Beer Drinkers Tips to getting fitter.

In my introduce yourself post I made the statements that I can't write you a nutrition or exercise plan and that still holds true I'm no professional trainer what I can do however is share some of the tips I have learned during my time getting fitter.

That photo on the left was taken nearly 5 years ago to the day, on the day I married the love of my life @insideoutlet and I really do look fat, happy, and married. The photo on the right is the result of a lot of work and effort to improve my fitness and strength.

Take a minute and really look.

It's about being honest with yourself while the mirror is not a fitness tool I believe in, it is useful for this tip.

It's time to get naked... I'm dead serious strip of the cloths and go stand to in front of the mirror(I promise not to picture it) and ask yourself two questions

1. Am I happy with how I look?

For the record, I'm not asking you if you see Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston when you look in the mirror, or even suggesting that you should, those kinds of standards are insane, what I am asking you is if you like how you look, if your happy in your own skin. If you are, fantastic, your job is to make sure you don't let anyone make you feel your not good enough.

If you not happy with what you see then it's your job to Do Something

2. Am I happy with my fitness?

This question is far more important than the previous one, the answer to this one can literally be life or death but it is a question that many of us avoid thinking of because its not immediate, eating that extra bacon deluxe as a side isn't going to kill you straight away well, not unless you're really bad at chewing.

The benefits of higher levels of fitness are immense and not in question with benefits like

Physical activity reduces many major mortality risk factors including arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. All-cause mortality is decreased by about 30% to 35% in physically active as compared to inactive subjects.

Quoted from Does Physical Activity Increase Life Expectancy? A Review of the Literature

Aside from the health benefits increased fitness is the thing that lets you get out there and enjoy life a little more, its the thing that lets you run, play, and jump with your children instead of just watching their excitement.

So are you happy with your fitness? If not guess what it's your job to Do Something

No Gym Required, it starts with a walk.

Source

You might not be ready or may not have the funds to join a gym and you don't need to the first step towards fitness is just that your first step on a walk. "Find Thirty" was a Western Australian government campaign that encouraged people to literally just find thirty minutes for some kind of physical activity each day, no requirement to join the gym, no requirement to run 5 km or to purchase some $2000 treadmill or exercise bike.

For a good 6-8 months before committing to joining the gym the ever stunning @insideoutlet and I walked most mornings eventually progressing to jogs and longer distances.

30 minutes makes a difference.

Tools for walking.

ZERO TOOLS ARE REQUIRED however some can be handy below are a couple of things that helped me.

What gets Measured, Gets managed.

Pedometer/Fitness tracker: There are hundreds and hundreds of these on the market, personally I use a Fitbit with heart rate tracker but spending that money is not really needed in fact, you can pick up a basic pedometer for $2-$5 bucks.

Personally, I like to see all that extra data provided by more complex devices but that is just a nice to have.

Scales, your asshole best mate

Honestly, you might hate your scales the first time you step on them but that is because they are a truly honest friend, scales have never been known for their flattery, they're not going to tell you your ass look great in those jeans if they don't.

The reason scales are your true best mate is due to that honesty, they will be the first to tell you that you have made progress and the first to tell you if you letting your progress slip.

Again you don't need to have the fancy scales but personally, I like the Runtastic Libra these measures not just your weight but also your body fat, muscle, hydration, BMI and links up to your phone so you can easily track progress over time.

The advantage of having something that tracks those other details is that as you start to exercise your body composition will start to shift but your weight may actually go up as you add muscle to your frame and being able to see why stops unnecessary frustration regarding progress after all muscle weighs more than fat.

Don't weight yourself at night time after a full days eating right after dinner and don't stop listening to your honest friend.

The Mirror is not your Friend.

Honestly, other than that first look in the mirror we talked about to decide if you're happy with your body you should treat your mirror as an enemy and take everything it tells you with a huge grain of salt.

Unlike scales mirrors will be the last to tell you that your making progress and the last to tell you that progress is slipping, don't get me wrong when you can really see the results in the mirror it can be really exciting you're probably going to sneak a peek at yourself in a bunch more reflective surfaces in admiration of what you have achieved.

Here is how they can lie to you, that "After Pic" above wasn't taken at my peak condition but for me its pretty close, I had cut down a bunch of body fat and put on some extra muscle then I made my mistake, I stopped listening to my honest friend the scales because the mirror told me I looked good, I relaxed and started eating more junk food and drinking more beer, after all, being able to drink beer was half the reason I exercise.

I was still going to the gym still lifting the weights and the mirror was telling me that I was gaining muscle, bulking up but the truth was that I was just putting layers of fat over what I had built.

Source

DON"T TRUST YOUR MIRROR.

Instead of the mirror. Selfie instead.

Ok, so you want to actually see your progress, after all, we are very visual creatures so if not a mirror what?

You should have guessed it from that heading pull out your phone or camera because you going to document your progress via photos.

This is going to work better for you if you can get the help from a friend or family member.

How to progress photos.

1. Start today before you take any fitness actions.

2. No need to do it nude, pics a pair of hole free underwear and make them you go to at photo time believe it or not consistency is useful you might want to tune those photos into a movie later.

3. Full body, that's right head to toe photos this is why its handy to have someone help you, it can be tempting to focus the camera on those bit you want to see the change in but having the complete picture is much more beneficial.

4. Posture: Stand straight, don't slouch or you're going to create unatural bulges and your just generally going to hate the photos and not going to want to take any more.

5. Every day is too much, one a week same time, same day is more than enough.

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These photos help remind me that I need to keep listening to my scales.

Other Tools.

Geocaching getting involved in the worlds largest treasure hunt to find new an interesting walks instead of just walking around the block over and over again can definitely help fight off bordom.

@insideoutlet and I have found some amazing walks we would never have found by using this app check out her post on it here Six Week Health Challenge: Week Two - The Worlds Largest Treasure Hunt - Geocaching

Find it in your mobiles app store.