fitness

'I'm a personal trainer. These are my 3 golden rules of fitness.'

Confusing times, eh? An iceberg lettuce costs more than a Hass avocado. I can still only purchase two boxes of tissues at a time. And JLo and Ben Affleck are married. 

Honestly, I can't explain any of it, but what I can do is take one sliver of your life and make it simple for you.

Here are my 3 golden rules of fitness.

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Video via Mamamia.

1. Have a plan.

It's a total rookie error to walk into the gym with no plan whatsoever. Even if you don't have a written-out program as such, at the very least know what you are going to do before you walk through the doors. Upper body weights today. Lower body weights tomorrow. 30 minutes of cardio the day after. A yoga class the day after that.

The danger of no plan is you become a slave to your whims (i.e. walking the other way and having a caramel latte instead) and some days it's hard enough to get your weary bones to the gym let alone having to *think* once you get there.

If you have the planning ability of a carrot, take part in classes and let someone else do the thinking for you. Just make sure you take part in a variety of classes to ensure you get a bit of everything (strength, cardio, stretching).

2. Have a routine.

Compliance to your gym sessions comes down to one simple thing: routine. There are way too many factors in life that will knock your gym session off its perch: half price schnitzel night, cooler weather, Mars in retrograde. Lock in your gym sessions as non-negotiable appointments in your diary. I have seen more results in this business not because of fantastical programming but because someone just kept turning up day after day.

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Gone are the days when going to the gym is seen as a self-indulgent pursuit to look hot – you are allowed to (guilt free) turn down invites or turn up to events later in an effort to maintain your routine – a routine that promotes a longer, healthier and happier life.

Of course a single missed gym session isn't the end of the world, but what I want to stress is that exercise is important and shouldn't necessarily be the first task to fall off the list when life admin/socialising piles on. 

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3. Keep it simple.

I understand how exercise can seem like this impossible beast to negotiate with so many options in the mix both in the real world and social media. The fact is, your exercise regime doesn't need to include a complex mix of exercises. Certain exercises haven't gone out of style for the simple reason they work. Do a squat, do a pushup, do a deadlift. Walk. Run. Swim. Ride.

Don't let the need for #content on social media confuse you on what exercises you should be doing. Frankly, if the exercise is too boring for social media, it's a good sign you should do it.

If you're unsure what to do, the investment in a personal trainer is truly worth it: "give a person a fish and you feed them for a day, teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime". 

Social media will give you the fish, which is great – who doesn't love free sh*t, but the pursuit is short-lived and unpredictable at best. The personal trainer will teach, so you can understand what you are doing and why, so you can make more suitable informed decisions about your exercise regime in the future.

So, next time you are agonising or procrastinating over a fitness routine – don't. Keep It Simple Sweetie and you will reap the rewards (not the fish thing – the longer, healthier, happier life thing).

Read more from Marie: 

Marie has been a fitness industry professional since 2005 and currently owns UBX Boxing + Strength in Belconnen. Pre-order her book, “12 hours in the life of a fitness professional (because I’m too tired for the other 12)”, here. Marie is a qualified Personal Trainer, Les Mills group fitness instructor, CrossFit coach and Pilates teacher. Follow her here.

Feature Image: Instagram @marie_anagnostis.