Things Everyone Needs to Realize Before They Begin:

So you decided that you want to start working out, here are some things that you need to be aware of before you start. These are the most common things I see people doing wrong when they start working out.

1. Unless you're considered obese and you rarely do physical activity, you aren't going to see your body drastically change in a month.
   I can't stress this enough. Losing weight and getting fit happens over a decent amount of time. The ads that you see for losing 30 pounds in 30 days are not only highly unlikely, it's also unhealthy for your body to go through such a drastic weight change in such a short amount of time.
   
   
   
   
   
2. If you are obese and sedentary and begin to exercise, you're probably going to lose a couple pounds a week, but this high of a weight loss isn't going to stay consistent after you start to get in shape.
   Don't get discouraged, this is normal, just have patience and keep working out. You will continue to lose weight, but the change week to week won't be as drastic as it was.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. You don't need to go buy a bunch of equipment to have a successful journey to getting fit.
   If you don't have a treadmill, you can run outside. If you don't have anything like a Bow-flex, you can do exercises that don't require weight resistance. This being said, purchasing a dumbbell or two is recommended, just don't go overboard.
   
   
   
   
   
4. A lot of people believe that skipping meals/not eating will help them lose weight. This is an extreme misconception.
   Skipping meals consistently sends your body into starvation mode and everything that you eat, your body will hold on to, rather than the body flushing out the things that it doesn't need. Also, skipping meals is extremely bad for you if you're going to be working out. The body needs nutrients (especially carbs and fats) to make energy for you to use during exercise. Skipping meals and working out can lead to passing out, or more extreme health concerns.
   
   
   
   
   
5. When you decide to start, you're going to be sore for the first couple of days.
   Keep exercising through the soreness. You can lower the intensity or time period for which you exercise, but to get yourself used to the routine of exercising, you need to push through the first couple days of soreness.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Don't overdo it on the first day.
   It's common for people to want extreme results, so they push themselves so hard on the first day that they can't move for the next day or two. It's OK to start out small, just remember tip number 1, it's going to take time to see results.
   
   
   
   
   
7. If you drink a lot of drinks with calories in them, try to switch to water, coffee or tea.
   Drinking only water is distasteful for some people, so tea can help you get the taste without the calories. It's a waste to drink your calories. To start out, try switching one drink a day to tea or water. Coconut water is also a good alternative, but I don't find the taste to be appealing.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Just because something has 0 calories does not mean that it's healthy for you.
   This also goes for things with high calories. Quinoa has a high caloric content per serving, but it has many nutrients that are good for the body. Artificial sweeteners have 0 calories per serving, but they have no nutritional value. Counting calories alone will not provide optimal results. This being said, a cheeseburger is high in calories, but it's also not healthy for you and spinach has close to 0 calories per serving and it has many nutrients that are good for the body. You just need to realize the high caloric, healthy foods and the low caloric, bad foods.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Completely cutting out any food group is not recommended in the slightest.
   If you cut out a food group completely, your body is going to crave that specific food group. For example, if you eat a lot of sweets, completely cutting sweets from your diet over a short period of time is not going to end well. Your body will crave those sweets and it's extremely likely that you're going to cave and eat an obscene amount of sweets. This is extremely counterproductive. If for, some reason you feel the need to cut out a food group (not recommended except for medical reasons), you should ween yourself off over a long period of time to avoid overeating of that food group as a result of cravings.
   
   
   

Personally, I think that tip number 1 is the most important. People often expect to lose 30 pounds in a month and when that doesn't happen, they get discouraged and quit. If you plan to lose a significant amount of weight for an event, start as early as possible. If you end up losing the weight you want before the event, it's always easier to stay at the same weight than it is to lose 15 pounds in two weeks.

These are all my tips for now, I will be sure to post an updated one if I think of more!

New to Blogging, Familiar With Fitness

Thanks for stopping and taking time to read my blog. I am on a fitness journey and I want to share the things that I've learned along the way. I am an exercise science major planning on entering graduate school for Physical Therapy next year. I participated in competitive swimming for 11 years, I played school volleyball for 4 years, soccer for about 7 years, and I ran cross country for a year, so I have experience with exercising.

This past school year I had to focus more on school than working out so I am slightly out of shape. Since I was so active during my childhood/teenage years, it is fairly easy for me to get back in shape, but it does take me a long time to lose weight. My boyfriend is coming along for the journey to get back in shape and he is a lot more out of shape than I am, so I will also be sharing tips that he's come across along the way. We started consistently exercising about two weeks ago. My mother, who is getting close to 50, is also going to give me some advice that she's come across during her journey to fitness. She has been walking consistently for at least 4 years. So by reading this blog, you will get advice from a male and female in their 20's and a female who is in her late 40's. This blog will have a lot of variety and hopefully will give as many people information about getting healthy as possible.

I will be supplying you with things that I have learned in college about all types of exercise, recipes for eating healthy, workouts and hopefully more! Please stay tuned while I get this blog up and running because I have lots of great tips!