We caught up with qualified fitness trainer Nicholas Jobson to bring you some simple ways to include exercise into your day.
It’s safe to say we’ve all heard the jokes about owning a gym membership but never actually going, but why is that? Why do we allow that payment to go out every month but often only visit once a week, or even a month?
It’s usually because we have that image of the ‘dream us’. We know how we want to look. We want those Hollywood abs or that superhero definition, but let’s be honest, most of us just don’t have the time to get there. We just don’t have that freedom to really monitor our exercise and food to that degree…or do we?
Training in the gym doesn’t need to be an all-night thing. Stick to 30 to 45 minute sessions
It’s a lot easier to include exercise into your day and to work towards those goals than we like to admit but it’s scary to acknowledge that because it opens us up to failure. It means that we start to blame ourselves for not feeling and looking like that model image we have in mind, but there’s no need to feel guilty or upset about not being there.
Instead, we can just make small adaptations to our life that gets us working towards the goal, without taking away all our free time.
Keep track of the food you eat:
Try to keep an eye on what you’re eating and stick to a goal. Nowadays we all have a phone with a camera, so take a photo of the nutritional information when it comes to foods and tally them up throughout the day. It’s brief and easy to do, but will help you know exactly how much you’re eating without spending ages researching.
The gym doesn’t have to take half the night!
Training in the gym doesn’t need to be an all-night thing. Stick to 30 to 45 minute sessions. There’s no need to train for hours and hours, instead, aim for 10/15 minutes of cardio before doing some weights or resistance machines.
Think of a battle plan!
You wouldn’t go to the shops without an idea of what to buy, so treat the gym in the same way. Have an idea of what you want to work on and the things you want to achieve and then you’ll know what needs to be done. If you’re unsure, ask an instructor to give you a hand, but there’s nothing that makes you want to go home as much as the feeling that you’re unsure what to do next.
It’s a lot easier to include exercise into your day and to work towards those goals than we like to admit but it’s scary to acknowledge that because it opens us up to failure
Make a playlist!
You know what you’re going to train on, and you know how long you have to be there, so make a playlist of some motivational songs and crank up the volume!
Don’t bite off too much, too fast!
Fitness is a lifestyle, not just a passing hobby, so don’t try to do too much too fast. The number one goal I get asked is how to tone up and lose weight. Those are two different things! Focus on that weight loss and then, when you’re happy with your size, focus on the muscle building.
The take away message I’d try to reinforce is that the gym doesn’t need to absorb all your free time and you shouldn’t feel bad or guilty about any kind of change you wish to make. Instead, turn that guilty feeling into determination and remember – one day at a time.
Article featured inside Thrive Magazine Spring 2018 issue – written by Nick Jobson. Nick is a Personal Trainer and fitness instructor. Find him over at: www.facebook.com/nextstepf or Instagram: @Next_Step_Nick
