Fitness and health go hand in hand. Health can’t be maximized without consistent exercise. To begin an exercise plan read The 11 Steps to Take to Implement and Maximize Your Fitness, Part 1 and The 11 Steps to Take to Implement and Maximze Your Fitness, Part 2 as this is part three of a three part series.
The eleven steps to take to implement and maximize your fitness are:
1. Decide on your why
2. Track your food intake
3. Begin a stretching routine
4. Block out a time and place for exercise
5. Begin a walking routine
6. Set a goal
7. Start an exercise log
8. Begin to change food habits
9. Find a community
10. Research exercises or types of exercises that interest you
11. Gradually accumulate equipment
Steps 1-8 are foundational steps in the importance of starting a fitness plan. Review them if necessary and see below to continue.
9. Find a community
Now that you have been exercising on your own for a while, it is time to find a community where you can share your fitness journey. Sharing your journey with other like-minded people will help you grow. It will give you support in reaching your goals, and it will help you stay on track when things get difficult or discouraging. A community can also act as a support system to help keep you accountable and keep you motivated.
Where can you find a community? There are many places to look. If you join a local gym, take a yoga or aerobics class. Sign up for a boot camp or martial arts class; this is your community. You can even find an online community where you can interact with like-minded people. There are also running clubs, walking clubs, hiking clubs, and many more. Try different groups until you find one that works for you.
10. Research exercises or types of exercises that interest you
A large part of your fitness journey is growth and change. You will not grow without change, and your progress will plateau if you continue to do the same things forever. The body is a well-designed machine and will adapt to whatever stresses are placed on it. It will learn your repeating physical habits and change its physiology to make itself more efficient. Granted, doing the same thing is better than doing nothing, but at this point in your fitness journey, your progress will only improve if you begin to make changes in your physical activity.
What types of activities interest you? Weightlifting? Running? Hiking? The options are nearly endless. Research whatever interests you. Information is very widely available. If hiking interests you, find a hiking store, and the staff will be able to answer any questions you may have. Your fitness community can also assist you in expanding your interests and opportunities.
11. Gradually accumulate equipment
The final step to take to maximize your fitness is to gradually accumulate fitness equipment. Regardless of whether you live in an apartment, a house, a condo, or whatever, you can accumulate equipment related to your exercise interests. Accumulate this equipment to use at home. Most equipment can be used anywhere, and requires very little storage space. For example, you can store a barbell and a few weight plates under a bed or couch and pull them out when you are ready to use them. You can store a jumprope in a drawer, or a bicycle anywhere in a home. Buy something that looks interesting, and then figure out how to use it and incorporate it in your home workouts. Think outside of the box. Don’t think fitness can only be achieved in a traditional gym. You can certainly get fit in your home with equipment that you have gradually accumulated.
This concludes the three part series The Eleven Steps to Take to Implement and Maximize Your Fitness. Fitness is a journey and requires work and dedication. Review the eleven steps and master each one. Even if you have to start at step one, master it to build the proper foundation. If you feel your progress has stalled, go back through the steps and take an honest assessment of each one to figure out where you are in your fitness journey.
Normal Human Fitness 