6 Tips for Fitness Success

No matter where you are on your fitness journey, there is always room for improvement! If you are just starting… congratulations!!! That is often times the hardest part of getting fit, and through my 7 years of marriage I have seen my husband start, quit, re-start, quit, re-start… you get the idea. He had the best of intentions but no program or schedule to keep at it long enough for the 1st week’s soreness to wear off. I don’t blame him, either. Without the tools for success, it is easy to get at it and then fall off course fairly quickly. Or, if you have been rocking it but start to plateau… what now? Well, results follow performance, it’s time to up the intensity and up your results! And if you are like me.... the Halloween candy has slowly crept into my diet. Time to lock down, focus on these steps and kick some booty this month!

So, that’s why I have compiled the Audrey Matu’s steps to success!

1. Set a goal in writing:

To be able to visualize a goal and provide yourself with a purpose to train for is just as important as getting a program started. Autumn Calabrese, 21 Day Fix Creator, said in my 21 Day Fix Extreme Workout yesterday morning, “Exercise with a purpose, eat with a plan.” So, today, right now… I want you to find your purpose. Make it concrete, specific, and attainable. Don’t just write, “I want to lose weight.” Instead, set a date and specify the pounds you would like to lose by then. This will allow you to track it, see you progress, and keep you motivated through that specified period of time. And can I just say if you do before and after pics with your program and hold it to those 21, 30, or 60 days to the T… that is crazy accountability because you KNOW you want to see change. Just a little insight into my success in results.

2. Have a Workout Calendar or a Fitness Plan

As your free coach, I can help you with this! Our programs each have an incredible calendar that I always stick up on my wall but week to week I still schedule in what workouts I am doing when. If you leave your fitness plan to “later today” or “when I get home from work” guess what… it most likely won’t happen. Make it a habit. Make it consistent. Make it feel like your day is lacking if you don’t have your dose of endorphins. Shaun T said in Insanity Max:30, “By hitting play you are winning.” Amen to that! You don’t have to nail every move! You don’t have to hit it insanely hard… just start it and the progression of your intensity and results will naturally come.

3. Switch it up

When you feel like the workouts aren’t a challenge anymore… it’s time to up the antics baby! Push harder! And, with Beachbody programs there are many ways to do that. Up your weights, do the moves faster, if you have done the 21 Day Fix multiple times, Insanity, or P90x there are 21 Day Fix Extreme and newer Insanities and P90x programs to help push you in a new way! It is so fun to challenge your body with new routines and exercises. Make your body fail with the weights or reps by the end of the sets and you will most definitely keep up on your physique changing.

If you still aren’t sure when to turn it up here is what Steve Edwards, Beachbody’s VP of Fitness and Nutrition has to share, “It takes your body between three and 12 weeks to adjust to new exercise,” Edward says. “The fitter you are, the quicker you respond. With that in mind, you’ll want to schedule a program that mixes things up from time to time… As soon as you’re not getting sore anymore, pick up the intensity.”

4. Focus on all the pieces

Pushing through your workout is one piece of the puzzle. However, you do need rest and correct nutrition. For shorter programs, like the 21 Day Fix, your body doesn’t need the full rest days, you are provided with active recovery days. With longer programs, like P90x, TurboFire, etc. they have recovery tim built into them. It allows your muscles to become refreshed and reenergized.

So rest is one piece…. Now about that nutrition side of things… Food fuels us. Clean eating will provide your body with what it needs to hit it as hard as possible. Junk food is often low in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. This can cause fatigue, weight gain, moodiness, and needless to say diseases and health conditions.

By feeding your body right and getting the right amounts of food, you will see an increase in energy and often times will start to see more weight-loss occur! “Plateaus are a pretty good indicator that you’re under eating,” says Steve Edwards, Beachbody’s VP of Fitness and Nutrition. A fitness plateau is when you’re not losing any weight, but you’re not gaining it, either. By upping your calorie intake, you can give your body more fuel to help you effectively power through tough workouts.

5. Get reinforcements Supplements can be extremely helpful when your body is exerting lots of energy for a long time. I highly recommend Beachbody’s E&E and their new Performance Line: Energize. They aren’t just for endurance athletes – they can be just as helpful (and important) for any shorter workout regime. I am getting some for my hubby this month and I am so excited for him to try it. I used some with my soccer games and my Insanity workouts and I was truly able to hit it harder and burn more calories in a safe, non-crashing way. Pre-workout drinks, like the two listed above, can pump you up to go all out in a workout. An extra boost of energy can do wonders when you’re lifting heavier weights or doing cardio for longer than you’re used to.

And when you start feeling the soreness that was mentioned earlier, you don’t have to suffer through it all alone. Recover and Recharge help reduce post-workout muscle inflammation, and also help with the muscle rebuilding process. So not only will you feel less sore, but your muscles will also get an extra boost to become even stronger. I felt like it skipped my soreness a day past the insanely sore day. I still felt like I had gotten worked over but I wouldn’t sit and never want to get up again! Haaaha.

6. Keeping motivated Fitness can be just as much of a mental exercise as it is physical. There are some days where you wake up and there are 100 excuses rolling through your head of why you should not go workout. Some days you’ll just want to give up, but that’s when it’s key to push yourself! I will share tips with you next week on how to stay motivated! J For today, as your free coach, I can help you stay committed to your goals and our challenge groups can be an amazing tool. You just need to reach out to me and let me know you are ready to rock it! Keep your eye on the prize so you can reach the goal you originally set for yourself. “There’s only one way to get there and that’s by exercising and watching what you eat,” Edwards says. Accountability is key! Share your goals with your close family and friends and state with conviction daily what that original goal was. Write it on a sticky note and put in on your mirror so you see your goal every day!

Your body is capable of great things, so you shouldn’t sell yourself short. Use this month as an excuse to push yourself harder, and follow these tips to make your body the best it can be!