With a new year fast approaching, we all get excited about a fresh start and tend to focus on our health a little bit more. I am by no means an expert nor do I have all of the answers, but am honored that a sweet friend came to me for some help on how to get started with a running plan and lifestyle change. There are so many resources out there that it can definitely be overwhelming. Here are the top 10 tips on how to get started. Again these are just tips that helped me get started and have helped me maintain this new lifestyle for the last 18 months.
1. Set a 'reasonable' and 'measurable' goal, as well as a non-food reward!
~ Sign up for a race
~ A weight loss goal. If weight loss is a goal make sure that you not only record your weight, but also your measurements (i.e. chest, hips, waist, hips, thigh, calf, neck). Through this journey there may be periods of time where your weight may stabilize (or even slightly increase), that's why it's good to have your measurements too. Also, please make sure that you don't weigh yourself more than once a week. It is so easy to allow this area of your life to become an idol and we can easily get obsessed with this number.
~ An increase in distance or speed by a specific date
~ Make sure that your goals are high enough that you must develop consistency in your lifestyle to achieve, but not too high that you set yourself up for failure.
~ Once you reach your goal, quickly establish a new one so that you stay motivated and focused.
~ Establish a reward for yourself when you achieve your goal. This could be a new outfit, new gear, a trip to the spa, a quiet day to yourself etc.
2. Establish Accountability!
~ Find a friend working on the same goal. Workout together or find a time where you can touch base to check on each other.
~ Sign up on
www.dailymile.com. This is a great site to record your workouts, hold yourself accountable and encourage others on their journey. If you get signed up on there, please
let me know and we can help encourage each other!
~ Put your workouts on your calendar. This can be done an app, on the calendar on your phone or find a weekly planner. I just recently ordered a life planner from
Erin Condren and will be putting my workouts, meal plans and goals in it.
3. Establish Workout Plan!
~ The
Couch to 5k Program is a great app for beginner runners.
~ Cross Training and Strength Training are just as important as running. They help build strength, prevent injuries and help prevent boredom. This could include biking, walking, weight lifting, push ups, sit ups, jump rope, circuit training, etc. Make this fun! I currently spend 3 days a week running and 3 days cross/strength training.
~ Establish Consistency - If possible workout at the same time every day while remaining flexible when 'life' happens.
~ Establish 1 or 2 rest days (days where you don't workout at all) a week to allow our body to recover. These days are just as important as the days you workout!
4. Meal Plan with the 80/20 Rule!
~ Take baby steps in adjusting your eating habits. I plan on 80% of my meals being healthy.
~ There are a lot of great resources out there to help you find some great healthy recipes. Here's a few of my favorites.
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Dashing Dish is a great resource. Katie has a ton of great recipes where she's created healthy alternatives to the foods and dishes we love!
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Clean Eating magazine is a great resource too.
5. Gear - Take care of your feet!
~ Shoes - Good shoes are one of the most important things you'll need for this journey. There are a lot of different brands out there.
Brooks have definitely been my favorite.
~ Mileage - It's also important to keep track of the miles you put on a pair of shoes. It's recommended that you don't put more than 400-500 miles on a pair of shoes.
~ Socks - I also find a good pair of running socks to be equally important.
Pearl Izumi socks are my absolute favorite running/workout socks. They are fairly expensive for a pair of socks, but worth every penny.
6. Get your family involved.
~ Go for a walk together
~ Workout together
~ Plan your meals together
~ Run a race together
~ Let your kids watch you workout (there's nothing like my four year old asking me how my run went).
7. Track your progress.
~ Write down your progress in a journal
~ Share your success and failures with those closest to you for encouragement, prayer, and support.
8. Don't let a busy schedule, weather or traveling cause you to get off track.
~ Most hotels have a great fitness area. I have found utilizing them makes travel much more bearable.
~ Explore the great outdoors when on vacation.
~ Stay flexible in your schedule. If there's a day where you can't get a run in, then change it up where you do various circuits where all you need is your body (i.e. push ups, sit ups, squats, jump rope, planks, etc.)
9. DRINK WATER.
~ Quite simply drink water and drink a lot of it.
~ I would strongly encourage you to cut out ALL soda through this journey (including diet).
~ Most resources recommend that you drink a minimum of half your body weight in ounces on a daily basis. For example a person who weighs 140 pounds should drink at least 70 ounces of water each day.
~ If you get bored with water, try adding some fruit to it (oranges, lemons and strawberries are my favorite). I take a little time on Sunday afternoons to slice fruit to go in my water for the week.
10. Enjoy the journey and take it one day at a time!
~ Find a bible verse or quote that you can memorize, post and just keep you motivated and encouraged.
As most of you know my favorite bible verse for my health, fitness and spiritual journey is Hebrews 12:1-2.
The key to my success has been planning! Sit down think about these tips and develop a system that will work for you and your family! If there's anything else I can do to help you get started, feel free to contact me! I truly enjoy sharing my journey :)
Blessings,
Krystal
