Top Tips for Starting a Fitness Plan in The New Year

Probably the most popular New Years resolution EVER is some variation on getting healthier/ losing weight and toning up. We all rush out the first week of January and fill our fridges up with everything lean & green, resolving that this year will be the one we get the 'dream body' and stick to a gym routine for good.




Especially if you are new to fitness & the gym this can be somewhat daunting, you go in & everyone seems to know exactly what they're doing & most of them are already showing off their gym honed bodies. I don't think gyms can be especially welcoming places & there's not enough emphasis on setting new members up with a solid training program that doesn't involve signing up for personal training.

Fitness is a big part of my life these days but it definitely wasn't always this way, I used to come into the gym and alternate between a few cardio machines, do classes and maybe fumble my way through a few resistance exercises & stretches. This kind of routine bored me to tears & therefore my workouts would be sporadic & require a serious internal battle to get myself to the gym.

I'm going to start a fitness series on the blog for this year, to share some of my workouts, document my progress throughout the year, keep myself motivated & hopefully help someone else along the way.

So to start with here are my top 5 tips to start (& stick to) a fitness plan this year!

1. Start with your basics.



New to fitness, returning after a break or simply looking to improve & build on what you already have you CANNOT go wrong with working on your basics. By this I mean, can you run 5k? If you can what time can you do it in, if you can't how far can you go? Can you manipulate your bodyweight with a simple set of exercises, a squat, a pushup and a plank? If you can perform these 3 simple exercises perfectly with correct form you are so far on your way to strengthening and toning your whole body. You should aiming for 100 squats (split up into smaller sets if you need to), 10 controlled deep pushups & a 1 minute plank. If this doesn't challenge you you can add weights to the squats, increase the reps on the pushups & extend your plank time. These three exercises will provide you a total body workout & an excellent starting point to progress on to more advanced exercises/ heavier weights. It is good motivation to keep your progress written down so you can see where you were when you started & how far you've come. Each time you go for a run write down your distance/ time and every-time you do the bodyweight exercises write down how many reps/ times you managed, you will be shocked how quickly you improve & feel stronger if you keep going with it consistently.

2. Go for a run outside.



When you have a free 30 minutes, don't think about it just go, pull on some trainers & a sports bra, get some uplifting music on and JUST GO. It doesn't matter how slow you are or how far you make it on your first run, you just need to start. Exercising outside isn't always practical especially in the winter, dark mornings, dark evenings, rain, snow, hail, wind are all things that just make you want to hide under the duvet. However there really is nothing better than having the fresh air blowing in your face maybe even a few rays of sunshine if you're lucky. The endorphins are incredible after completing any kind of outdoors workout, brave the elements & just go for it. You will never regret a workout once it's done.

3. Protein.

One of the biggest reasons people give up on their fitness plans is they get disheartened by the lack of/ slow results. The reason behind this is diet. Exercise is essentially what will make you feel better & stronger and what will tone & shape your body, but you will have to work incredibly hard over a substantial period of time to redesign your body with exercise alone. Give yourself a helping hand & change your diet. This does not mean restricting calories/ carbs, you want to keep this going for a whole year so to prevent your weight yo-yoing you need to have a diet overhaul. The biggest change you can do to up your fat burning power and keep your metabolism fired all day is to increase your protein.
If you think breakfast is all about porridge, cereal, toast, croissants try having eggs, vegetables, salmon, lean ham, (even chicken if you stomach it early in the day), avocado, nuts & fruit. I can not get enough of a savoury cooked breakfast now- it's probably my favourite meal of the day. It fills you up, gives you loads of energy & rocket fuels your metabolism to keep you lean & toned. For some meal inspiration have a look at our Instagram, I regularly upload what I'm eating and it might give you a few ideas if you're looking to make changes to your diet.

4. Rest.

Once you are in a workout routine that you enjoy one of the hardest aspects can be making sure you get enough rest. Rest days can be tough, no feel-good fitness endorphins, you need to be a bit more careful about what you eat & you can feel a bit lazy/ restless. However you will never see the full potential of your results if you don't take days out. Your muscles need rest to repair in order to strengthen and appear more toned. If you are just starting out don't over-do it, aim to workout 3-4 days a week and take the remaining days as rest, your body will thank you and you're much less likely to get injured.

5. Check your body type.

For me this is quite a new discovery but one that has really helped me with my own training & diet. Most of the time when you read about a workout plan the focus is that they are suitable for everyone. However we are not all the same, we all have our own genetic advantages/ disadvantages and knowing a bit more about your body can really help you get the most out of your training, make sense out of what will come naturally to you & what you might struggle with. There are basically three main body types, endomorph, ectomorph & mesomorph, although you may find you are more like a combination of two. It is your fat and muscle distribution throughout your body will determine which type you are. Take a quiz here and have a read about your body type and the most beneficial workouts for you.

Harriet x