Successful mentality for starting a new exercise program.

      In this article we’ll talk about cultivating the right mindset when starting a new exercise program. I’ll go over setting reasonable expectations, I’ll guide you on effort and consistency, and we’ll discuss tips for successfully implementing something that sticks. I’ve been coaching fitness for over 15 years and have witnessed commonalities among clients who get a new practice to stick and have seen trends in those who start with the best of intentions only to lose steam after a month or two of working out. 

1. Setting Expectations

   If you've committed to a exercise program you've got a WHY. Whether its getting healthier for your family, dropping 20lbs to boost your confidence, or getting ready for an upcoming wedding your why is the foundation of this shift into the uncomfortable. Most people that reach out to me to make a change have an iron clad, top of the line why. The first place I start to see people falter is expectations, and its clear why. 

   Modernity has major pitfalls for expectation setting. I’ll highlight a few in bold below.

   WE ARE OVER INDULGING IN ELITE EXPOSURE

   We expose ourselves to people we would have never or rarely ever crossed paths with in real life. If you follow CrossFit Games Athletes, bodybuilding champions, professional Hyrox athletes and Olympians on your instagram feed you can be flooded with world class athletic performance and physiques in a way that would never have been possible in human history. You’ll see borderline inhuman weights lifted, world record running paces held, and physiques that would make the finest Greco-Roman Hero blush with embarrassment. This is a novel challenge for humanity.

   30 Years ago if you worked out 3-5x a week you would likely be one of the fittest people you knew. Now we have folks who work out 6-12 times a week and don’t think they’re doing enough because they are exposed to the most elite athletes on the planet 24/7. It’s crucial to not compare yourself to professional athletes, world champions and the best of the best when you are just in the very beginning of an exercise journey. I’ve been very active my entire life and have a lot of time to commit to my fitness and I consciously limit my exposure to elite athletes on social media.

   SPOT THE SALE

   Youtube, Instagram and X are flooded with promises and guarantees for results in incredibly short time spans or your money back. (Usually followed by the cop-out “RESULTS MAY VARY”) If someone on Youtube is guaranteeing a personal record lift or 15+lb weight loss within a 6 week period you are dealing with at best a sketchy sales pitch and at worst a full blown charlatan. An honest professional cannot guarantee you lose 15lbs in 6 weeks because there are too many variables out of their control. They can’t diet for you, they can’t ensure you get proper sleep and recovery, they can’t even make sure you get all your workouts in. Beyond that, every body is unique. What works wonders for one person can be significantly less effective for another. When you see videos or adverts bragging about astronomical results in short time period I’d encourage you to mark that in your head as a sale, don’t let it effect how you set expectations for yourself moving forward.

   HEALTHY EXPECTATIONS

   I encourage people to set action based expectations and let the outcomes come on their own timeline. Some examples of this for a true beginner is completing three workouts a week or cutting out all processed food for 6 weeks. For a more seasoned athlete examples can be cutting added sugar out of your diet, adding a zone 2 workout or the HAF 180 method aerobic work outside of your normal program to improve your aerobic system. These expectations may not sound as good as “losing 20lbs in one month” but they are firmly in your control, and when executed in a consistent way will undoubtedly lead to improvements in your health over the long term.

2. What does appropriate effort look like?
   
   Of course it all depends. We'll go over appropriate effort for both true beginners and the dedicated gym rats.
   For the true beginner starting a new program, you want to begin with a five to six out of ten effort for the first several weeks. New exercises, rep ranges, and ranges of motion can affect you in unexpected ways so holding back a bit is a good idea. If you come in hot and work at a 10/10 effort level after significant downtime you're risking injury, an incredibly stiff body, and demoralization. We want to take it a little slower to build confidence and consistency. Results are not attained with heroic efforts on single workouts or weeks, they're gained by consistent steady efforts over the long term.  
   
   For the dedicated gym population my answer may surprise you. In general your effort should be at a 7 out of 10. There will be exceptions to this such as testing where after many weeks of preparing for a specific test you'll go for a full 10/10 effort. Or conversely zone 2 training where you will be significantly below a 7/10 effort. Approaching workouts at a 7/10 allows you to be challenged enough to grow while still being able to show up and train again tomorrow. If you take every workout as a 10/10 your form will suffer, your body will be pushed beyond its capacity and you will expose yourself to overtraining and all the pitfalls that come with it. Keep in the front of your mind that we're doing this to be healthier and that we're trying to instill good  habits, consciously fight the need to continuously test yourself and prove something to yourself. In strength training this may look like sliding 10lbs off the bar so that you can execute with good form, in cardio it may look like slowing your intervals down so that you can maintain a steady pace across all of them instead of chasing that guy in class who you know goes out like a bat out of hell on every workout. Check your ego and reap the rewards when its actually time to test.
   
   

3. Building Consistency
   Without consistency, you will experience no significant changes in your health. A big part of finding success in this regard is not biting off too much too soon. If you are a true beginner trying to solidify a new exercise routine for the first time in years I would encourage you to commit to 12-16 workouts a month for your first two months. After that you will likely be ready to move up to 4-6 workouts a week if that fits your goals and if you are wiling and able. Starting with reasonable total volume(amount of exercise) allows you plenty of time to recover and lets your body adjust to the new stimulus its receiving. This will greatly decrease your likelihood of injury and burnout.
   
   
   Mentally its important to keep in mind that life is not ideal, you won't sleep well every night, your schedule wont be perfect and you won't always feel motivated. If you have kids and a full time job you may need to sacrifice a little bit of sleep and get your workout in first thing in the morning. The successful are those who continue despite the above realities. The hardest part of your workout is often getting your shoes on your feet, its truly downhill from there. Expecting it not to be easy and being disciplined in those moments is the difference between accomplishment and failure over the long term.
   
   

4. Tips to make it stick
    1.Try to find an exercise program you enjoy or find interesting. I'm aware there is a group of people who despise all exercise but try a few things out and figure out what suits you best. If you enjoy it or parts of it, you'll be more likely to keep coming back.
    

   2. Find a program that is community based and has a high degree of accountability. Personal Training, CrossFit and small group classes can be great ways to meet friends with similar goals who will notice if you start to fall off. I've coached several groups in CrossFit who would nag their friends with texts immediately if they noticed they stopped coming to class. Your Coaches or Personal Trainer is much the same, they will be instrumental in keeping you honest and accountable, find one!
   

   3. Don't expect anything to happen fast. Lets be honest, it took you years to get to the point you're at now, its also going to take some time to change. When we have reasonable expectations set we feel less disappointment and less discouraged when it takes significant time and effort to see the changes we desire.

   Conclusion

   In conclusion, refrain from comparing yourself to elite athletes or anyone but yourself, try to recognize when you’re being sold snake oil online and set reasonable expectations for yourself at the start of any new fitness endeavor. Focus on your actions(controllables) over arbitrary timelines and don’t meter your effort so that you’re not pushing your body to the limit everyday. If we train today in a way that allows us to train tomorrow we’ll be in a good spot after a few months.

   If you have any questions or are looking for a Personal Trainer or Group Coach to help you begin your exercise journey, please reach out via the contact page or via text at 530-351-8866.