Health and wellness is a highly personal topic, one that can elicit responses ranging from enthusiastic to overwhelmingly emotional. For some, the idea of working out every day seems like overkill, while others dream of the chance to spend their days hitting the weights, enjoying healthy meals, and talking about all things fitness with their friends. Some people struggle to motivate themselves to work out even if they always feel better afterwards, while others pop right out of bed to go on their early morning run. What is the right path? Here are 5 tips to start a fitness journey no matter who you are.
There are a million and one ways people can engage with the topic of fitness and a million more ways for them to approach fitness in their everyday lives. At PT Academy, we have been helping people from diverse backgrounds and fitness levels embark on every kind of fitness journey. We offer courses, certification programs for certificates III & IV in fitness, and tons of continuing education courses for our alumni and already established professional students. Most of our work centres around helping fitness lovers turn their passion into a career, supplying vital education and support to become gym managers, personal trainers, group fitness instructors, and so on.
Over the years, we have encountered individuals from virtually every walk of life. We have had the pleasure of discovering what makes them unique and valuable assets to the fitness world. In working with these countless individuals, we have also found a few key similarities that have helped us refine how we approach fitness education. Working with so many fitness professionals has also given us invaluable insight into our clients’ minds, helping us become more understanding and empathetic to the work it takes to begin a fitness journey.
Whether you want to be a personal trainer, a gym manager, or are just looking to start travelling the path to physical fitness, we’re here to share a few essential tips to help you along the way.
1. Commit to Yourself
Starting a ‘fitness journey’ can mean a lot of things. You could be working up the courage to purchase your first gym membership, sign up for your first session with a personal trainer, teach your first guest yoga class, or apply for your dream athletics program. You could be learning to walk a new path after an injury or after leaving a career, you no longer feel satisfied in. You could be embarking on a journey to become a fitness professional or hoping to find an outlet to release some physical energy every now and then.
No matter why you have chosen to embark on a fitness journey, you must commit to yourself in the process. You will need to learn to be your primary motivator, biggest cheerleader, and best critic. You will need to choose to support yourself and do what you will need to do to be successful in whatever it is you are pursuing. No matter how positive your goals may be, you must commit to ensuring you stay on track.
2. Start Small
As with all things, embarking on a fitness journey can be lengthy, filled with hurdles and challenges that you will need to overcome to continue to advance. While it may be tempting to start tackling the big issues right away, it is important to start small and give yourself a strong foundation of skill and knowledge. If, for example, you want to become a marathon runner, you are going to need to start by running just a few miles at a time since even attempting a full marathon without proper training could result in serious injury.
If you want to step beyond fitness as recreation and begin a journey to a professional career in health and wellness, start by signing up for one or two courses to begin getting a little experience under your belt. Starting small and building your knowledge from the ground up will ensure you are the best of the best once you reach the top and will help you to feel more confident and prepared once you get there.
3. Practice Mindfulness
It can be easy to get lost in the midst of life happening all around you, especially if you are working to create change within yourself. Suppose you are pursuing a career in fitness. In that case, you could feel overwhelmed by various certification programs, the ever-changing field, and the prospect of turning something you are passionate about into your livelihood. Suppose you are working on a personal fitness journey for your health and wellness. In that case, you could be feeling overwhelmed by feelings of stress, anxiety, or inefficiency, especially if you don’t have a support group to help you on your path.
Everyone from fitness professionals, bodybuilders, and runners to couch potatoes can benefit from taking a step back and practising a few daily moments of Mindfulness. Mindfulness is about acknowledging how you feel, checking in with your body and energy, and reminding yourself to stay present and engaged. By being careful to self-assess as often as necessary, you’ll be able to gauge your ability and take a more active role in the forging of your journey.
4. Accept Support
No matter how smart, determined, motivated, or independent you may be, there is always room for you to accept Support. Many people feel that asking for help or leaning on friends and family for support during times of stress or during periods of growth is a burden, often feeling guilty for imposing their lives on the lives of others; in truth, opening up and allowing yourself to be offered. Support can bring you closer to your most trusted friends, family, colleagues, and mentors and should be seen as a valuable asset rather than a sign of weakness.
At PT Academy, we offer continued Support to all of our students, and have even created an incredible network of alumni helping to support one another. Together, we help people live their dreams of becoming fitness professionals and specialists, and gain infinite Support from them in return.
5. Be Patient
Finally, no matter what kind of fitness journey you are on, it is vital that you practice patience. No good thing has ever happened overnight, so you should not expect your plans to come to full fruition in your first few weeks of the journey. Whether you are learning vital information and techniques to help others take control of their health or are working to build strength, lose weight, or improve your physical wellbeing, the process will take time.
Be patient with yourself. Allow for mistakes, allow for cheat days, and allow for questions. Being gentle with yourself (and others) and avoiding becoming obsessive over results will help you to get the most of the journey and will help you to be a better leader and influence once you reach the place you want to be. Your journey is your journey, and PT Academy will be here to help you along the way.
Discover more tips for living a happy, healthy life when you visit PT Academy