This is a collaborative post.
Getting fit is hard work, even for the most dedicated of gym bunnies. I’m no expert, not by a long stretch, but one of the things I’ve discovered is that when it comes to getting fit, the physical work is actually only half of the battle.
It can be really easy to misjudge the road ahead before you start out on your own self-improvement journey. Usually, that happens when you start assuming that the only challenges you will face are physical ones. That’s what happened to me, anyway!
Of course, along with the physical work you’ll need to put in, you also have to keep yourself motivated, and this is hard enough on its own. In my opinion, that’s why so many of us often end up failing at this crucial hurdle, time and time again.
I’ve certainly done it. Often it’s been mental roadblocks that have stopped me from making the progress I’ve wanted to when it comes to getting fit. The learning of new skills in the gym or on the rugby field has often been harder work than the actual exercises.
Keeping yourself inspired to exercise is only half of the mental battle you’ll face, though, as you will also have to do a lot of learning if you want to really see improvements in your body’s strength and agility. Like most things in life, there are ways around this, and this post is going to explore some of the ways to take the ‘learning’ out of your time in the gym.
Getting fit hack #1: smartphone apps
If you’re one of the millions of people around the world carrying a smartphone, you might be unaware of the getting fit potential of the device you carry with you each day.
What we used to see as mere phones are now pretty much just small computers, and they’re capable of far more than simply handling calls and sending emails.
Tech has come a long way since the dawn of the mobile phone, and through apps, our smartphones are revolutionising all aspects of our lives. Fitness, in particular, is a field in which they’ve made huge waves.
There are loads of apps out there which can help you manage your diet, fitness routine, and even the exact workouts you should perform. Of course, this will still involve a little bit of invested time, but you will get to skip a huge portion of the learning which goes into fitness.
They’re also great for that much-needed motivation that I mentioned earlier; some apps have great reminders and coaching systems that can encourage you to meet your fitness targets each day.
Getting fit hack #2: your peers
I’ll be honest with you; I hate going to the gym. Even more so if I have to go alone. Going to the gym for the first time can be extremely daunting, especially if you’ve no idea what half of the equipment does.
Not a lot of people know what to expect when they start getting into something like this, and it makes sense that so many people go in groups when they’re starting out with getting fit.
If you’re lucky enough to know someone who already goes to the gym and is achieving similar results to your own goals, it could be worth asking them for a little bit of help. Those who do enjoy going to the gym will often also relish the chance to share their skills and help someone else improve their body.
Use your peers to help you stay motivated and learn from them.
Getting fit hack #3: personal trainers
Both of the options above are good for those on a budget or who already have a little bit of a foundation in doing exercise, but they won’t cover all of the learning you have to do to become a master of your own fitness.
Instead, you could find someone who can fill this role, and this person will invariably be a personal trainer. You can find one in your local area, or you can look into hiring an online PT if you prefer. Websites like expertpt.co.uk have a huge amount of experience when it comes to helping people with their fitness.
They offer their services over the web, making it easy to access the support of your personal trainer whenever you need it. This may feel a little strange at first, but you will soon adapt to the way this sort of online system works, and your fitness will see huge benefits as a result.
Using an online personal trainer is a little different from the conventional style of working with a PT, but you might be pleasantly surprised at the outcomes.
It’s important to understand that working with a personal trainer is by no means essential to improving your fitness, but if you do have a little bit of extra room in your budget for one, they really can help you get those extra results.
Perhaps more importantly, they help you to keep going, especially on the days when you really feel your motivation dropping!
Ready to get started?
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to break away from the educational side of fitness. Learning about exercises, diets, and recovery can be very boring, and most people would rather just stick on their lycra and get on with it!
That said, it is a key part of understanding your health and fitness in the long term, and it will make a huge difference to your lifestyle to learn about exercise and nutrition.
Like anything in life, you have to walk before you can run, and if you try and start getting fit without any knowledge or support at all, you’ll probably struggle to get very far.
Make use of some of the tips in this post and hopefully, you’ll be back on course with your fitness goals in no time!
What are your top tips for grasping the learning side of your fitness journey? Have you ever considered that side of things before? I’d love it if you’d share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.
