This is the first installment in my Fitness for Beginners series. Here's the introduction post which explains my motivations to make this series and a little about me too.
Let's get started !!
So you decided to start your fitness journey, good :)
Whatever your motivations, whatever your goals, your monetary status, your social circle, your country of origin, I can promise you one thing - it won't be easy. There will be sweat, there will be pain, there will be days when you feel like shit and days when you won't be able to lift your arms, walk, crawl, days when even lying down on the bed will hurt. But there will also be days when you feel amazing, when you will see the difference you are making to your health, when people finally start noticing the changes you've been making, when you get out the gym and feel like a different person, when that pretty girl/handsome guy you always liked checks you out. And it's days like that that make us get up in the morning and just rock that next work out. Join me and you will get your share of those days.
My beginning
I wasn't always like this, I used to be a weak, fat, lazy, unmotivated guy who'd refuse to run even if his life depended on it. The breaking point was when I started studying and went to my P.E. (for lack of a better term) class. Our teacher was a retired triathlon(Ironman race) champion, who was also a personal trainer and used to train NHL guys. One day he put me on a treadmill and measured my heart rate, he was alarmed - after a few minutes of running my heart rate skyrocketed and had I not been so young, I would probably get a heart attack. He said if I don't change my life, I'll probably have a short and unhappy life and that it's probably my last chance...
So I did
I was lost at the beginning, I could have asked my teacher, but I was a shy person and talking to strangers was very difficult for me + he left the school after a while, (I really don't know how he got there in the first place - with his qualification...)
So I did what most of us would do - checked out the internet, found some videos on youtube, read a ton of articles etc. I wanted to hit the gym as soon as possible, but I didn't want to go to the gym with my pitiful physique, so I decided to work out at home first, get stronger and then hit the gym.
301 pushups a day...For 20 days...
I still don't know how I was able to do that, but I managed to stick to that challenge for the full 20 days and hell did it change me. I've grown muscles I doubted even existed on my body. I've grown every muscle and even lost a couple pounds of fat in the process. Now please don't try this. That amount of exercise is brutal for a beginner and my joints ached for days after.
Home workouts it is !
After realizing how much I changed during such a short time without visiting the gym once, I was convinced that home workouts are all that I need. I found a guy on youtube and started doing his fat burning and ab building workouts and those worked like magic, I was no longer the person who got out of breath by slowly walking up the stairs, I was the guy who went trough a brutal fat burning workout and wanted more. I was admired by my classmates, it was great.
My tools
I discovered a couple of things that made my journey a lot easier and I wish I knew them at the start.
Green tea
Green tea has almost magical properties -it's loaded with antioxidants, helps your brain function better, it improves physical performance, lowers the risk of cancer, lowers the risk of parkinson and alzheimer down the line, helps your heart, your breath etc. Green tea is probably the healthiest drink in the world - why do you think tea drinking countries have a better longevity ? All that is amazing, but the most important benefit for me was the fat burning increase. Yes it helps with that too ! You gotta make sure to drink it pure though, no flavors or sugar..
Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting comes in many forms - I chose the 16/8 one , that means you fast for 16 hours and then have an 8 hour eating window. It might sound harsh, but it's actually very bearable after you get used to it, you sleep through most of the fasting. I had my eating window from 12pm to 8pm that means I avoided eating late at night, which is the time we are most susceptible to overeating. There are known benefits to intermittent fasting, but I was using it mainly as a calorie saver - skipping breakfast saves you a nice number and not eating at night helps you too - that meant I could eat sweets during the day and still have a semi-six pack - I do love sweets.
Water
Water gave us life, so why stay away from it ? Drink a lot of water, it makes your metabolism faster, it helps your skin, you'll lose some weight. There is a huge number of articles about water benefits so I'll make it short - drink water, it's good for you !
Some extra tips
If you decide to hit the gym - go with a buddy who's been lifting for a while, he'll make sure you don't destroy your joints etc. If you don't have a friend like that, train with a personal trainer the first couple times you're there.
Don't stress out about diet - in your first few months of working out, your body will change no matter what you eat.
Check your facts - don't believe everything they say on the internet, check out more than 1 source of information.
Friends - if possible start your journey with a friend in a similar condition, this will help motivate you, you'll push each other to better results, but don't be dependent on them, hit the gym alone if they can't join you.
Don't spend too much - don't go out buying every thing that has fitness written on it. Only buy things you actually need, but most of the time you won't need much in the first months. Don't go buying shit you might never even get to use.
Look up to someone - find a youtuber, actor, fighter etc. who you admire and check out their workouts and vlogs etc. Have someone you want to aspire to, maybe you'll one day be better than them !
Change it up - don't get stuck doing the same workouts every day, your body adapts much faster than you think, that's why I was able to do 301 pushups a day and that's why most people that lift get no results after a while.
Follow your change - take photos, measure yourself, ask friends. Sometimes we don't even notice the change being made and that can lower our motivation. One thing you should stay away from is weight measurement, don't get discouraged if your weight doesn't change - muscle weight is probably replacing your fat weight.
Stay tuned for my next posts - I'll be going into more depth about lifting, cardio, dieting, supplements etc.
