Hello you, welcome to my fitness journey, where we dive into the art of maintaining health, building muscle, and even shedding those extra pounds. I get it—balancing fitness with a busy lifestyle can seem daunting, but here’s the good news: you don’t need as much time as you might think. In reality, the key isn’t about hitting the gym seven days a week for hours on end or adopting those extreme diets that you know aren’t sustainable. Instead, let’s focus on making fitness enjoyable while ensuring you achieve the results you’re after. Consistency is your secret weapon here. So, what do I mean by consistency? Great question. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that nurturing our bodies is much like maintaining a car. The more regularly you change the oil, rotate the tires, and check those spark plugs, the longer your car lasts. Your body needs the same attentive care; by keeping it moving and progressively challenging it—not chasing PRs unless you’re prepared for it—you’ll cultivate strength and resilience. Regular exercise doesn’t just boost your physical strength; it unleashes endorphins, slashes stress, and encourages an overall healthier lifestyle. Each small step, whether it’s a morning stroll or an evening jog, helps build a routine that not only aligns with your fitness aspirations but also enriches your life. After all, the ideal fitness plan is one you look forward to and seamlessly integrates into your day, transforming from a tedious task to a joyous part of your everyday routine.
Less is more depending on your goals
Health and fitness is not like running a company, where the more time you put in the more profit you will garner. No, It’s about an appropriate amount of effort based on when you start lifting and what style of training you are doing. How do you determine what is the appropriate amount for you? This is tough to answer because it varies on where you are starting from, but let’s start if this is your first time in the gym.
If you are a beginner who has never touched a weight in your life (nearly impossible), and this is your first time at the gym—for example, if you are 36 years old, have a body weight of 195 lbs, 30% body fat, and a height of 5′ 7″—and your goal is to lose weight (body fat). You want to work out for 5 days a week for an hour a day because you are highly motivated right now. You are finally tired of living the way you have been living, and I am proud of you for taking this step alone. It is hard to walk into a gym and have no idea what to expect, and to feel like you don’t belong. This is a good step, but we aren’t going to do 5 days a week for an hour. Why? It isn’t sustainable in the beginning with proper training, and you will quickly burn out. You have to ask yourself: for the next 3 years, can I maintain this routine? If the answer is still yes, great! But if not, consider this: since you haven’t trained for a long time, you could hinder your results because of the amount of volume. For a beginner, I would recommend proper strength training for at least 3 days a week to start, especially for this client based on their training history. Most beginners will get the best results doing either a 3-day split of lower, upper, and full body days or three full body days. This advice holds true if you have never touched a weight or if it has been longer than 6 months since you last did so.