A friend of mine gave me the idea for this blog when she mentioned that she moved from one fitness program to another one. My first thought was “hmmm – I wonder why?” There are so many fitness programs out there right now but how do you choose? This is something you have to figure out for yourself – however, I do have some thoughts I’d like to share if you hang around for a minute -but first a little background refresher on me.
Most of you probably already know that when it comes to fitness programs I am a TAD biased. I’ve had extreme success with Valerie Waters and her Red Carpet Ready forum, which was exactly what I needed three years ago to help me achieve the results and weight loss I did. I’ve also recently had fabulous success testing my husband Mark’s fitness program (hopefully to be launched soon). Both Val and Mark’s programs made me work hard enough to get results, but weren’t hard enough to make me want to quit.
Ahhhh – there lies the key – hard enough to get results, but not hard enough to make me want to quit. In my opinion part 1 of figuring out if a program is a fit for you, go with your gut. If your gut is telling you that you won’t do it, you probably won’t. I know for a fact that Jillian Michaels would not motivate me in any way, shape or form (sorry Jill). I understand her philosophy and that you gotta work to get results – but her program and her energy is a little extreme for me. Another example, my husband Mark – a fantastic trainer who is loved by his clients, but I could not train with him. Why…..? Have you ever had your significant other try to push you outside of your comfort zone? Let me tell you it is NOT a good idea which I knew in my gut, but thought I’d try anyway – this is where Val came in. Val is a celebrity fitness trainer that Mark has admired for years and because he knows how I operate and knew Val’s style of training, was sure she would be a good fit for me. Her program was a good fit for me and I felt it – in my gut.
The second thing I want to say is this – once you find a program that is a fit for you and you’re ready to make that commitment, you MUST be consistent…. Challenge yourself for 30 days by making a plan that includes creating weekly meal plans, the days and times of your workouts, your water consumption, and don’t forget to schedule time for yourself to relax. So – why 30 days? Because it’s said that it takes about that long to form a habit. My hope is after the 30 days you will feel so good you’ll want to continue. There is nothing better than being fit and feeling healthy – you can trust me on that one 😉
And lastly – find support. My support was the fabulous women in Val’s Red Carpet Ready forum, as well as Val personally. I did have my husband’s support but I needed more, and for me these women were key. My friend Sheila Viers of Live Well 360 wrote a blog on “Finding your People” which I love, where she talks about the importance of finding a support system and how it will help you succeed. So find a friend, family member, co-worker – anyone who will motivate you, listen to you, support you, and give you praise when you hit your health and fitness milestones. But choose your “people” wisely – there are some out there who will try to tear you down or sabotage your efforts and I have a feeling you know who they are – don’t let them do it.
There are a lot of great programs out there, but when all is said and done – if you don’t do the work, it doesn’t matter what kind of results the program promises you. I believe you need to find one that is a good fit for YOU – which in my opinion – can be done by trusting your gut. Remember, while you research programs you are interested in ask yourself if this is something you can truly commit to and trust what your gut is telling you!!
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