HOW to be "FIT."

Most people at one point in their life have either tried to, or have been TOLD to improve their level of fitness. In today's society, there is a lot of grey area when it comes to health and fitness. Let's start out with "Fit." What I think "fit" means is different than what you think. What you think "fit" means is different than what your best friend thinks. Everyone develops his or her own perception of fitness based on personal experience(s.) Your childhood, parents, genetics, interests, body image, and countless other factors can all influence what you aspire to when it comes to fitness.

For the sake of this post, let's define "fit" via google search, and continue from there.

Fit: (adjective) In good health, especially because of regular exercise.

Sounds logical enough, right? To me, being fit indicates feeling good, having stable energy levels, being able to complete daily physical tasks without second thought, taking regular walks or following a more intensive workout regimen, having a positive relationship with your body..need I keep going?

Now, I am a full-time personal trainer, and admittedly a gym rat. The gym is my reason for getting out of bed in the morning. Therefore, my expectations for myself regarding physical fitness are far different than expectations I would place on clients under different circumstances. The beauty of chasing fitness is that YOU get to decide exactly what that means for YOU and YOUR lifestyle. If you are interested in improving your current fitness level, (whether non-existent, average, or damn near elite athlete status) you need a plan.

MOVE INTENTIONALLY. EVERY SINGLE DAY. This is a non-negotiable. Whether you are a couch potato or a workout fiend, it's important to set the intention to get your butt moving throughout the day. This is extremely pertinent for you peeps who have a desk job, and are relatively sedentary at work. A first step is to aim for a 10-15 minute walk before or after meals. Not only will this get you moving, but it can help with digestion, circulation, and overall mood. Walking around also helps to bring some stretch and range of motion to the hips and knees that can get extremely tense and achey from long bouts of sitting. Once you get into the routine of regular mini-strolls throughout the day, maybe you set a step goal for yourself. A fitbit, iPhone, or any specific step-tracking device is capable of recording your daily steps. If you find that you currently average 2-3,000 steps daily, (you should get more than this if you're doing those 10-15 minute walks) set a goal for 5-6,000 steps. 10,000+ steps daily is a great ultimate goal to work up to.

Unless you live in New York, am I right? If you live in New York, or any other walkable city, 10,000 steps daily is nothin!

Ok, so we got the movement thing down. What next?

Lift things.

Yes, things that weigh more than your oversized purse or undersized teacup dog breed.

Resistance training is key in order to build and keep a strong body from head to toe. Lifting weights or performing other types of resistance training helps to increase skeletal muscle mass, has a positive impact on longterm bone health, and improves metabolism and body composition. You don't have to get in the gym and start throwing around barbells (although I promise it IS fun.) Maybe you start with learning basic bodyweight movements; squats, push-ups, lunges, planks, and other bodyweight exercises have absolute benefits if you are new to working out. If you are a couch potato trying to get your life together and achieve some sort of physical fitness, you'll want to start with these basics, and focus on proper form and consistently doing your exercises. Write down a schedule for yourself and commit to your "workout" daily. As lame as it might seem, practicing 1 or 2 exercises for 10 minutes every day is better than nothing. Is it ideal? No. Is it at least going to remind you that you're a weak azz bish? Probably. And that's where you have to use that as positive motivation to get BETTER.

What's the ideal situation? You hire a knowledgable trainer at an affordable cost, that can accommodate your schedule, and you absolutely fall in love with the training and being in the gym and you have a major mind and body transformation, and then you end up on Oprah. Actually, we're talking ideal situation; you ARE Oprah now.

If you didn't catch it, that was sarcasm. You have to start with what is manageable for you. As a trainer, of course I advocate for traditional strength training in a gym environment. However, I'm very aware that personal training is a luxury service, and unfortunately there are a lot of sub-par personal trainers out there. MOST trainers employed by a commercial gym should be able to instruct the basics, but this is not always the case. If you can realistically work with a good trainer, I absolutely recommend doing so. When it comes to the whole working out part of getting fit(ter), consistency and progression are the keys. Just like with that whole get of your butt and move around segment, you're going to need a PLAN along with tangible, concrete goals.

Once you commit your time to your exercise routine, and are able to stick with it, you should re-evaluate every 2 weeks or so. Have you been maxing out after 4 push-ups? Try 5. Have you been doing hip thrusts with 135 lbs for 3 months? Start by adding 10s to each side, and vow to never get stuck in that situation for 3 entire months ever again. Are you still afraid of trying the intermediate pilates class, even though you've taken the beginner one for months? Go and embrace the challenge, level up.

Getting fit or improving your current fitness level doesn't have to be hard. It doesn't have to take 2 hours a day. It DOES take consistent effort. It DOES take enough self-awareness to know when you're getting too comfortable. This is why people often joke about working out and say things like, "does it ever get easier?" And the answer to that question really should be "No, but it does become second nature."

Feeling stronger, quicker, more vibrant, and energized is addicting. There is a major positive feedback loop when it comes to establishing consistency with a fitness routine. The initial crippling muscle soreness fades after a few days, and then you realize that holding a plank for 20 seconds feels easier than last time you tried. Running up the stairs because you're late for a meeting doesn't leave you winded. You can carry 3 full bags of groceries and 2 gallons of water from the car in one trip. Unless they're paper bags. Because the handles on paper bags always rip unless you're carrying a banana and 3 napkins.

So if you're reading this, and think that being "fit" has to mean looking like you just stepped out of a gatorade commercial, has to feel like you just did one of those Crossfit workouts that people swear can put you in the hospital--I am here to tell you that's wild. In fact, you can be fit as HELL, and never look like you could be in a gatorade commercial (for real, we can't ever turn black and white while also sweating out beads of orange sweat.)

I will finish this post with my guidelines for a fit lifestyle, regardless of your current fitness level:

**​Intentionally move your body throughout the day

**Drink plenty of water (3+ liters) daily

**Eat lots of things that grow from the earth (fruits and veggies, peeps)

**Train with weights 3-5x weekly

**Find ways to challenge yourself physically that you enjoy, and do these things often

**Be consistent, and not complacent

**Get consistent 7+ hours of uninterrupted sleep nightly

**limit alcohol and probably stay away from drugs (except weed, we are 420 friendly in this healthy lifestyle world.)

Want more? Some baseline fitness goals? Here's a few to test and see where you measure up:

1. Run a mile in 10 minutes or less

2. Do 10 full push-ups

3. Do 1 or more unassisted chin-up/pull-up

4. Hold proper plank for 1 minute

5. Squat/Deadlift/Hip thrust your bodyweight in lbs

6. Bench press half your bodyweight in lbs

If you are a fitness fanatic, you should be able to achieve far above and beyond these markers. If you are an extreme beginner, these are great goals to work towards to have a well-rounded and proportionately strong body!

Thanks for reading. Be sure to share and comment with feedback, or topics you'd like to see me cover next.

Until next time,

Liz