Being consistent with your exercise and diet should be your number one priority if you want to see results.
Maintaining a consistent exercise routine is one of the best things you can do for yourself because it helps improve your overall health and well-being.
Exercise has been shown to reduce stress levels, improve sleep quality, increase energy levels and keep weight down while boosting self-esteem by making us feel good about ourselves when we look in the mirror after working out!
The Benefits of Exercise
The benefits of exercise are numerous and well-documented. Exercise will improve your sleep, increase energy levels, improve mental health and even make you happier. It’s also been shown to reduce depression in people with chronic pain conditions. Not to mention it’s role in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
Exercise can improve heart health by increasing blood flow throughout the body which helps keep arteries clear of plaque buildup that could lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Regular physical activity also strengthens muscles around major joints like knees and ankles which reduces risk for arthritis later in life.
The Benefits of Eating Well
A healthy diet can help you feel more energetic, improve your overall health and well-being and give you more mental clarity.
It will also make you feel happier in general, which is great for anyone who suffers from depression or anxiety. Â The effects of eating well on mental health are so underrated.
A healthy diet will also improve the appearance of your skin and hair by providing essential nutrients such as vitamins A, C & E; zinc; iron; calcium; potassium; magnesium; phosphorus (which helps prevent osteoporosis); omega 3 fatty acids (which are good for heart health); fibre – which helps maintain bowel regularity – all of which are found in fruit & vegetables!
Tips for Establishing Consistent Exercise Habits
😀Set realistic goals.  Not just big goals, but daily goals that state what actions you’ll take that will move you towards those big goals.
😀Create a schedule and stick to it. All of my successful clients book their training in BEFORE the week starts and also have a back up plan in case things come up (which they do)
😀Find a workout partner, who can help keep you accountable and motivated by pushing each other to work harder than either of you would on your own.  Car pooling to training means not only do you have to convince yourself you don’t want to go today (very easy to do for some) but you also have to call your friend and tell them too. Commit to not let each other make excuses.
😀Track your progress by measuring  every week or two (or however often works best for you).  IF fat loss is one of your goals, track your waist and hip measurements as well as your weight because when you start a new exercise routine, often the scales don’t show weight loss as fast as we’d like.  Taking cm measurements is a better way to track – do both! If your goals are more performance based, track that.  Can you run further, lift more weight or do more repetitions before having to rest.  At FitterFaster we help you to track all that by encouraging progress at workouts.
😀And finally… reward yourself! Don’t wait until the end of the month–give yourself little rewards along the way so that staying consistent becomes an enjoyable experience rather than something arduous or boring.”
Every time you complete all your training sessions in a week or you make progress, give yourself a predetermined reward – NOT food. Â It could be a new workout top, a new book or something like a massage. Â Working towards those smaller rewards on the way to the big results you want to achieve will help keep you going.
Tips for Establishing Consistent Eating Habits
😀Plan ahead. You don’t have to have everything planned down to the spoonful, but having all your breakfast, snack and lunch foods ready to go is going to make it a lot easier. These are often the hardest to stick with because let’s face it, the mornings are a rush for most of us.  Having foods readily available to have in the morning or take to work/school is a life saver.
😀Shop smart.  Know what you’re going to buy before you head to the supermarket.  Those breakfast, lunch and snack foods mentioned above should be purchased first.  I like to know roughly what we’re having to dinner meals for the week ahead when I go shopping. But even if I don’t, I always purchase plenty of veg, salad and fruit as well as staple meats like chicken thighs, pork and mince meat.  I keep it in the freezer in meal size portions so I always have good food on hand.
😀Prepare meals in advance. I really only do this if I’m not going to be home to cook in the evenings.  Others like to prepare lots of meals in advance in Tupperware type containers.  Do what is going to work for you
😀Keep healthy snacks on hand, and drink plenty of water! Back to my first point.  Have healthy foods on hand and if you can, don’t have your trigger foods available at home or at work.
Tips for Staying Motivated
😀Set realistic goals. If you’re just starting out, don’t expect to be able to run a marathon or lost 10kg  in two weeks. Start with something small and work your way up from there.
😀Find a workout partner. Having someone else around can help keep you motivated and on track–and it’s fun!  See above point about this.
😀Track your progress by setting goals for yourself that are both achievable and rewarding (like running one km without stopping), then tracking how far along you are toward reaching those goals each week or month by writing down how many kms/workouts/time/etc., so when the time comes for celebrating success, it will be all the more satisfying because of all the hard work involved beforehand!
😀Reward yourself with things like new clothes/books/perfume/massages etc after hitting certain milestones (e.g., losing 4kg or doing a certain number of workouts in a month)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
😀Don’t under eat.  Under eating is super common in people who are starting out. And it ALWAYS backfires.  When I do nutrition programs, I like to cut food down slowly and only to a level when we see results.  Cutting back too hard doesn’t make it any faster over time.
😀Skipping meals. When you first change what you’re eating, having more regular meals can work best.  If you know it’s almost time to eat again already, you can often get by without extra snacks.
😀Drink too little water. One of the first things I change about most peoples lifestyles is to include more water.  We’ll usually aim for 1-2 litres per day depending on what they are currently doing.  This makes a huge difference to energy levels and hunger as well.
😀Not getting enough sleep and rest.  If you are not sleeping enough, your program will stop working sooner rather than later. Many people are stuck doing everything else right but they’re not seeing changes anymore. This can be due to doing too much training, not recovering between sessions and/or simply not getting enough sleep. Sleep is so underrated in the transformation journey.
😀Setting unrealistic goals for yourself that are too high or low. It’s fantastic to have big goals but because sometimes they’re so far away, it can be hard to stay motivated long enough to achieve them.  The same can happen if your goals are too easy.  If you hardly have to do anything to achieve them, it can seem pointless to bother.  With big goals, break them down to daily and weekly habits which then become your goals.  EG doing 4 workouts per week, having a daily step count, starting every day with a good breakfast or cutting take away to once per week. These are all what I call ‘process’ goals. These process goals, done consistently over time will get you to your big main goals.
You can’t expect to get results in your health/fitness/weight if you’re not consistent. You have to make the time for exercise and eating well, even when it’s hard or inconvenient.
If you just give up every time you don’t feel like it, something pops up that makes it a bit harder or someone tries to derail you (it happens) you’ll never make progress.
Have small steps all planned out and locked into a diary or other tracking app. Â Tick everything off daily and see the progress you can make over time.