First off, congratulations on re-embracing the need to take the initiative to look after your health! It takes courage, determination, and motivation, and we’re proud of you for even considering it. What you need to understand, though, is that this journey won’t be a walk in the park. You’ll face hurdles along the way, and the best thing you can do is prepare yourself enough so that you don’t trip over them. Here are some essential tips to keep in mind as you embark on this exciting journey.
Educate Yourself
You can not successfully start and see through your physical health journey if you don't know what physical health in itself entails. You need to equip yourself with the knowledge of what the journey entails so that you can mentally prepare yourself for the change of lifestyle that you are about to initiate. Go on the internet and search for books and articles (that are reliable), then understand and get acquainted with the changes that you are required to make, plus insights from people who have gone through the same journey before. Then after that, find what works for you and study further on it so that you don't just do things blindly but be well informed.
Have Set Goals
You can not just go on a journey without any knowledge of the direction to take. Likewise, you can't just say you want to be physically fit and make adjustments without setting clear objectives on what being physically fit means to you. Don't generalise your journey, but instead, write down the goals you want to achieve in a certain period. If you, therefore, want to build muscle and gain weight, you need to write down what your goals are and the time span you want to achieve them. You also need to jot down the activities that you will be doing to get that outcome. If you are planning on joining the gym, running every morning or just eating healthy, write it down. This will continuously motivate you as it will keep you accountable for your health journey. The best part about also writing the goals down is that when you achieve them, you will be motivated even further to take care of your health.
Start Small
One thing for your weight-loss journey is that you shouldn't overwhelm yourself by taking very hard and drastic steps to achieve your healthy goals at the very beginning. You can't just wake up and take on a 10 km jog when you previously never exercised before. You will burn out and tap out early if you do that. You need to start slowly, with the knowledge that this is now a lifestyle and that you're not in competition with anyone; therefore, you need to do what works for you at a particular time. If you are going to start by walking only, do that. As you build confidence and endurance, you can gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts. By easing into it, it will feel easy and it will be easy to slide it into your routine, promoting a successful physical health journey.
Be Consistent
No one can overemphasise the importance of consistency when it comes to your physical health journey. Regardless of how small the changes you make are, consistency is what will create the results that you desire for yourself. You should show up for yourself and your health regularly if you want to see the results of your efforts. The more inconsistent you are, the less likely you will see any results. Therefore, if it means opting for a simpler and more manageable routine to witness the results that you want, you should do that.
Join a Community
There is always power in numbers and this also applies to your physical health journey. You should find a group of like-minded individuals that you can join either physically or online so that you can enjoy the power of community in the journey you have just begun. This will provide you with the support and motivation you need to remain accountable and consistent in your journey. You can also get many first-hand tips from the people there, which will help make your journey easier for you. Besides, having a community of people to work with will make the journey more fun than if you were to do it alone.
Eat Healthy
There's A difference between eating healthy and dieting. If you decide to diet, you should make sure that you don't end up eating healthily so that you can meet your weight goals quickly. You need to ensure that you find a healthy balance of food that you can institute into your diet while maintaining a balanced diet. Are you even aware that you can diet while eating healthy? So instead of surviving on a single banana for the whole day, start focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods. This will ensure that you not only achieve your physical health goals but also get the energy to support your daily activities. After all, what good is it to work out while you are malnourished? You, therefore, need to prioritise a blanched diet.
Be Patient With Yourself
You need to understand that you can't achieve a state of a good physique overnight. It takes time and it is normal for you to fall off the wagon over and over again. What is important, however, is for you to keep on keeping on regardless of how much it hurts, and if you do that, then you'll be okay. Don't be harsh to yourself when you make mistakes or feel discouraged. Instead, view these challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.