Top 8 Fitness Tips from my Personal Trainer

I started working out with a personal trainer a few months ago to help me reach my fitness goals. While I eat healthy, I sometimes need a kick in the pants to get me in the gym consistently, especially when my schedule gets busy. Having the help of a trainer helps maximize my workouts and keeps me on track. I’m excited to see my progress as I get stronger every week and more fit! Can’t wait to reach my goal in the coming months!

To help you get or stay on track, I asked my trainer, Dupree Allen, to provide a few tips for kicking off a fit new year. Check out what he had to say below.

The start of a new year is filled with great expectations of the unknown. The countdown to January 1, brings discussions about reflections on the past and about what the future has in store.

There are a significant number of people that pledge to themselves and others an overwhelming list of resolutions that they hope to start and maintain in the coming year. These resolutions are often set without significant and realistic goals to achieve them.

One of the most popular resolutions that shows up on people’s list is something related to fitness. Whether it is to lose weight, run a half marathon, fit into an outfit for a special occasion or prevent/help a health condition; all of these are attainable.

If physical fitness was a race, it would be a marathon not a sprint. It takes time, commitment, and work to embark on this journey, and it is doable!!!

As a fitness expert and professional for more than 15 years of experience, there are a few things that I recommend to assist you in your journey.

The D-FITT 8: New Year/New You Resolutions

Create a plan - Spend some time mapping out and writing down what you want to do, how you want to do it and when.
Make realistic goals- Egypt was not built in a day so have realistic goals that can be accomplished. Do not task yourself with dropping 4 sizes in 6 weeks. Some fad diets and systems exploit the desire we have for instant gratification but then you are either disillusioned because it did not happen and either stop trying, binge eat or try using very unhealthy habits that can lead to more problems than benefits in the long run.
Getting Started. If you haven’t worked in a long time, let’s say, a year or more, start with walking first. Start with a45 minute stroll then increase the intensity overtime.
Add resistance training to your routine. Start slowly, with light weight and high repetitions. Compound movements such as bar-bell bench press, seated rows, squats, are excellent exercise because they use more than one muscle group at a time.
Celebrate small victories appropriately -When you reach a milestone, reward yourself with something that is not counterproductive to your goals. Ex: After losing 5 lbs, watch your favorite comedy with friends and don’t eat a slice of double chocolate fudge cake.
Understand you are what you eat/drink – What you put in your body is extremely important; diet is your fitness foundation. If you work out 4x a week for 6o minutes but eat large amounts of processed foods and sugary drinks, you cancel out the efforts of your hard work. I follow and recommend a healthy plant-based diet for best results. If you are not yet vegan, eat as clean as possible and go for organic and free-range products.
Results come with time –Patience is key and understanding that 3-6 months to see significant change is normal and should be expected. There are no results without consistency. Maintain consistency with food, cardiovascular exercises, and resistance training.
If you need an extra boost, enlist the help of professionals like me or Dr. Ruby!