Hey friends! I’m currently in Mexico relaxing, tanning, beaching and trapeze-ing, but while I’m away I have a few fun posts lined up for you. Hope you enjoy!
xo Kayla
Hello Kayla in the City readers! I’m Sarah, I’m sure some of you have seen me in some posts floating around the blog (ie.. The time I made kayla run in the arctic on thanksgiving— SORRY KAY!) and she asked me to give some tips for beginners. This topic is right up my alley because not very long ago I was an extreme beginner who… Gasp… Hated moving.
I’ll give a little backstory first. In 2009, I weighed over 450 pounds and decided to have gastric bypass surgery to change my life and get healthy. I got my nutrition in order, made lifestyle changes, and somehow got bitten by the endorphin bug and became an endurance athlete. Now I try to drag all my friends into running or crossfit or spinning or anything to become active. My weight is now stable and I am excited to begin training for the Hartford Marathon in October– my first full marathon! I am ready to check the next big endurance challenge off my bucket list for good
Now onto some tips for beginners just looking to get their feet wet in this crazy new hobby of exercise and working out.
— Pick an exercise you enjoy doing
Do you like dancing? Try Zumba! Do you love walking or hiking? Find some friends, get a puppy, google hiking trails and go for it! Do you love being in the water? Try Aqua Zumba, water aerobics, swim some laps, take a fancy underwater spin class (right, kayla?) My point is, you know what you really love doing. If you love doing it, it won’t be a chore, it won’t feel like work, you won’t be staring at the clock in a overly-illuminated studio room hoping that you don’t need to do another bicycle crunch because you can’t stand bicycle crunches. Instead you’ll walk in to your workout of choice excited to do something you love. If you don’t know what exercise floats your boat yet, sign up for a few trial classes and take advantage of guest passes. If you never try, you’ll never know!
Me, Kayla and our friend Annica post zumba class. Booty shaking is ALWAYS a good time
–make a date with yourself
Once you pick your exercise or exercises of choice write them down in a calendar, put them in a date book, put stickie notes on your fridge or send carrier pigeons to your house to remind you, whatever you do to keep dates organized. I found that when I first started moving (read: walking a 1/4 mile), I tried to make excuses why I was too busy. Think of your exercise as an appointment. Would you just not show up to a physical? Or a job interview? Or a lunch date with a friend? Your health is just as important as all of those things. Make dates with yourself and keep them!
–sign up for an event
This one is more of a beginning runner tip, but sign up for something fun! A color run, an obstacle course race, a half marathon, a Disney race, a fun run for charity and then make a plan. I found that the miles came easier knowing that I was getting ready to dominate a particular endurance challenge. My first half was the Disney princess half marathon in Orlando, and I knew I had to run to prepare myself. I finished the training and the half, and had the best time ever. Nothing motivates a morning run like envisioning yourself crossing the finish line.
Then once you cross that finish line, SIGN UP FOR ANOTHER ONE! There is always room for improvement. I finished my first half in 3:45, then 7 months later finished the diva half marathon (with the lovely Kayla) in 2:09. About a month after that, I finished the Bonsai Half in 2:07. There is no greater motivator than improvement… The sweet bling isn’t too shabby either.
–make friends when you try something new
Walking into crossfit for the first time was intimidating. I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t know the movements, I was self conscious, and I was not ready to do all of the workouts as written which meant I was going to have to scale, a lot. But I pushed all of that aside, and walked in determined to get through workouts and make friends. If you introduce yourself to people, you’ll slowly immerse yourself in their world and they’ll help you succeed. Everyone is working towards the same goal (healthy bodies) and everyone wants to be the best version of themselves. Don’t be afraid to be the new guy because next time, it’ll be someone else. Walk in to whatever class or fitness program your first time with an open mind, and you may be surprised at how many awesome people you meet and how much fun getting in shape can be!
–write everything down… EVERYTHING
When I say everything, I mean everything. Every thing you eat, every time you exercise, keep detailed notes of progress and nutrition. I use myfitnesspal and love tracking how much I eat, drink, exercise and where I can improve. I also keep training journals for each race I train for. Each run is different so I write how many miles, the weather and temperature, what I ate the night before, how much water I drank before and after, what I ate on the run, and how I felt after. If things go really well, I try to recreate conditions. If things go wrong, I can pinpoint why.
–take progress pictures… A lot of them
Even though I’ve been the same weight for years now, I look different. If I was only going by the scale, I would get frustrated. I have more muscle definition and am just overall smaller than I was yet my weight is exactly the same. I still take progress pictures every couple of months just to check in and see what is getting bigger/smaller. It’s rewarding to see progress, don’t rob yourself of that!
–no negative self talk
You’re awesome! If you wouldn’t say it to your best friend, don’t say it to yourself. Don’t let the fact that you can’t do pull ups prevent you from trying crossfit, don’t count out running because you have to stop for walking breaks. Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. Everyone started somewhere, everyone was once a beginner, everyone had to take their first walk through the gym by themselves. Give 100 percent, whatever that looks like for you, and walk away proud that your taking steps to being healthier and happier.
–dress to impress
Cotton and I do not get along when working out. Invest in some sweat wicking work out clothes. You’ll thank me later. I have everything from lululemon, Nike, Old Navy, Gap Fit, Walmart and Target. It doesn’t need to be expensive, but you will feel better in clothes that are flattering and are appropriate for the activity you’re engaging in. Plus, I love clothes with bright colors and fun sayings on them. There’s something badass about a girl doing burpees and pull-ups in a neon shirt that says “fast girls have good times”. Workout clothes are fun, funny, bright colored, and help your performance immensely. Side note, if you are thinking about starting to run, running socks are expensive but totally worth it.
Thanks so much for reading my beginner tips
What did you do when you first started working out? What do you want to know about working out?
— Sarah
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