So you say you want to get in shape. You even buy yourself a 24-hour Fitness gym membership and frequent your local fitness center a few times a week. But you can't seem to see the results you want to have. Well, let me fill you all in on a little secret. The gym isn't a magical transforming pod that changes fat into muscle. This, by the way, is a complete myth. Fat and muscle are two completely different tissues and neither can turn into the other.
My advice:
1. Write down your goals. Are you trying to gain weight or lose it? How much do you want to gain or lose? Are you trying to build strength? Speed? Conditioning? Endurance? These are all important questions to ask yourself when trying to figure out your workout goals. Once you figure this out, you can figure out what you need to do to accomplish these goals.
2. Research. Find out specifically what things you can do to achieve your goals. What exercises do you need to build bigger arms and/or decrease that wonderful back fat? Figure it out. I suggest subscribing to Men's/Women's Health magazine. There's a lot of good information in there on exercise and food.
3. Be committed. It takes more than just getting that gym membership. Yes, you actually have to go. Crazy idea, isn't it? I believe that physically getting in shape isn't the hard part. The hard part is actually making yourself do what you need to do. Making yourself go to the gym. Pushing yourself to run that extra mile. Be committed and stay committed. You will see results.
4. Drink a lot of water and eat right. This is a long and complicated tip and could be another blog post in itself, so I'm just gonna throw out a bunch of other tips for you (don't question the logic and just do it!): Drink cold water when you first wake up in the morning. No more sodas for you, buddy. Have a daily multi-vitamin. Start cooking for yourself. Protein before and after workouts (in fact, you should probably be having about 1 gram of protein per pound of your weight each day). Eat more often, but in smaller portions (you never want to feel full or hungry). Carbs are not entirely evil (you need these for energy). For dessert, have a sliced apple, not a slice of apple pie. Listen to mama and eat your veggies. Only eat Breyer's ice cream, if any at all. Drink milk. Get enough fiber in your diet.
5. Avoid the bad foods. This is as simple as it sounds. I know it can be hard for many to avoid those fast food places, but this is essentially a part of being committed (see #3). Keep in mind that bad foods are also found in grocery stores, so remember to do your research on this too! I'm not saying avoid all the In-N-Outs, MickeyD's, Taco Bells, and KFCs forever. Or to completely eliminate bacon, sausages, and ice cream. In fact, if you are committed enough to your workout routines, then you could even have a cheat meal where you can eat whatever you want. Think of this as a nice way to treat yourself after a committed week of exercise. Yes, a whole week. You don't want to have a cheat meal every other day. That wouldn't be a cheat meal... that would just be unhealthy.
Like I said, that gym membership won't utilize itself and transform you. You gotta put in the work. If you do all of the things I mentioned, and still don't see results that you want, I can probably conclude that you are lying to yourself and this most likely has something to do with #3. Get back on track and STAY COMMITTED. In a few months, people will notice changes. Good luck!
