“In fitness, there are no shortcuts. It involves immense discipline and hard work.” –  Mahesh Babu

Understand your body!

All our bodies are completely different so if you are looking at a girl in the magazines or on Instagram and wanting her body, you have to ask yourself is that possible for me. I am six foot with broad shoulders as much as I want a petite body it is never going to happen and that is ok. Instead, I work on what my body strengths are and start there. Do not start with all the things you want to change, how is starting in a negative way going to produce positive results. I have long legs which look great in a mini skirt when toned so I work on them, my arms usually tone up quick so I work on them. And by working and trying to enhance your good bits the bits you don’t like soon get in line. My worst bit is my tummy and I know that by working on my legs and arms that will change and once it starts to change I get all excited for the area I once hated so then I put work into that area. Remember the things we tell ourselves have a mega impact on us, never tell yourself anything negative because that shit will stick long after you have lost the weight. So set goals and smash those goals but DO NOT set unrealistic goals because that will make you disheartened when you do not reach them. Your goals don’t even have to be body related, you could try and set fitness goals such as running a bit further every day again set realistic goals if you have never ran before then don’t think the first time you run that you will be able to run a marathon. Start your fitness journey with healthy realistic goals and you will be halfway there and less likely to quit.

Understand that this is self-love, not self-hate!

Your fitness journey is not about punishing yourself or depriving yourself, it should always be about bettering yourself and your health. You are not in competition with anyone, nor do you need to look like anyone else. What your ultimate goal should be is health, this is about what you put into your body and how you train it. It is NOT about how much weight you can drop and how quickly you can drop it because I  can guarantee if that is your plan than not only will your mental health suffer but you will gain all the weight you lost and probably a few extra plans. So think about how much you love yourself and how you are making these changes to show your body just how much you love it. Once you can master this the rest becomes ten times easier because it stops being a chore and starts to become a very positive experience.

Change your diet!

Regardless of any of the other points, real change will come when you change your diet. You can read my top ten tips for a healthier diet here. Even if your diet is already perfect if you are going to start training then you will need to look at your diet and make some changes. You won’t put crap fuel in your new sports car, would you? They say you have to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Well that’s the same for your body, you have to eat for the body you want, not the body you have. No excuses, if you don’t know where to start, start with small changes such as portion control, the internet has millions of recipes to help you too. You can get inspiration from Instagram and even ask friends and family because they will have some recipes they swear by. It is no more expensive then what you already spend on food, that £20 Friday night take away, how much fruit and veg to you think you can get with that?! This part does take the most research but it is worth the time you put into I and once you start to feel better such as less fatigued you will be hooked.

Get working out!

No more excuses there is literally never a good time to start and the first few workouts are going to leave you feeling like death but if you just keep going, work through that pain I promise you will soon get addicted to that feeling. You don’t have to start lifting weights on day one but there does need to be a day one. Maybe your first day will be zumba, aqua fit or just walking but you do need to start. Just keep building on your fitness plan week by week and you will soon be lifting those weights.

Rest & recover!

Because this is not about punishing yourself but about celebrating your body, you need to learn to rest and recover that doesn’t mean eating your whole house, remember this is a lifestyle change, there are no foods off limits just the amount and frequency in which you eat them. So if you have stuck to your plan for the week then instead of treating yourself to a pizza treat yourself to a bit of a pamper, have an hour of self care. Remember health includes your mental health too which takes as much time and care as your physical health. I like to end my weeks with a swim and sauna session, it relaxes me and leaves me feeling refreshed and proud of myself for hard work I have put in during the week.

Remember you can do this you just need to start!