Just Get Started!!!

When it comes to physical fitness, we live in the age of information. There is no shortage of workout and nutrition plans at our fingertips, and with the advances of artificial intelligence, you could have a full program designed for you within minutes (maybe even seconds). It truly is a blessing to have access to a plethora of knowledge and resources about personal health; however, despite this access and an awareness of the positive impact of regular physical activity on one’s health and well-being, most people fail to reach the national guideline recommendations for physical activity set forth by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Physical inactivity may be considered a public health issue and is a significant contributing factor to rising obesity (defined as a BMI > 30kg/m2) rates in the United States. 2024 data from the Center for Disease Control showed that each state had an adult obesity prevalence of over 25% (1 in 4 adults), with childhood and adolescent obesity rates continuing to rise.

With so much access to information about personal health and wellness, why is it that more than 25% of the US population is obese? Why do so many people struggle to reach the recommended weekly physical activity requirements? While the reasons for this are multifactorial and include a mix of socioeconomic factors, we’ve noticed two critical hurdles that result in perpetual physical inactivity: a lack of knowing how to get started, and a lack of accountability to stick to a training plan. In this article, we’ll tackle how you can get started today on your fitness journey. More on the topic of accountability can be found in our blog series “How to stay disciplined when life gets busy.”

Picture this – it’s Friday night, you’ve had an exhausting week, and you’re excited to crash on the couch after dinner to watch Netflix. Even though you know what genre you want to watch, you open the app and start scrolling. Without noticing, 30 minutes pass by, and you get a little flustered, now hoping just to get on with the “relaxing” evening. Because you don’t want to feel like you’ve wasted all this time for nothing, you pick a familiar movie and fall asleep within the first 30 minutes. Ever happen to you? Us too!

This is a classic case of paralysis by analysis – with so many options for us to choose from, we can easily get overwhelmed and either revert to what we know or fail to act on the information at all. The same can be said for our physical health. With so much information (and unfortunately a lot of noise), we are tempted to spend so much time trying to pick “the perfect plan” only to waste time and revert to something we know, even though it didn’t work in the past. Worse, we don’t do anything at all.

So how can we overcome this? Just pick something and start moving! I know…sounds too easy, right? Well, it really is that easy. Newton’s first law of motion states, “a body in motion remains in motion, or a body at rest remains at rest, unless acted upon by a force.” Translation – stop trying to analyze every single plan that you could do and just start moving your body! Do something you enjoy – walking, hiking, basketball, pickleball, lifting weights, swimming, kayaking, rock-climbing…whatever it may be, and commit to doing that one thing 2 to 3 times per week, no matter who or what tries to prevent you from following through on this. Recognize that it is normal to feel sore during these initial attempts at physical movement, and you may not want to follow through on this in the beginning. But, with your decision to keep moving (the true “force” acting to get your body in motion), you’ll notice that in one to two weeks your body will adjust to this new level of activity – you won’t be as sore, and your capacity to handle more will increase.

Challenge: Make a commitment right now to start some form of physical activity and write down your commitment using the following prompt: “I will (insert activity) for (insert minutes) minutes at (insert time) on (insert days of the week).” Make sure your commitment is realistic and considerate of your current responsibilities. It’s better to start small and continually show up. More on this here.

Now, this is a great starting spot, but if you’re looking to make substantial physical changes, you will need to ensure the intensity and structure of your activity matches your intended outcome. After you’ve successfully committed to some form of physical activity for three consecutive weeks, start doing some light research (10 minutes each day) to educate yourself on resistance training (recommended 2-3x per week for the average adult) and slowly integrate resistance training into your routine. Mastering the basics of bodyweight movement is a great place to start if you don’t have access to a gym. If you want to go to a gym but don’t understand how to lift weights in a way that is conducive to your fitness goal, this is a great time to consider instructor-led group fitness classes or hiring a coach to design your training program and coach you through it in either private or small-group training formats.

If you’re in the Lehigh Valley and looking for coaches who will build a program to help you build muscle and lose fat, book a free intro call with us here. We’d be happy to partner with you on your fitness journey! No prior training experience is needed!

Great question! Before you start intermittent fasting or “going keto” because that worked for your friend Jimmy (or Jenna), you must take an honest look at your current eating habits. Some simple questions to ask yourself are:

• “How much am I cooking vs. eating out?”
• “Am I prioritizing whole foods, mostly vegetables and protein, that will keep me full and give me fiber?”
• “Am I portioning my food in a way that is supportive of my goals?”
• “Do I continually go back for more food even though I am no longer hungry?”
• “Will finishing my kids’ plates at lunch and/or dinner help me achieve my fitness goals?”

Take a moment right now to answer these questions honestly, because the answers to these questions will take you much further than the latest fad diet.

A recommendation that we tell each of our members with goals of losing weight and building muscle (i.e., dropping body fat) is to start writing down everything they eat in a notebook for us to review at the end of each week. Two members who recently started training twice per week with us lost 7 pounds in two weeks simply by keeping track of their diet, adding more vegetables, not going back for seconds, and being honest with their daily food log when it came time to review it with their coach. No crazy diet plan, just awareness, accountability, and increased physical activity (full body resistance training twice weekly and walking/running/biking on the other days). Given that we live in a society where there is an abundance of food, it’s likely that you’re consuming more than you think, and just because you may be eating “good whole foods” does not mean that you can eat as much as you want. Your portions matter just as much as the food you are consuming. To all my dad’s playing cleanup crew at dinner, it’s time to save the kids’ food for their lunch tomorrow and STOP GOING BACK FOR SECONDS!!!

Challenge: Grab a journal and take two minutes to document your food choices after every meal. Find a close friend, relative, or coach who will keep you accountable and commit to showing them your journal every week. This should go without saying, but making a commitment like this will only work if you are honest about your food choices and quantities when recording in your food log.

Now, if you’re cooking and eating appropriate proportions, here is some basic nutritional advice that will keep the average person on the path to sustainable compositional change; make at least 50% of your plate vegetables, 30% lean protein, and 20% carb (sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, etc.). Protein will keep you satiated, vegetables will give you micronutrients and fiber, and carbs will give you some necessary fuel for your activities. Do this 90% of the time, and enjoy that cheat meal (singular) every now and then, because life is more than just maxing out on your fitness goals! Personally, I love ice cream, pancakes, pizza, fries, and a good wine, scotch, or whiskey from time to time.

In summary, start moving by doing something you enjoy and commit to doing that thing 2-3 times per week. After adjusting to a new baseline of activity, start incorporating resistance training 2-3 times per week and working your way up to 30-60 minutes at each training session (that’s all you need). Prioritize whole foods, focusing on a higher consumption of fruits and vegetables and lean meats. Over the course of the next month, you’ll be surprised just how far these simple changes take you in your fitness journey.

If you found this article helpful, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and join our free fitness group for people in the Lehigh Valley, where we answer fitness-related questions and post/host various challenges. If you’re looking to maximize your fitness by receiving coaching, fill out our connect with a coach form or book a free “No Sweat Intro” to learn more about the small group training programs taking place at the Parris Performance Institute.

Now…go and make today better than you found it.

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Sources:
Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps.
Physical Activity Guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).