Exploring the 5 fitness principles that changed my life
My life would never be the same.
It was a routine Sunday night. The kids were asleep, my wife and I had locked up the house downstairs, headed up to brush our teeth, got into bed and started to read before lights out. Thirty seconds in my wife turned to me and dropped a hammer.
“You have a belly”
I couldn’t believe my ears. With these four words my soul mate, my best friend, my confidant had taken my ego in the palm of her hand and crushed it like the potato chips I had just eaten 20 minutes earlier.
She wasn’t wrong and I now realize that her harsh observation was what I needed to hear. For roughly 35 years I was physically active and stayed in shape. But in my late 30’s I started to slip down the very common slope of letting myself go. By the time I reached 40 years old, I was the heaviest I had ever been at 245lbs with a pronounced beer belly.
I knew I had to make changes to my lifestyle but struggled to stick with any one diet, workout, or healthy routine. My wellness attempts became a series of trial and error and I eventually stopped the trial part.
There is a laundry list of excuses I could make for this decline (kids, stress, work schedule, life) but I won’t dwell on those. I find that excuses are like farts, you are ok with your own, but want no part of someone else’s.
Instead, let’s focus on what worked. With so much noise in the health and wellness arena its easy to get overwhelmed with advice. I found the best results came from having some fitness principles that I could tap into when I was unsure of my next steps.
So here are the 5 guiding fitness principles to help you stay consistent on your fitness journey.
1. Set attainable goals and build habits you can do forever
No one jumps to the top of the mountain from the base. Being fit is a forever journey of many small steps. If you set unachievable goals, you will likely burnout.
Instead of…“I’m going to work out seven days a week for two hours each day”
Start with…“I’m going to do something active for 20min each day”
Instead of…“I’m cutting out carbs, sugar, caffeine, red meat and ….”
Start with…“I’m going to include fruits and vegetables in every meal”
Set smaller more attainable goals, crush them consistently, and build from there.
2. Eat food, not too much, mostly plants
I get it, vegetables are not a ton of fun. But they are pound for pound the best thing you can put in your body. Here are a few reasons why:
- They act as medicine for things like inflammation and high blood pressure.
- They are low in calories and high in nutrients, so filling up on them will help with weight loss.
- Many are high in water content and help with hydration for better skin
- Not to mention they lower your risk of chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes
Straight talk: If you want to feel better and live longer, Eat. More. Vegetables.
3. Commit to HIIT
HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and was a game changer for me.
20 minutes a day is all you need to lose weight and build strength. Like in most things the harder you go the faster the results, but not every day needs to be epic.
The goal is to get you heart rate scale looking like a roller coaster for 20 min each day and you will see results in just a few weeks. Here’s a few exercises I love.
4. Make it a Game
I am the youngest of 5 and am naturally competitive. Using this to my advantage, I challenge myself regularly.
Test your grit. Try to reach new fitness milestones. Look up healthy eating challenges. I am currently attempting this one.
If you fail, thats ok, but never stop trying. Worst case scenario, you are a little more fit than before you made the attempt!
5. Its a lifestyle change
Just about everything I do now is with fitness and health in mind. When my wife and I go for walks, we wear weighted backpacks to get our heart rates up. If given the choice, I take the stairs. Instead of just a lunch meeting, I invite clients on hikes and then I take them to lunch.
The only way to improve your life forever is to re-frame how you approach it. The old way was not working. It’s time to think differently.
Read books, take fitness classes, surround yourself with healthy people. If you think like a healthy person, you are more likely to be a healthy person.
You can’t squeeze wellness into the same box you’ve been living in. Sometimes you need a new box.
Conclusion
These five fitness principles :
- Set attainable goals and build habits you can do forever
- Eat food, not too much, mostly plants
- Commit to HIIT
- Make it a Game
- Its a lifestyle change
are meant to give you a foundation to build on. Find what works for you and create you own routine.
Consistency is everything. Stick with it and you will become a stronger, healthier version of yourself that you can be proud of.
