We've all been there, you get up in the morning, look in the mirror and you say to yourself - "Jesus Christ I'm getting fat", and trust me I know its not a nice feeling. Weight gain can come from a number of sources that aren't specifically "your fault", for instance; Post Pregnancy Weight Gain, Reduced Activity due to a change in jobs, developing a medical issue or thyroid problems, or quiet simply you might just be getting older.
So how can you change this and get back to The Old You? Well, you've already taken the first and most important step - REALISATION - noticing something is wrong, and deciding that you want to change it. Just like Ronan (photo above), we all have these moments in life where the penny drops, and it's important to act on it. The second step is to not blame yourself, and don't beat yourself up about it. Things happen, and we can always apply change and improve, but it's important not to start your Fitness Journey suffering from guilt and self pity as this will lead you to force yourself to train in a desperate manner. This will never end well. Accepting where we are is a good starting point, and from here we will set long term goals and short term targets to help keep you motivated & positive along the way.
Try our Top 5 Tips For Getting In Shape below and let us know how you are getting on we would love to hear from you!
1. START EXERCISING
There are literally 100's of different types of exercise you can do, and this doesn't mean you have to join a gym. I always say to my clients that a gym is like a sport, some people like it, some people don't. It is very, VERY important that you pick a form of exercise that you LIKE!! Some people walk, run, cycle, swim, hike, play basketball, football, tennis, go to the gym, fitness classes, boxing, surfing, or dance classes...........the list is endless. Find which one or two is right for you that you feel you will enjoy and you'll give yourself 10 times more chance of keeping it up.
Generally, when we gain weight it's due to what is known as a calorie surplus (When the calories we eat outweigh the calories we burn). So the reason we start exercising is that it is the easiest and most effective way to reverse this trend before it gets too bad. So if we normally eat 2,000 calories per day, and only burn 1,500 calories, we will have been gaining weight at a rate of 500 calories per day. In order to start losing weight/dropping body fat our energy output needs to be 2,000-2,200 calories per day in this example. We do this by exercising. Generally you should exercise 3 times a week starting off, and increase to 5 times per week over the course of a few months and this will get you to the calorie output you need to start noticing changes in your body.
2. INCREASE STEP COUNT
If I asked my grandfather what his daily step count was he would surely laugh at me and ask "What's Your Sit Count". Most of our parents or grandparents came from farming backgrounds and were always on the go; walking all day on the farm, walking to their neighbors' house for tea, cycling to the shops for milk (probably because they drank so much tea!)
There is no doubt that our modern lifestyles of working in an office, driving home, and sitting on a couch for 4-5 hours a day has impacted our health and resulted in the national average weight per person in Ireland dramatically increase. But look, that's where we are and unless you're going to go out walking after cattle every evening you're going to have to monitor your daily and weekly step count. This can be easily done using your FitBit App or checking the Health Section on your phone.
HSE Guidleines recommend that we should all be doing 10,000 steps per day minimum (5 miles or 8km) and roughly 70,000 per week. During the Covid-19 Pandemic most people have been working from home and the average step count per person is as low as 3,000-5,000 steps per day. See below a link to the HSE Steps Challenge 2021 if you would like something to follow and help monitor your progress:
3. BECOME MORE ACTIVE
Becoming more active doesn't just mean exercising and increasing your step count. It can mean a complete shift in how you live your life - a lifestyle change. One of the best examples and someone I am incredibly proud of is one of our Gym members Winnie. When Winnie joined the gym she told me that her family of 4 spent Saturdays & Sundays at home on the couch eating whatever sweets or treats were available, just out of habit more than anything else.
Nowadays they all spend their weekends actually "doing things" together as a family. They go hiking, go for cycles, spend the day at the beach or the local lake. They are always on the move, doing something, enjoying each others company and creating precious family memories in the process. Now don't get me wrong, they still watch TV/Movies as a family, and eat treats, just not as much.
So I suppose my question to you is this; Would you like your lifestyle to be more active? What things would you like to be doing at the weekends? Do you think it's time you made a Lifestyle Change?
4. DOn't diet
Changing your lifestyle, getting fit, losing weight and dropping body fat is 50% exercise, 50% food. There is no hiding from a poor diet it will always catch up with you eventually. Generally, at the start of a clients exercise plan I prefer that they start to eat healthy as opposed go on an extreme diet, it just won't last. I know Intermittent Fasting, Keto, Paleo all sound really cool and might work for some people, but in general they are too strict for most people.
The key aspect to focus on when you are trying to eat healthy is to ensure you are eating 3 meals per day (cooking at least 80% of it yourself), drinking 2-3 Litres of water, reducing alcohol, and reducing sugar intake. It sounds so so basic, but not many people do this. The simplest way to start is give yourself 30 days and write a food diary every single day and you will be amazed with he progress you make!
5. get a coach
Training on our own can be difficult, especially on those days when we wake up to go for a run and it's pelting rain outside. One of the best ways to keep on your toes is to get a coach. A coach doesn't have to be a Personal Trainer, but try any of the following:
Join a Sports Team (Football, Hurling, Basketball)
Join a Running, Swimming or Cycling Club
Buddy Up - get a friend to train with
Join a Fitness or Dance Class
Sign up to an Online Program or a Training Plan in your local gym
By having a coach, friend or team to help you along the way will be a brilliant motivator whenever progress stalls and will always give you a better shot at getting results than flying solo.
If you would like any more tips or a concise training plan feel free to email us at
scullyfitness@gmail.com