- Here’s the very unsexy truth: Basics WORK. Even though your favorite influencers show themselves doing really fancy stuff in the gym, I can guarantee that when they are doing their own workouts, they are doing the basics – squats, deadlifts, presses, and pulling movements. Pinterest and Instagram are great to get inspiration but bouncing around trying influencer workouts probably won’t get you their physiques. Attention is an in-demand commodity these days and influencers need to create eye catching workouts to get you to watch. Don’t get me wrong, they ARE fun to watch but it’s the basics that will get you the best results. A great program with basic movement patters – push, pull, hinge, squat with a few fun movements peppered in will always be better than inconsistently doing a Pinterest workout here and there. Find a plan and stick with it for 30 days. You’ll be amazed.
- Stop with the “burn to earn” mentality. Look, I love data but ENOUGH with the Fitbit calorie burn so that you can “eat back” your calories! There are a few reasons for this: a.) these trackers have been found to WAY overestimate the number of calories we burn, b.) people underestimate role of food on fat loss and focus too much on exercise, and c.) you are not a dog and you do not need to EARN your FOOD! I love Susan Neibergal’s approach to fat loss. She says that the DRIVER of the fat loss car is the food that you eat (specifically being in a calorie deficit) and the PASSENGER of the car is exercise. Both are great but the driver is ultimately the most important to get you to your destination.
- You don’t need a ton of equipment right away. You’ll eventually fall in love with the process and want to buy “all the things” but to get started, a bench, a few sets of dumbbells and a mat are all you really need to get a kick ass workout. People always ask me how much weight they will need at first. If you are new to strength training, grab yourself some 5lb, 8lb and 10lb dumbbells. As you get stronger, you can add on to your dumbbells with incremental magnetic plates like PlateMates or plates that wrap around the dumbbell handles like MicroGainz. I have found a bunch of great equipment like bands and mats at Marshall’s and TJ Maxx.
- Stop starting on Monday! Listen you guys, you cannot fail at this! Have a meal that wasn’t on your plan? Don’t say eff it and eat like an asshole the rest of the day and say that you will start again tomorrow! Get back into your program the next meal! Didn’t work out today when it was on your program to do so? Do it tomorrow, NOT MONDAY! The people who succeed long term are those who can course correct. Get back into your GPS (your program) and stop saying “Well, since I took this wrong turn, I’ll just mosey down this road for a while and eat ice cream until Monday”. Stop it. Just stop! Get back into it. Next meal, next workout, next!
- Strong made me feel how I thought skinny would. Yup, I said it. Skinny did not make me feel like a badass but being strong does. The cardio equipment never gave me what the weights have. I can DIRECTLY tie the confidence I have found in lifting weights to ALL of the things that I can do today. I have said yes to every opportunity that has made me proud of myself because I have PROVEN to myself time and time again that I am capable at the gym. I look back at elementary school Steph in gym class and I wish I could say to her “I know you hate this right now but being strong will make you become everything you want to be”. It’s true. By proving to yourself that you can lift just a little bit more, you prove to yourself that you can do a little bit more outside of the gym too.
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