Fitness is a word that I think some people don’t want to think about. They don’t want to put in the work to be the best version of themselves, and they don’t want to start eating healthy. Some people want to have the best body, but they don’t want to put in the work to be able to achieve that body. Occasionally, people feel motivated and will start a 2 week workout journey and see that there are no results, so they quit. But, the key to fitness or a workout journey is consistency and motivation. It’s beneficial to have a set in place, workout split. In other words, a schedule for how many days you workout that week.

Motivation to me means that you have an urge to work towards something, so you make it happen. Maybe you’re too tired or don’t want to do something, but you have an urge to just do it. Motivation can be a mentor, an idol, or even a video or quote you see on social media. For example, someone that everyone is fond of, Kobe Bryant. He once said, “ Those times when you get up early and you work hard; those times when you stay up late and you work hard;those times when you don’t feel like working , you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway;that is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”. I really look up to this quote especially when I don’t feel like going outside and working out. Quotes like these strongly motivate me to just get up and do it.I tell myself that nothing is going to change if I just sit around and do nothing. 

But, some days you need to rest. You are super stressed and just need a break. That is normal! A lot of people on the internet post just the good days. They don’t show their off days, and the days they fail. So, don’t let that be the mindset you search for. Because that’s not normal, and it’s not healthy to not take a break once in a while. Whether that’s a day, two days, even a week. I just think it is crucial to still be in the mindset that you want to change. You want to work towards a good life, a healthy one. According to Cleveland Health Clinic, for your heart health, guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. In a given week, that means 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. Anything that you choose to do is better than nothing. Sometimes people will say, “ I had a bad workout”, or “ I’m not as strong as I was a couple of days ago” . Well, get into the mindset of “ It’s okay I had a bad workout today, at least I did something”. It’s okay if you didn’t get the goal amount  of reps or minutes. There’s always another day. And, sometimes I will think that this just gives me another reason to workout harder tomorrow. It can motivate you to workout harder the next day.

Many people stop working out after a week or so because they don’t see results. Well, here is the truth. You’re not going to see results that soon. You have to stay consistent! Consistent to me means that you don’t give up on it. You stay on top of things, and you don’t hesitate to do it. Julia Sullivan from Women’s Health says, “ While seeing results from working out depends on the person and their current level of fitness, my clients generally see initial changes within 4-6 weeks,and actual results within 8-12 weeks”. So, as you can see, it doesn’t take little to no work. It takes hard work. It takes you, you to show up for yourself. Another quote for consistency that I recently found, “ Nothing is given, everything is earned.”-Lebron James. When it comes to working out, everything is earned, not given. 

Next, your diet plays a big role in your fitness journey. If you eat junk food and work out, you aren’t going to get the right results you’re looking for. You can live by the 80/20 rule. 80 percent nutritious , 20 percent junk food. For example, if your calorie goal for the day is 1,500, you can have a 300 calorie treat. But, try to keep it balanced. For instance, if you eat 1,200 calories for the day, you can have a piece of cake for the treat, but if you want a soda, pick one or the other. It may seem silly to eat one or the other, but this idea keeps your diet balanced! This proves that you can still eat the foods you want while dieting. 

If you like drinking soda like me, don’t substitute regular with zero sugar. According to Healthline, “ Nutritionally, there are no significant differences…switching from original sodas to diet ones is a great starting place if you're trying to cut back on added sugars”. So, it doesn’t really affect your diet much at all. But, as quoted, it’s a good starting place to switch off once in a while. Some drinks you can replace soda with are sparkling water, flavored water, iced/hot tea. 

Foods that are recommended for your nutritious diet are whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, as well as limited amounts of healthy fats. Specific foods you can eat to achieve whole grains are whole grain breakfast cereals ( Cheerios, Raisin Brand, etc). Another option is oatmeal. There are many different oatmeal flavors to ensure that you enjoy what you eat. Toppings you can add are fresh fruits, spices such as cinnamon, and maybe even a couple spoonfuls of nut butter. Lastly, for whole grains you can eat brown rice. According to Heart Attack and Stroke Symptoms, “ Whole grains like brown rice are healthier than processed grains. They contain more fiber, which helps you feel full faster and helps your digestive system run properly.” 

Next up is fruit and vegetables. For breakfast, you can eat grapefruit, bananas, and a healthier option is to add raisins to your cereal, if that’s your choice for breakfast. For lunch, a good option is to eat raw veggie sticks instead of chips. If you are having a sandwich for lunch, you can add avocado or even tomato and lettuce to achieve your fruit and veggie goal for the day. Once again, there are so many options to choose from for your fruit/veggie intake. Here are some more choices: Grapes, apples, oranges, pineapple, cantaloupe, kiwi, raspberries, strawberries, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, and cucumbers. That is a list to help you get started. 

Thirdly, there is lean protein. Options you can choose from to eat lean protein are white fleshed fish, cottage cheese, powdered peanut butter, greek yogurt, beans and peas, pork loin, egg whites, and frozen shrimp. According to Mayo Clinic Health System, “ The recommended dietary allowance to prevent deficiency for an average sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For example, a person who weighs 165 pounds, or 75 kilograms, should consume 60 grams of protein per day”. 

Lastly, for dieting choices, there are limited amounts of healthy fats to choose from. Try to incorporate healthy fats into your meals. In doing so,“These include lowering the risk of developing heart disease, improving blood cholesterol levels, helping with blood sugar control, and reducing inflammation. Healthful fats have a beneficial effect on blood pressure, and they have been shown to support gut health(UCLA Health)”. Few choices of healthy fats are vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and fish. 

A lot of people find a nutritious and healthy diet but they don’t want to put the work in to get to where they want to be. You have to start now so that you can get to where you want to be. When I first wanted to lose weight, I started doing ab workouts because that is what I thought would get me where I wanted. But, it didn’t. The reason for this is because I wasn’t eating well and not doing the correct things to achieve my goal. You can’t get abs in two weeks doing a 15 minute ab workout every day. So, this is when I decided I wanted to gain muscle and be stronger. I didn’t like how weak I was. I am still weak. I do workouts that are enjoyable to me. I love and hate the feeling when your muscles are tired. When my muscles feel this way, it doesn’t hurt but it reminds me I am doing the workout right, and it also encourages me to do more reps! 

According to The Baltimore Sun, “ Strength gains are the result of muscle recruitment and muscle hypertrophy, and women have the same capacity for achieving strength gains as men. However, due to lack of testosterone, women have less muscle density…Commonly, men are stronger than women due to overall increased muscle mass. With strength training, men usually gain more muscle hypertrophy, i.e bigger muscles , than women because of the effect of testosterone.”

Women should lift weights for multiple reasons. To start off, lifting can increase your self-confidence. Women feel pressured to watch the number on the scale. Body image is more important to younger and older women rather than in men. Truthfully, everyone experiences it but some are confident with themselves rather than others. “ Strength training has been demonstrated to improve women's perception of their body image and improve self -esteem markers overall. Resistance training programs can aid women in changing their focus to increasing strength rather than losing weight( Nasm.org)”. This proves that women should lift weights regardless of their fear of looking too big or bulky. 

Another reason to lift weights is that it builds stronger bones. “ Lifting weights can be your best defense against osteoporosis-a disease affecting 10 million Americans, 80 percent of which are women…(Live strong.com)”. So, why wouldn’t you want to avoid that? Some may think that it won’t happen to them, but it very well could be you. 

A third reason why you should lift weights is because you will be happier and less stressed. Once you maintain a workout split, and you are consistent with it, you will see results and it will make you want to continue lifting. “One Australian study found that people who did three strength workouts a week reported an 18 percent drop of depression in 10 weeks( Live Strong.com)”. 10 weeks may sound like a long time but if you stay consistent, anyone can achieve their goal. A large amount of people workout and lift to release anger and/or release any negative emotions.

If lifting weights isn’t something that you are interested in, there are plenty of options that you may enjoy doing.  Firstly, you can do a HITT workout. HITT means high intensity interval training. Doing this improves your oxygen and blood flow as well as burning calories and building muscle. Doing workouts like this are great to get your body moving, even if you aren’t looking to lose weight. It is very important to get your heart rate up somehow throughout your day.                                                                  Exercises you do for HITT are high knees, jumping jacks, jump squats, mountain climbers, rope jumping, side jackknife, russian twists, pull-ups, squats, wall-sits. These options are great, and can be modified for beginners. A tip when you are doing these workouts is to take your time and focus on your form rather than time. Get as many repetitions as you can in the time you have. Focusing on your form is crucial, for anyone because it helps reduce your risk of injury as well as enabling you to get a full range of motion. So, focus on your form next time you workout. It truly is important!

Another option if lifting weights isn’t for you, you can do yoga. Yoga actually has quite a bit of benefits. The benefits are that it improves strength, balance, and flexibility. Of course, basically everyone has heard of this reason before. But, the reason for this is true. A reason you should try out yoga is because it can improve your sleep. According to Healthline, “ Yoga has been shown to improve both how quickly people fall asleep and how deeply they stay asleep”. Yoga can be done at home, but it is recommended to attend a class, as you are a beginner. 

Another option if yoga, HITT, and lifting weights isn’t for you, is to walk! Walking is awesome to improve your overall health. When I walk, I feel like I can be myself, zone out, and listen to music. The benefits of walking are that it reduces stress, maintains a healthy weight, lowers blood pressure, improves sleep, and it also can help beat cancer. Walking/running after lifting weights improves muscle mass. Walking/running before lifting weights increases endurance. The recommended amount of time for walking or running before is 5-10 minutes. The recommended time for after lifting is 5-8 minutes. If you don’t want to run or walk after your workout, you can do static stretching instead. 

I have enjoyed running before lifting weights or doing a HITT workout, but I occasionally run after too! I think people should do what they prefer but if you’re looking for results, follow the recommended times above. Working out should be enjoyable, and you should be eager to accomplish heavier weights and improve overall on how much weight you can lift. The feeling when your muscles get tired is a good thing, it always makes me push for more reps. Although, taking a break at least 2 times a week is crucial. When you rest, you gain muscle. Yes, it is sort of crazy to think about but it’s true! According to Fitness 19, “ Well, first of all, it’s essential for muscle recovery, without adequate rest and proper nutrition, you can train all day long but won’t make any gains. It’s important for muscle growth and recovery”. This shows that you  

need to rest a few days a week in order to gain muscle. Plus, the muscles need to recover before lifting again. 

For a lot of people, they get hungry when they workout, so it’s recommended for some that you have a pre workout snack. Some options for this are oatmeal with fresh fruit, whole grain crackers with cheese, low fat yogurt with berries, rice cakes, fruit and vegetable smoothies. Eating a pre workout snack has benefits because by giving your body the right pre-training nutrition, you’ll reduce muscle glycogen depletion. This is important too because it may help you have a better workout performance, and allows you to workout longer. 

If you’re not interested in eating a snack beforehand, you can eat a snack after. A benefit is that it will ensure that you are giving your body the energy to replenish what was used. Some snacks you can eat after a workout are a low-fat granola bar, fruit smoothie, a peanut butter sandwich, a banana, energy bar,a bagel, or a sports drink. If you did want to eat a snack that is junk food, it is also recommended to eat after your workout, and not before. Try to veer toward sugar snacks, and not protein ones to balance the fat. Normally, you would think that since you just worked out you don’t want to gain all those calories back, but this is recommended. 

I recently saw a book at Target by Ellie Goulding. It is called Fitter. Calmer. Stronger. Her book shares her love for wellness and fitness. The opening introduction to her book first says, “ Brightest Self: A transformation where you aim to be emotionally and physically prepared for the rigors of life. To be empowered, knowing you have the mental agility and strength in your body to be resilient. You can be peaceful when you need peace and have the energy to take off like a rocket when you need to act”. This really stands out to be because it relates also to the Kobe Bryant quote I shared earlier in the reading. “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”. Ellie Gouldings’ quote inspires greatness and hope. 

Another quote straight out of her book is “ Women in particular have been conditioned to act as if they’re competing for a gold medal. But in reality you just  run around in a massive circle trying to attain an unattainable standard”. So, break that standard. Why try to be like everyone else when you were born to be you? I think everyone can agree to this because I wanted to be like everyone else when I was younger. But, as I grew up I realized that I shouldn’t seek to be like everyone else. Be your own person. My mom always told me that, but I didn’t want to listen to it. I know now that it’s important to be you because no one can take that away from you. 

So, break that standard for women. “But I don’t want to be bulky”, “I don’t want to be built like a man”, or “ Oh, what will people think of me when I start working out or lifting?”.Who cares??. Be your own person and thrive to be the person you want to be for yourself. Don’t try to be super skinny like everyone on Tiktok and Instagram. Everyone is different. I think it’s important to go your own way. Steer away from today’s beauty standards. Start steering towards becoming a better you, start steering towards being stronger. Maybe your goal is to become more flexible. Start working towards your goal. Stop wondering what other people will think of you. Just do it. Many people are scared that they won’t succeed, or they won’t maintain their routine. Stop worrying about it, start now. Live in the now, focus on now. Some may say, “ I wish I started working out sooner”, yeah well you can’t change that. So, keep working. Keep doing what you’re doing.

Focus on you. Become the best version of yourself. Even if you don’t think you can do it, be up for the challenge. I think everyone can do something if they put their mind to it. Even if you have no one to help you get through it. Do it by yourself. Even when no one is proud of you, be proud of yourself. That gives you more motivation. Maybe someone disappointed you. Stop crying about it and use that anger to better yourself. Maybe even someone told you that you wouldn’t be able to do this workout challenge, but prove them wrong. It will be a change, and it may be uncomfortable for a while, but get used to being uncomfortable until you reach your goal, and be consistent. 

Not motivated today? Don’t care. Put on some music and get to work. I saw a quote on Pinterest , “ You’re not going to get anywhere without discipline”. And that is important. Motivation, consistency, and discipline is key to where you want to be. You can’t go to the gym for a couple days and expect to see immediate results. Consistency, motivation, and discipline. “Small wins add up to big accomplishments over time. Discipline is like a muscle that gets strengthened with consistency”-Chris Freytag. This is great motivation to get you started. Think of discipline as a muscle. When you get in this mindset, you feel like you are making progress with your fitness journey. This quote that I want to share is not from an athlete but I think that considering he’s a motivational speaker, it could be beneficial. “ Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”-Jim Rohn. 

Failure is something that everyone is aware of, it’s what everyone is scared of. But, you can’t succeed without failure. You begin to learn from your mistakes and grow. I don’t want to fail, but it happens! Everyone needs to fall before they get back up. In the gym or even at home, some days you aren’t as strong as the day before. That is okay. Even if you don’t show improvement the day you failed, that's okay because you tried, you showed up. You stayed on schedule. Keep that mindset, and show up the next day with even more confidence!

A lot of people think of the gym and fear that others are judging you. But in truth, everyone has a similar goal. They want to better themselves, so don’t fear what other people may think of you. Although we all have “the same goal”, we all have different ones at the same time. You either want to lose weight, you may want to gain weight, you want to gain muscle, or maybe even you just want to do something good for yourself. Maybe you want to find something you’re passionate about. Everyone comes to the gym to do something for themselves. Even if you like to workout at home, that idea can relate to you as well. 

I used to be afraid of what other people, especially girls would think if I gained muscle and “broke the beauty standard”. Now, it’s WHEN I become stronger. I began to not care what others think. I am still learning to not care. It doesn’t go away immediately. It’s a mindset. Someone is always going to have something bad to say about you. No one is perfect. Everyone is imperfect. Maybe someone told you that you can’t do something, that you aren’t strong enough to do it. That just gives you another reason to prove them wrong. But, you have to be the one to get yourself started. You have to be the one to start eating right, and you have to be the one to decide when you want to start. Start it now. 

I saw a Tiktok that was on Pinterest and it said, “It’s very simple to get what you want, but it’s not easy. It is your job to make yourself do the crap you don’t want to do so you can be everything you’re supposed to be.And you are so busy waiting to feel like it, and you’re never going to. EVER. No one is coming. No one. No one’s coming to push you.No one is coming to tell you to turn the TV off. No one is coming to tell you to get out the door and exercise. No one is coming to tell you to apply for that job that you’ve always dreamt about. No one is coming to write the business plan for you.It’s up to you”. This quote explains that motivation and consistency is EVERYTHING. No one is coming to tell you to get started, and no one is going to do the work for you. You have to be the one to get you started.

I will be honest, sometimes I look into people who are into fitness’ life, and I sometimes get sad because it’s pretty much all healthy. But, I tell myself that you can still make foods that you like when you’re trying to eat healthy. Even when you’re first getting started, you can ease into it a little. So, I think that you can eat the foods you like and add fruits and vegetables. Maybe even control the portion size, and add more healthy foods to your plate. People always say that but I think once you ease yourself into eating healthy, you won’t crave those foods you couldn’t stay away from before. Yes, this isn’t backed up by evidence but I think this is what I am going to try. I think it could be a good start for me. Everyone is different so, I could try it and if it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work, and I try something else. Once you figure out what is best for you, and your relationship with food, you are set. 

For me, someone who drinks soda a lot, I think I could ease into drinking beverages with carbonation such as Sparkling Ice Water. As said before, zero sugar pop doesn’t exactly do anything different for you than regular soda, so I could switch off between these options. Another option would be Gatorade. Gatorade helps to restore the lost electrolytes and keep a person hydrated during intense activity. But, there is such a thing as drinking too much gatorade. Drinking too much gatorade can be bad for you in all actuality. If you workout for less than 60-90 minutes a day, it actually can be bad for you. According to Healthline, “ The extra calories from a sports drink could contribute to weight gain.The extra sodium could increase the risk of high blood pressure over time…”. To conclude, it truthfully isn’t recommended to drink daily, even if you workout more than 60-90 minutes per day. 

Another drink you could substitute for soda is water, and infuse it with fruit. Some people even put a few slices of cucumber in their water. Especially on a super hot day, ice water with a few slices of lemon tastes so refreshing, but  drinking water infused drinks has plenty of benefits! Some of these are that it boosts the immune system,prevents and treats headaches, maintains blood pressure, helps lose weight, delivers oxygen throughout the body, flushes out toxins and body waste, and it improves physical performance. 

When you are on your fitness journey, you want to strive toward progress and not perfection. Once you are consistent and don’t throw in the towel, you will start to see progress. There’s a mindset on Pinterest that I saw, it’s that in 2 weeks you’ll feel it, in 4 weeks you’ll see it, in 6 weeks you’ll hear it. It may seem like a long time, but you show up and show out, you’ll achieve it. Consistency and motivation! 

Challenge yourself to do different things when working out! Go out of your comfort zone. Maybe that’s doing a different type of exercise that day. Maybe it’s the day for a HITT workout, maybe do a stretching video after. Or, if you lift weights and walk on the treadmill after, try the stair master. Challenge yourself to do more. Maybe that means more reps. Maybe even 2 reps! It all counts. Challenge yourself to do something different after a workout 2 days a week.

Sometimes when the weather is nice, I try to achieve a new PR for jump roping. During the summer I achieved 1,200 jump skips. I tried to do sets of 50 to start out, then give myself a 10 second break. Then, once I got into the 400’s or so, I challenged myself to do 100 jumps instead of 50. And, sometimes I was into my music so I do more, but it all depends on you. That’s an example of what I did to switch up my workout routine. I used to get tired after doing 10 jumps, but I had a routine and I improved! Time and effort goes a long way. 

The benefits of jump roping are that it burns calories of course. If you jump rope for 15-20 minutes, it burns about 200-300 calories, depending on the amount of times you stop to take a break. Another benefit of jumping rope is that it offers a full-body workout. It works your thighs, hips, abs, arms, shoulders, hands and wrists.  It also elevates your heart rate. Sp, if lifting weights isn’t something you’re interested in, and or you hate running, this is an alternative. 

Actually, concluding the topic above, jumping rope is slightly better than running, depending on your goals. Women’s Health says, “ If weight loss is your goal, jumping rope and running both burn a significant number of calories in the same amount of time…However, jumping rope might have a slightly higher calorie burn since you are engaging more muscles in the movement…”. Jumping rope is also pretty high on the list for the best calorie burning exercises. So, think about jumping rope sometimes to switch up your workout, and burn more calories. 

If you are interested in running, there are benefits of running as well. The benefits are that it reduces stress, improves markers of health, burns calories, it can be social, and it boosts your confidence. If you’re interested in running, for the first couple of days start with brisk walking to introduce higher intensity. After a couple of days- weeks of brisk walking, slowly work toward jogging. After you feel you are ready to run, start with a couple minutes of running, and take a break. Continue this pattern until you can run for the amount of time you’re interested in running. 

If you are interested in running/jogging everyday, set up a goal for yourself. Maybe you want to run for an extra minute or two minutes, maybe even a couple more seconds. I feel that in doing this, you are in a competition with yourself, and it motivates you to want to run longer, to beat the competition from yesterday. You want to set a new goal for yourself daily, in order to fulfill your goals. Even if you enjoy running for the simple face of nature, you can set a goal for yourself while doing so. It’s not required but I think it improves your performance. But, if you truly do need to take a break, do it! You always want to listen to your body. There’s a difference between pushing yourself to a new goal and stopping, and letting your body take a break. 

When exercising, it is important to focus on this quote, “ Fitness isn’t about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be”. You shouldn’t compare yourself to others just because you workout, and are working on becoming a better version of yourself. Just be silent. Just do. Just do what you’re doing, and be humble. Don’t brag. Just be humble. It can be hard to not brag about yourself, especially when you know what you’re capable of, but focus on you. 

Maybe when you are bettering your life, and someone notices the progress and you inspire them. That can be used as motivation to be more consistent in your fitness life, and to not give up because you’re the person that inspired someone! I’m not saying don’t give up because someone is watching you, but don’t give up for the sake of progress for yourself. You came all this way, so don’t give it all up now. It’s easier to get started than to give up on everything you achieved and fall back into not exercising. 

Maybe you are interested in reading stories of how people got to where they want to be. You could read the book by Ellie Goulding, “ Fitter. Calmer. Stronger.”Her book goes into further detail about how she got started, creating a positive mindset, eating nutritious foods, as well as achieving your goals. This can be a great book for anyone to read who is wanting to start their fitness journey. It can be found at many stores. Here are a couple: Target, Amazon. I am sure there are plenty of other stores but I am not exactly sure which stores have her book. 

Even if you aren’t looking to become more involved with fitness, Ellie Gouldings’ book is great to read because she explains how you can achieve those goals you’ve been wanting to achieve. It's a great book for everyone to read! Another book that you would be possibly interested in is, “ Eat to Love” by Jenna Hollenstein. She is a nutritionist and goes into detail about all the different kinds of foods you can eat in order to attain those food goals set for you. She explains techniques you can do to help the reader deeply understand their bodies, and she helps you prioritize your meals. This is a book for anyone who is starting their journey as well, or even if you are still in your journey and you want to learn more about what you can eat. 

If reading books about fitness isn’t your thing, you don’t have to read a book. There are so many helpful videos on Youtube, Tiktok, and Pinterest that will help guide you through the journey. Yes, not all information on the internet is true, but you just have to make sure it’s credible, and maybe even do research about what you found. Just to make sure it’s reasonable. Some people just see things on the internet and assume it's true, but sometimes it’s false information. 

There are a lot of fitness influencers on Youtube specifically. An influencer that you could look into is Kelly Brown. His Youtube name is GetFitWithKB. He is a natural bodybuilder and youtuber that shares his experience with fitness and how he achieves his figure. He is a certified personal trainer, and he writes personalized meal plans for anyone interested. There are youtube videos of days in his life as a bodybuilder, and workouts for muscle gain. 

If you aren’t interested in having a bodybuilder as an idol, or you just don’t have the same goals as him there are many other people to look into. Another influencer is Rachel Brathen who is a yoga instructor from Sweden. Her Youtube name is Yoga Girl. Her channel focuses on holistic therapeutic tools like journaling, sharing, and active listening so that people can achieve a deeper level of heart heeling. This channel is for anyone who isn’t interested in lifting weights, and has different goals than that.  This channel is great for people who want to learn more about yoga, tips for yoga, and meals you can eat that are nutritious. 

I am sure almost everyone has heard of Chloe Ting on Youtube. She puts out so many workout videos for any type of level you are on. If that is beginner, intermediate, or advanced. She has a lot for each topic. These types of workouts by Chloe are great for when you don’t have the chance to go to the gym, or the weather permits you to do otherwise. 15 Min Full Body Workout to GET FIT | 2021 Get Fit Challenge. This is a link for just a 15 minute full body workout. If you aren’t completely sure what you want to focus on in your workout, this is a great way to start out.

Another video on Youtube is this 20 Min Beginner Workout After A Long Break This video is by, “ growwithjo” and this is also great for when you don’t have a lot of time in your day, but you want to squeeze in a workout. This video can also be useful to you because you just need a couple feet in order to complete this. In the description box under her workout link on Youtube, there are 10 steps for easing back into your routine, if you took a long break. Make sure to check that out if that is something you’re interested in. 

Fifthly, if none of the workouts listed above in detail still isn’t something that you’re interested in, The Fitness Marshall on Youtube is also beneficial.  His channel is dancing, which surprisingly is a great way to sweat, as well as trying to get your body moving for the day. This channel is great because you can search for your favorite song on his channel and get a workout in while listening to it. The workouts are 1-5 minutes in duration, depending on the song. You could start out doing 2 or 3 of your favorite songs. The link to this is youtube.com/@TheFitnessMarshall/videos . 

Just a disclaimer, these options listed are only a few out of all the options you could be interested in doing. I highly recommend researching depending on you, what workout is best for you. Even if you’re just starting your workout journey. Also, if you’re first getting started, I suggest talking to your doctor the next time you go to make sure they give you the go ahead on working out. It may seem silly, but it is important to do. 

If you’re interested in running or jogging, but you’re not familiar with it yet, a great way to start out is doing this video HOME CARDIO WORKOUT (instead of running) | Follow Along, 10 min. This video is exceptional to do if you don’t have a treadmill, or you want to ease your way into running if you’re a beginner and don’t want to cause injury. Just a disclaimer there are so many other videos that you can follow along to, but this is just one of them. It’s also important to stay hydrated during your workout so if that means pausing in between sets and taking a drink of water, that is beneficial. 

If you’re not feeling motivated to work out, it has been a popular opinion to purchase cute workout clothes that you like, it motivates you to just get up and do it. No procrastinating. So, next time you see workout apparel that you like, buy it for yourself. Like a little reward for getting started, for showing up for yourself. Keep that attitude along your journey. You may get a jolt of motivation to start, or you may not. So, if you’re feeling ready, just do it. Just get started, stop waiting around. As stated before, no one is coming to get you started, no one is coming to get you off the couch. 

The only way you’re going to get started is if you stay motivated and consistent throughout the journey. Even if you aren’t feeling working out that day, fake it til you make it. Some days you will need to rest, to give your body a break, and to grow some muscle. Eating nutritious foods is crucial in your journey because if you’re working out and not eating good foods you’re not going to get the results you want. You have to be in it for yourself. If you want to have a friend come along with you throughout your journey, and if they have similar goals, go for it. Just do it. Maybe if you’re not motivated, you can set up motivating quotes in your room. A little bit of something goes a long way.