• Wednesday – Leg and Abs Day
• Thursday – Pull Day [Running club in the PM]
• Friday – Rest
• Saturday – Marathon Training
• Sunday – Rest

Now, of course, everyone’s week is going to look a little different and I recommend not being too crazy with it. Work your way into a routine, potentially starting with doing something 3 times a week! The whole point of organisation is to ensure you actually get your bum in gear and saying you are going to do something 7 days a week is, firstly, INSANE and bad for your body, but also unmotivating.

I just write my routine down in a notebook, followed by the exercises, and I take a photo on my phone. Every week of that month I just do the same, obviously altering the weight, and then when the next month comes along – I CHANGE IT UP!

2 – Incorporate movement into your day-to-day life

This is a concept I learnt from Dr Rangan Chatterjee. It’s all about involving movement into your everyday life, such as taking the stairs or getting off at the bus stop before your usual stop. I’m a keen stair taker, as I am usually inpatient, however, getting off at the bus stop before mine takes quite a lot of will power!

But once again, if you just remain consistent it will become part of your routine – and your brain won’t even realise that you are getting off at a different stop! Ride your bike to work, take a walk at lunchtime or just do some lil‘ moves whilst the kettle is boiling. (I do this one, first thing in the morning when I am making my hot lemon water!)

3 – Try different approaches/types of exercise

I like going to the gym, lifting heavy weights and SMASHING it out first thing in the morning. BUT I used to prefer following youtube videos at home. Everyone is a bit different, and everyone’s preferences change! Make sure to stay aware of this, especially if you have been feeling unmotivated for a long time.

Change it up, go swimming instead of slaving to the treadmill or do a plyometric workout opposed to yet ANOTHER barbell back squat! Fitness and exercise are supposed to be fun and make you feel good, so keep this in mind when you organise your routine!

4 – Concentrate on performance goals

Yes, we all get it – you want to lose some weight. BUT, this can, potentially, be the wrong angle to go about exercising. Something I have paid more attention to recently, thanks to Natacha Oceane, is making sure my goals have a performance aspect to them.

If you concentrate on upping your 1 rep weight or being able to do that handstand, you are more likely to be motivated and achieve success. Physical changes come hand-in-hand with these performance sucesses, so I highly recommend having a go at this – especially if you have been unmotivated due to no weight loss success.

I am planning on writing a post on what, how and why you should set yourself some SMART goals – so keep an eye out for that later on in March!

5 – Incorporate an activity for YOU

Let’s say you LOVE Tennis, but you have been skipping out on it to ensure you get that extra day at the gym in a week. This approach may be hindering your fitness success!

You love Tennis, there will be no problem getting you out on the court every week. But you are finding getting to the gym on that 4th day really hard, and you usually end up skipping out on it anyway. See?

By making sure you have an activity in your exercise routine that you are doing purely for yourself will bring so many benefits – mentally AND physically!

At the start of February, I joined a local running club. Whilst I am running the Great North Run in September 2019 and want to improve my cardiovascular fitness, I attend the club because I want to! I could run outside, or on the treadmill, and achieve my goals BUT I go to the club because I enjoy the company. Plus, because they motivate me so much more, I am more likely to achieve my goals anyway!

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YAY for fitness successes in 2019!

Here is me from 2017, on holiday, (awkwardly) cheering for you and your future success! (HAHAHAH)

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I hope you found something (or 5) to take away and incorporate into your own lifestyle! I LIVE for motivating people and helping with their health and fitness, so make sure to look out for more posts like this!

Please, as always, if you have anymore tips or if you do make any of these changes, leave a comment below or tweet me!

Till next time my friends!

-Millie 🙂