8 Ways to Get in Shape

Note: This is a guest post from Jarrod Clark of Optimistic Journey
Do you procrastinate when it comes to a new workout regimen? Starting a new workout routine can be an overwhelming thing if you don’t have the right mind-set, or if you haven’t mapped out a plan for your routine.
If you’re overwhelmed by the whole process of starting out, I’ve devised a list of 8 ways to get started on a workout regiment and obtain the body that you’ve wanted and become a healthy individual. Hopefully this will be a catalyst and give you hope and inspiration to take the first step.
1. Just Do It! – Okay, I know what you’re thinking, easier said than done right? People who have had success in the area of physical fitness, are no different than you. They’ve just taken the first step and kept at it. It all comes down to your will power, put one foot in front of the other.

For years, I’ve been putting off going to school. It wasn’t until one day last year I picked up the phone and made that call to a local college. While I was making the call I’ll never forget thinking, “What in the world are you doing?” Well, to keep a long story short, guess what?! I’m still in school getting my education and haven’t once considered quitting until I graduate.
What am I saying? Call your local gym and sign up. Before you know it, you’ll overcome the worst hurdle to getting in shape, which is starting.
2. Work Out at Home – For those of you who are parents or have hectic schedules, and have only a small window of time to spare a day, there are so many tools available that makes it easy to work out at home.
This recommendation may not be for everyone but for those who are willing to do so, invest in home equipment such as home gyms, treadmills, stationary bikes, etc. This frees you from having to go to the gym to work out. For some people the one thing that closes the deal in starting a workout program is the travel distance to the gym.
3. Youtube – If you are into aerobic exercise, there are many avenues that teach aerobic exercise.Visit Youtube and type in aerobic exercise at home into the search field and explore the tutorials available. You will be surprised at how easy it is to simply burn calories at home. Many of these exercises are exercises that only take 15-30 minutes a day to complete.
4. Gadgets – I’m always in the sports/fitness section at Walmart and I’m amazed at the number of tools and gadgets available that lend themselves to helping people get in shape on their own terms at home. As an alternative to the more expensive treadmills and home gyms, as mentioned above, many of these gadgets are much cheaper and come with tutorial videos ready to get you started on your road to success.
5. Perfect Pushup – A few months ago I invested in Perfect Pushup, which I purchased from Walmart. Perfect Pushups is an apparatus that was invented by a former Navy Seal who discovered how to do pushups in a way that engages more than just your pectoral muscles. It engages a larger portion of your upper body.
6. Resistance Bands – You will be surprised with the type of workout you can get with resistance bands. The good thing about resistance bands is that you can get a full body workout from them and they are a great alternative to going to the gym or using bulky home gyms. Go to Youtube and key in exercises for resistance bands and your search will return a large number of tutorials for you to get a full body workout with resistance bands.
7. Can-Do Mindset – I believe your mindset has a lot to do with whether you are successful or not. I’ve heard people say that they want to get fit, but they’re not willing to workout. They say, “Oh, I hate working out. It’s just not for me.”
When you think thoughts that contradict your goals, you’re basically speaking death into your goal. Have an open mind. Develop a Can-Do attitude.
8. Stick With It – Naturally, we want to see results overnight. That’s just the nature of human being. When working out, our inspiration comes from seeing results. When we see results that we like we will work harder so that we can see more results.
However, when we don’t see the results we want when we want them, we start to make excuses of why we should put it off for a while. Then a while becomes and even longer while and before we know it, we’ve given up on our goal of getting in shape. Instead of making excuses and getting discouraged, keep at. Stay motivated and you will see the change you want to see.
In conclusion, set small goals and stick with them. Many times when working out we’re looking at the big picture, which is okay to do but I believe you will overwhelm yourself and set your expectations too high, too soon.
When you set small goals, it’s like learning how to drive in a small car rather than learning in an eighteen wheeler. Set small goals that are obtainable and stay motivated and you will see the results you want to see in no time.
Jarrod Clark is an up and coming blogger in the field of personal developement at OptimisticJourney.com. There you will find Inspirational Messages that will keep you motivated through life’s adversities. He updates regularly with 5-6 articles per week. Check me out at http://www.OptimisticJourney.com
Photo by lululemon athletica

14 Comments

  1. This is awesome Jarrod – good to see you out and about – you certainly have extended your reach far into the blogosphere. I really liked that you mentioned working out at home. This has been really great for me, especially with Beachbody and workouts like P90X.

  2. Nice post! Never heard of the perfect push-up though, I’ll have a little look. Also, working out in the house is excellent if you’ve got the will-power! 🙂

  3. @Jeremy – Thank you Jeremy!! ’til this day I still have yet to invest in the P90X but it sounds like a great idea especially for working out at home!! Thanks for contributing!!
    @Craig – Thank you!! I got my perfect push-ups at Walmart. You can get it with the instructional DVD included for about 30 bucks. May be even less than that now. Will power is a major con when working at home. Thanks for sharing!!

  4. Love your simple, low cost and do-it-yourself solutions here Jarrod!
    Thanks for reminding us that being fit and healthy is simply a choice.
    🙂 Susan

  5. Thank you Susan, I find that people are always looking for low cost, alternatives to getting the job done, especially now-a-days!

  6. Thanks for the advice. I think that the important thing is allot some time -even 15 minutes could bea good start – to practice some yoga, ab, jogging, whatever fits you.
    To commit to do it at least threee times per week and keep the routine indefinitely.
    All the best,
    Boris

  7. @Boris – Yes, Yoga, ab, and jogging are great ways to exercise at home also. Especially cardio exercises. Thanks for contributing!! Have a great weekend!

  8. another way to keep yourself motivated is to keep a log of your exercise. It’s really inspiring to see all the mileage (if you jog, walk, bike) and/or time you’ve spent exercising really build up after awhile. I use an excel sheet to track both time and mileage, as well as marking days on the calendar that I’ve exercised. It really pushes me more when I see how much I’ve done!

  9. @Pauline – It’s very interesting that you mentioned that Pauline, I used to keep a log and it was always inspiring to see the progress that I made over time. That’s a great point.
    Thanks for contributing!!

  10. I would say the most important thing for me when I started daily exercise is to commit to do just 30 minutes every day for 30 days. When these days are over that’s it you can quit if you want. The commitment is less scary than saying you’ll do it forever.

  11. Great Post! I really think it is all mental when it comes to getting in shape. It’s all about taking that first step, having a good attitude, and sticking with it. When I first started working out I really hated it. However, even though I didn’t like it, I stuck with it because I knew it was going to get me in shape. Looking back, I’m amazed at how my mentality has changed. Now I enjoy working out. I find that exercising is a big stress reliever, and it makes me feel good knowing that I’m doing something good for my body. I look forward to working out, and even though it’s not easy, it’s completely worth it. It started out with working out, but that has led to other things. Now I eat healthier and strive to take care of my body. Overall I’m the healthiest and happiest I’ve ever been. You just need to be willing to take that first step and to stick with it!

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