Things to do on a fitness journey

- Nutrition is everything. You spend a portion of your day working out to get your dream body or shed a few lbs, don’t sabotage it by not being prepared to make sacrifices in the kitchen. If you’re shooting for overall weight loss, eat lean and look mean. That means lean means like chicken and turkey, along with vegetables. Throw in some brown rice or sweet potatoes for carbs (but don’t overdo it), everyone is different and trying to assess the importance of each individual carb in a general article like this would be exhausting for us both.

If you want to gain lean muscle, eat lean and look mean, as well. You cant go wrong with chicken and rice, just at a higher frequency, invest in a whey protein supplement so you can stay in an anabolic (muscle-building) state throughout the day.

- The secret to success is that there isn’t one. Consistency wins, period. Staying positive throughout your journey is essential as I briefly alluded to in #5. Seriously though, believe in what you are doing. It sounds so cliché, but if you set your mind to losing 50 lbs, BELIEVE that you can.

The strongest mental tool I have ever discovered is the power of visualization. See yourself stepping on the scale achieving your goal, see yourself on the treadmill every day, or running, or whatever your regimen entails. Visualization breeds positivity, and positivity generates progress, isn’t that what we all want in life anyway?

- Failing is good. If you at some point you don’t achieve what you were hoping for, its ok! Failure is simply another opportunity for you to succeed. If a workout kicks your butt, so what! Get up the next day and focus on beating what beat you. That is the quickest way to progress. Use that failure as motivation, not an excuse to quit.

- Drink only water. You could write multiple articles about the health benefits of water, but for fitness purposes it’s a simply a must. When you’re dehydrated your body goes into “starvation” mode and actually holds more of that water, hindering your weight loss goals. Stay hydrated all the time. First thing in the morning, drink water. Have your coffee after your water, you’ll notice your stomach wont respond as negatively. Water boosts cognitive function and lubricates your joints, so your mind and body will be on the same page during your workout.

- Take pictures. You don’t have to post them online obviously, they should be for you. Take pictures every week or two weeks, or if you had a really good day of eating and killed your workout. They serve as motivational tools during this process. It’s a long journey and you are going to need to see some returns on your investment (looking at pictures of the “new” you will boost your morale and increases the likelihood of your success).