Get in Shape with These Expert Coaching Strategies

Everyone wants to get in shape. Most people never actually do. Some people start and quit pretty quick. A large group of people make great progress and then and then fall off. Many quit just before progress becomes visible. One thing is true, though. Everyone is on the prowl for easy weight loss tips.

It took awhile to get where you are. It will take awhile to get where you want to be. That’s just life.

Unless you employ various strategies that work for you, chances are you won’t get too far. Here are 10 expert tips to help you make the progress you want.

1. Understand Your Goals

It’s important to understand your goals, and to set realistic expectations for yourself.

If you’re trying to lose weight, for example, it’s not going to happen overnight. You probably won’t even visually notice it happening until a month or two even if the scale starts to move.

Same for putting on muscle. Sadly, building muscle can take even longer than losing weight. It’s harder to grow and maintain than a beer gut, and because of that it’s harder to put on muscle than it is to lose the extra layer.

You need to put in time, effort, and dedication to reach your goals, especially if they are big ones. There are no quick fixes when it comes to fitness.

If you want your workout and diet plan to be effective over the long term, the first step is establishing the goals you are want to accomplish.

2. Establish a Schedule

Establishing a schedule is an important step, and an easy tip, for staying fit that can make weight loss easy. Set a timeline and schedule regular sessions to work towards progress.

Consistency is a necessity, and putting your down schedule in a visual format and placing it somewhere you see it regularly can help push you towards staying on track.

Weekly weigh-ins, daily food tracking, a workout journal and regular check-ins with your coach (if you have one) can all help keep you accountable to sticking to your goals, which leads us into our next tip:

3. Set Up an Accountability System

When you commit to a fitness program, it’s important that you have someone who can keep an eye on your progress. A second set of eyes to highlight what you are doing right and point out weak areas is key.

If you’re working with a personal trainer or coach, check in regularly with them so they can help keep track of how often and how well you’re doing.

If not, consider setting up some sort of accountability system with friends or family members who will be checking in on how often/well/hardly at all/whatever the case is you’ve been hitting the gym and how well your diet is going.

Everyone needs a support system, and fitness is no different. Plus, it feels nice to know someone actually cares. Everyone wants that in some fashion.

4. Focus on Nutrition

If you’re looking to get fit, it’s important to focus on nutrition. A balanced diet is at LEAST 80% of the equation when it comes to progress and will help you stay healthy and feel great, while also helping your body perform at its best.

To start eating right, make sure that each meal contains a balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Some recommendations include:

• Protein: 1 gram per pound of body weight (so if you weigh 150 pounds, aim for 150 grams of protein per day)
• Carbohydrates: 3-4 grams per pound of body weight (so if you weigh 150 pounds again) eat 450-600 grams of carbs each day!
• Fats: 0-1 gram per pound of body weight (so if still at 150 pounds) eat 30 grams daily

With that said, protein is THE most important macronutrient on this list. Fats and carbs are generally interchangeable for most people looking for general nutrition provided those carbs and fats come from whole foods and not processed garbage.

Ensure that you are consuming a whole foods based diet and staying generally away from processed foods and sugary beverages. Neither of them will help you progress and both are full of empty calories. Make your calories count by ensuring they have as many micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in them as possible.

5. Incorporate Cardio

Thanks, I hate it.

But, it’s also a necessity. This tip can speed along weight loss even if it isn’t always so easy.

Incorporating aerobic exercises into your routine is a great way to burn calories but it’s great for your heart. A strong heart beats fewer times per minute, but much more powerfully. It also moves nutrients around your body better and easier, reduces overall blood pressure, reduces your risk of various diseases, and can even impact your blood sugar levels.

The best part is that there are so many different types of cardio that you can do almost anywhere and find something you enjoy, including:

• Walking
• Jogging or running
• Swimming (pool or ocean)
• Cycling (stationary bike at home or outdoors)
• Dancing
• HIIT

6. Add Strength Training

You don’t need to be a bodybuilder or weightlifter to benefit from strength training. In fact, it’s a great way for anyone who wants to look good and stay fit, regardless of their age or gender.

More muscle mass generally means a greater reduction in injury. Lots of studies show that people over 70 who regularly strength train have a much lower risk of falls and generally have more mobility. The same can be said of people of any age, and there is no limit on when you can start, provided you are safely able to do it.

Among other great benefits, strength training can help you:

• Lose weight by burning more calories than you consume.
• Improve muscle tone, which makes your body look more toned and defined
• Increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis (a condition where bones become weak)

7. Track Progress

I briefly touched on this earlier. Track your progress. Whether it is the scale, your meals, how much weight you are moving the gym, or how far/often you are running. Whatever you are doing to physically improve, track it.

Then, look back at your notes and compare. Is your run time getting faster? Are your meals consistently hitting caloric needs? Are you moving more or less weight in the gym? Stats can push you along when you start seeing the trends and make it easy to adjust when you need to.

Make sure you include measuring your weight, body fat percentage, and various metrics like waist circumference. You can also use apps like MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, or the 1st Phorm App that allow you to input all of your meals and exercise in order to get a better idea of where you stand with each area.

8. Get Enough Sleep

In order to look good, you need to feel good. And if you’re tired, chances are that you won’t feel your best.

Getting enough sleep is one of the most important things for maintaining a healthy lifestyle–and it’s also one of the easiest to overlook! In fact, many people don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis because they think they can function just fine without it. In reality, getting enough rest helps regulate hormone levels like leptin (which controls hunger) and ghrelin (which stimulates appetite).

When these hormones are out of whack due to lack of sleep or poor quality sleep habits such as drinking coffee late at night or taking naps during the day, it can lead directly back into overeating or eating unhealthy foods because they make us feel better temporarily. Ultimately, they make us hungrier later on down the road when our bodies need more energy than before.

Other hormones are also impacted such as testosterone and cortisol. When those are out of whack you can forget about building too much muscle.

No one should sacrifice sleep for social interaction on a regular basis, whether they are 18, 38, or 88. Yes, that means telling your friends you cannot go to the bar 5 nights a week or that the club doesn’t need to be a weekly event. Build in social time absolutely, but make sure that it doesn’t impact your sleep.

Plus, getting enough sleep can be the driving factor for all your progress. Feeling good means you aren’t reaching for all the unhealthy food, you have energy for a good workout, and that the rest of the plan works.

If you are doing everything else right and still not seeing progress, check your sleep. Might be one of the easiest weight loss tips we can provide.

9. Enjoy the Process

Stay positive. If you’re going to be working out, it’s important to stay positive and keep your mind focused on the end goal. If you’re not enjoying yourself, then there’s no reason for you to continue exercising.

Celebrate wins! It may seem like a small thing but celebrating little victories are key in staying motivated and keeping yourself on track with your fitness goals. Whether it is losing 1 pound, a new vein on the bicep, huge new personal record on a lift, or making it through one more day without eating junk food, celebrate those wins in healthy ways that don’t compromise the progress.

Have fun! This might sound silly but if we aren’t having fun while working out then what’s even the point? Fall in love with the process.

Let Us help You Out

At CONDITIONerd we are here to help you achieve better physical and mental health through exercise. Check out the plans we offer to our customers and see if you could benefit from working with our team. And if you have questions, you can always contact a CONDITIONerd team member. 

Personal trainers, like those found here, can help guide you on your pathway towards reaching your fitness goals, whether that is getting bigger, stronger, faster, more lean, or just generally feeling better.

We can get you setup with a periodized workout plan, supplement information, and advice on nutrition to help you reach your goals.

The only thing you need is some motivation and a willingness to change some old habits.

Get into contact with us to find out what membership is right for you. In a CONDITIONerd program, you’ll be surrounded by others who can help you to get where you want to be.

Generally, our clients start to see some pretty awesome changes in 2-3 months time, some sooner.