Getting Started.

So I get asked a lot how to get started. I am going to give you a lot of information on just where to begin based on my own experiences and by some of my friends experiences. One thing I hear a lot is that fitness is expensive. Lets keep in mind that it can add up however so can medical bills. And to me begin confident in my skin is important too.

The first tidbit of information is to find out weather a gym or working out at home is the right choice for you. Personally I prefer to workout at home. The closet good gym to me is about 20 minutes away. So by the time I drive there and back I could have worked out. Second, you have to pay for a gym membership. You also have to pay for workout DVDs but once you have that DVD you have it for life and don't have to continue to pay for it. Also I get to distracted in the gym. I like it when people tell me what to do so I don't have to think about whats next. This post is going to be about working out at home.

What to know before you start. You need weights. When I began I had 2, 3, and 5 pound weights. At Walmart.com you can buy weights. The pound of the weight is also the price (2 lbs = $2, 5lbs = $5, and etc). However if you don't have money for weights you can improvise using gallon milk jugs or water bottles filled with water or sand until you can buy weights. Also I highly suggest keeping a food diary by using an app like MyFitnessPal to track your eating and workouts. I use the app but if you do not have a smart phone they have a website that works the same and you can add your friends to help motivate you! You want to consume your net amount of calories in a day. To better track your calories burned in a workout I suggest a heart rate monitor with a chest strap (I have a post about them already). Now before you start working out I suggest taking your measurements (Chest, waist, hips, thighs, and flexed arms). This is so you don't focus on the number on the scale. I haven't lost any weight in about three months but I have lost over 10 inches. I suggest you measure yourself once a month. Also DO NOT weigh yourself every day. The last thing you will need is workout clothes. When you start it can be anything (I wore my pajamas for months before I bought workout clothes). The most important clothing item you will need is shoes. Not slippers or converse or anything like that. A good pair of athletic shoes will help reduce injury and seriously help your workouts. If you are going to spend a good chunk of money anywhere I would suggest spending it on shoes. I didn't wear shoes when I started and my ankles and arches of my feet would kill me.

Now that you are all set up. What workouts do you do? Just like you need a balanced diet to really see results you need a balanced workout with a good mix of cardio and weights. Cardio will burn more calories during the exercise but muscles will burn more calories while you are at rest. That being said. Start slow. Don't jump into P90x or Insanity. I am not just talking about intensity but length of time. If you start doing workouts that are long and hard your body won't be ready for it and you will burn out. I suggest starting with something like Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred or Ripped in 30 DVDs (only $8.00 each on amazon). The workouts are about 20 minutes and use her 3-2-1 system for a good over all balanced workout perfect for beginners. 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1minutes of abs, with a warm up and cool down. Her 30 Day Shred has 3 levels of workout intensity all with beginner modifications and Ripped in 30 has 4 to help you progress as you get stronger. Now just because I said to start easy does not mean these workouts are a piece of cake. They are hard. When I did her 30 Day Shred I was so sore for the first week. It was rough but that means it is working. (there is also a schedule for a workout plan combining there two DVDs online if you google it)

After completing her 30 Day Shred I moved to her Body Revolution. It was a 90 day program (it took me longer because I got really sick at one point and then got a tattoo and was told not to workout). Her Body Revolution is different from 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 because it doesn't use her 3-2-1 system. Instead one day you work the front of your body, the next the back of your body, then cardio and you repeat to complete your week with one day of rest. There are 12 DVDs plus 3 cardio DVDs. Doing the 30 Day Shred prepared me for her Body Revolution but if you wanted you could start with it. The workouts are 30 minutes long. The program does cost around $100 on amazon. It is a new program so the price will go down. (As you can see I like Jillian Michaels. However, it is important to change up the instructor of that DVDs you are doing to avoid a plateau because some instructors favor some workout moves and your body will adapt. For example Jillian lover her planks.)

After I completed that I rotated some of her other DVDs for like a month (including No More Trouble Zones and Banish Fat Boost Your Metabolism, both around 45 minutes) and I really started to plateau. For Christmas I got P90x and started it January 1st. Although it is a more intense program it was so refreshing to have a different trainer. I love Jillian but I was getting bored of the same things just in different routines. Her workouts got me prepared for P90x and after I completed Phase 1 I decided to bump it up to Doubles! I have also swapped out some days of Cardio X with some of Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire workouts. P90x Classic didn't have enough cardio for my liking.

Although I love working out there are days I don't feel like doing it. I am not going to lie there are days what I am lazy during the workouts but the important thing is to show up. Just by showing up you burn more calories and fat then by sitting on the couch. Now don't half ass it everyday. We all have good days and bad. Push through it and remember it takes time! You don't have to follow what I have told you just take it step by step. Also if you really want results it is a lifestyle change. You MUST eat clean and healthy. However is it okay to once in a while eat McDonalds, yes! it is all about moderation, moderation, MODERATION!! If you eat to well and don't splurge once in a while you will go on a massive binge. When starting I suggest to have one "bad" meal a week to help adjust. Then after a month or two have one "bad" meal once every two weeks. Slowly dwindle it down.

There are 1000s of DVDs out there and tons of "hybrid" workouts to mix the DVDs you have on line to switch it up to keep from plateauing. There is no "magic" pill. Exercise and diet are it! You can do it!