8 Tips to Make Health and Fitness a Part of Your Life
Health and fitness isn't just a passing phase, it's something that should be a part of your lifestyle forever.
Our mission at Move With Us is to equip you with all the tools, support and education you need to develop positive habits and create sustainable lifestyle changes you'll carry for a lifetime.
In fact, most of our clients have been on their journey with us anywhere from 4 months to 4 years, achieving and maintaining incredible progress on their path.
Creating a new routine that aligns with your health and fitness goals doesn’t just happen overnight, it requires a lot of hard work, discipline and dedication.
But with the countless benefits that regular exercise and balanced nutrition have to offer for both your body and mind, you won't look back once you've felt the reward of making these positive lifestyle changes.
Our MWU Coach Emma Dillon shares some of her top tips that have helped transform the lives of thousands of women worldwide, to help you create your own sustainable routine too.
Tip #1: Make it a priority
There are many important things we need to get done each day, but you need to start making your health and fitness a priority by making dedicated time for it among other pressing tasks.
You wouldn’t cancel an important work meeting just because your schedule is busy, or postpone brushing you teeth until next Monday to “start fresh”. So likewise, stop treating your workouts and meal prep as something that's optional.
You can learn to do less, and achieve more in your day with a productive routine.
Tip #2 - Incorporate things you enjoy
There's no point trying to stick to a workout routine if you're doing a type of exercise you absolutely hate. Likewise, changing your nutrition dramatically and including foods that make your stomach turn doesn’t make any sense either. We encourage you to find the things that work for you, and that you know you can stick to in the long term.
Of course you won't love every second of every aspect in your journey. There will always be challenges, obstacles to overcome, and self-discipline will be needed to get you through some days.
For example, say that your primary goal is growing your glutes and you really enjoy training lower body. You’re unlikely to build a balanced physique without incorporating some form of upper body exercises, but you still push through and do them, even if you don’t enjoy them as much.
If you enjoy MOST of your plan, it’s much easier to stick to the few parts that you’d rather skip. Remember that it will be challenging at times, but it should never feel like torture.
Tip #3 - Work on you, for you
Take the time to really understand WHAT you want and WHY you want it. No matter what your reasons are for committing to your health and fitness, always remember what they are, and remind yourself of your goals regularly.
Never compare yourself to others, and don't impose someone else’s idea of what you should do upon yourself. It’s about creating the healthiest, happiest version of yourself by working on you, for you.
Tip #4 - Fit it into your lifestyle
...and not the other way around.
There is honestly no one-way road or correct approach to moving your body and choosing the right foods to support your goals. There are so many ways for you to succeed, but it's all about picking an approach that fits your lifestyle and ensuring you can stick to it.
Some prefer people circuit-style training while others feel much more motivated when working towards a set number of reps in each round. It’s worthwhile experimenting with a few different approaches to your training and nutrition, and working out what’s best for you. So long as you’re consistent, dedicated and purposeful, you’ll succeed, period.
You don’t have to be overly restrictive to achieve your goals, either. The 80/20 approach is something we really stand by, and is not only super effective, but also a really enjoyable way of making health and fitness a part of your life.
If anyone tells you that an all or nothing, 100% adherence to all aspects of this lifestyle is necessary, trust us, it’s really not.
Tip #5 - Small changes add up
You need to get over your perfectionism. Not being able to do something perfectly straight away is no reason to give up or not even try.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned athlete, it’s always best to move forward in small increments rather than trying to completely revamp your lifestyle overnight. It’s like trying to squat 200kg when you’re only just getting confident with body weight squats - unlikely to happen and will only cause a lot of physical and mental pain in the process.
Building habits takes time, and that's fine by us. The small changes you make bit by bit are much more likely to blend seamlessly into your lifestyle will all add up. Take it one step at a time.
Tip #6 - Stay accountable
Tracking your performance and staying accountable is extremely important to remain focused and keep challenging yourself.
Like we said, your approach to goal setting and accountability doesn’t have to match any body else’s. Some people do better with a workout or accountability partner, while others prefer walking the road alone and competing with themselves. Either approach is completely fine, so long as you set yourself up with some measurable ways to stay accountable.
At Move With Us, we believe that tracking your performance can make all the difference, so we have incorporated several accountability features into the Move With Us App, including a goal tracker to measure your performance, Workout Notes where you can record your weights, reps and sets for each exercise, a Food Journal to keep track of your meals, plus fortnightly check-ins along the way to keep you accountable.
Whatever approach to accountability you choose, adhering to goal and performance tracking can really change your life.
Tip #7 - Note how it makes you feel
After smashing a solid workout or enjoying a nutritious, delicious meal, make a note of how you feel, and remember that feeling the next time you're tempted to go off track. Do you feel more energetic? More focused? Perhaps your sleep patterns have improved, or your food cravings are disappearing?
The way a healthy lifestyle can make you feel is a powerful driving force. Harness the feeling to stay motivated and inspired.
Tip #8 - Don’t quit
Sometimes life happens and you may find yourself falling off the wagon, and that's okay. Don’t put too much pressure on how long it’s been since you’ve last exercised or hit your nutrition targets. Instead of beating yourself up, pick up where you left and get right back into it. Being kind to yourself is so important. Celebrating your achievements and being grateful for your capabilities will help you keep pushing, no matter what.
Make a note of these tips and refer back to this blog at any time on your journey to the best version of you.
When you believe in yourself, dedicate time to your goals and dreams, and work hard, what once seemed overwhelming initially will soon become your second nature.
You've got this.
