Unpopular Fitness Tips for Beginners

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I grew up a chubby girl but I had no problem with it, no one commented on my body and I was content with it. That changed when I turned 13, I got very sick and lost a bunch of weight, then I gained it back. It made me so self conscious that I spent hours on WikiHow reading articles on how to get a dream body. I remember 14 year-old me trying her first sit up in bed and failing miserably. At 17, I met a guy who on the first date told me to workout to "shape up," (talk about triggering insecurities). That's when I started doing squats before taking a shower and downloaded my first workout app. That progressed to YouTube videos, more workout apps, trying different forms of workouts, becoming a personal trainer at a gym (that gig was as short as my relationships) to now being so obsessed I can't function unless I workout.  Over the years, I've made some mistakes, learned from them and helped people get started with their fitness journeys. Here are some of my unpopular tips for beginners that will help you so much in your fitness journey. 

 It's okay to not have an end goal in mind

When you start your fitness journey, it's popular advice to have a specific goal that you can measure and track. While this is meant to motivate you, it does the opposite sometimes. It's hard when you see yourself doing all the work yet the results are not showing the way you want them to and that's discouraging. It's okay to not have an end goal and just start anyway. 

At this stage, it's far more important to set systems in place rather than weighing yourself every morning. Focus on being consistent, making small improvements and celebrating those wins. You'll set a defined goal once you've mastered the art of showing up and chances are, your goal won't be the same one that you had in mind when you started working out. 

Do what you can with what you have

Assess your current condition and see what you have and what is the most you can do with it. You don't have to go the gym first thing if you are in no condition to do that. If free workout apps and YouTube videos are all you can do then go ahead and start with that. 

Also look at your life with the responsibilities that you have. Can you afford to spend 2 hours working out or do you need just 30 minutes a day? Don't feel pressured to do things that got another person results. You'll be surprised at what you can achieve when you just make the most of what you have. 

Cardio is not the villain

The fitness community loves to make cardio the bad guy and put weight lifting on the throne. This comes from the premise that cardio burns calories in the moment while with lifting, your body continues to burn calories after your session. While this is true, studies have shown that cardio such as walking for 30 minutes a day does give results. I've personally achieved my fitness milestones the most when I prioritized cardio such as jump rope, walking and more recently running. 

As a beginner you probably want to lose weight and cardio gives you loads of fun options on how you can do that. You can take up dancing, swimming, join a sports or just increase your steps. As a bonus, you are more likely to be consistent if its an activity you love therefore increasing your chances of get the results you want faster. 

Take influencer advice with a grain of salt

At the beginning of my journey, I followed a bunch of influencers for motivation but they ended up demotivating me. I felt like I wasn't doing enough and I wasn't doing fitness right. 

They are experienced and they put in years of work to get to where they are. They are also trying to get brand deals and followers and they will say anything that will get them likes and shares. For the sake of your mental health and progress, don't click follow on 30 accounts. 

And apart from the mentioned reasons, most of the advice they give do not apply to beginners. You need to focus on the basics not the variation of a Bulgarian squat, all that information will overwhelm you. 

Conclusion

A fitness journey looks different for everyone and it has it's up and downs. Getting started can feel daunting but you are not alone in this. There are so many resources that can help you make this journey easier. I hope these tips helped, let me know in the comments which one was your favorite.

Until next time

xo xo