10 Steps to Succeed With Your at Home Workout Program
As a recovering “gym rat” who would spend HOURS at the gym daily, I thought people that didn’t go to the gym were lazy and that using an at home workout program wouldn’t be effective. I was SOOOO wrong.
I never thought I would EVER work out from home, I thought it was useless and that I wouldn’t get a good workout. In fact, I bought programs and would never use them or ONLY use them if I couldn’t make it to the gym (Hello, Jillian Michaels and Tae Bo DVDs).
Maybe IF there was a snowstorm or I was on the road traveling or I just didn’t feel like going to the gym that day, I would use them, but very sporadically. After all, I was *happy* to get up at 4:30 am to drive to the gym every morning for 2 hours before commuting to work. (Not really, but I thought it was what people did if they wanted to get or stay in shape because that is what I did.)
I finally realized that my time was valuable when I decided to start my own health coaching business while I was working full time. I found an online community of support and an at home workout program that actually worked for ME, took less time and was effective.
The gym rat who swore she would never workout from home was working out from home. Since then, I have become an at home workout addict (and I actually coach others on this as a part of my business, so I know the process to stay committed and succeed).
Starting an at home workout program can be confusing and sometimes lonely.
The hardest part is usually just getting started! I know a lot of people that have purchased a program, DVDs, or online workouts off the shelf at Target or online (Amazon), but fail to start right or get easily discouraged and quit.
We all have good intentions to get started, we decide to make a change, find a simple solution, feel confident in making a change…and stop. We come up with excuses: time, money, travel, kids, sleep, and a long commute. In all reality, an efficient and effective home workout program is the answer to those excuses (that’s why we thought we would start them, right?).
However, something is usually missing. What is it? It’s a lack of a plan, a little structure (just a little) and additional support and accountability.
I created this list of 10 Steps to Succeed at a Home Workout Program, to help you successfully start, get excited about the process and CONTINUE on your journey to SUCCEED.
10 Steps to Succeed with Your at Home Workout Program
1. Decide you’re ready and commit to making a change.
It feels empowering to make a positive change in your life, yes or yes? YES! Everything in your life is affected by creating a healthier lifestyle. Being READY to make a change makes it a little easier for you to commit to your journey.
2. Write down your goals.
Write down your goals! It works. Ground them down out of your head. Put them on paper. Say them out loud. Share them with others; make your goals REAL.
Don’t worry, you’re not signing your life away, you’re creating a map of the direction you would like to go. I highly recommend having a dedicated notebook or journal to write out your goals and reflections along your journey.
How would you like to FEEL in 30 days, 60 days, 90 days and 1 year?
What are some specific goals you would like to achieve?
Who will support you on this journey?
3. Choose a fitness program and balanced nutrition plan.
Are your goals written down? Yes! Once you’ve written down your goals (they don’t have to be perfectly complete or perfectly written out, just written down), it’s important to find a fitness program you’ll enjoy and that’ll challenge you both mentally and physically.
Find a program that’s fun AND that motivates you to see positive body changes (not get injured or discouraged). I feel you need variety in your plan, not only to challenge your body and work ALL parts of your body but to help prevent injury and challenge your mind, too.
Fitness and nutrition ARE connected, in fact, any physical results you desire are about 80% related to nutrition and about 20% related to fitness. Most people focus more time on fitness, which is important, but nutrition is the foundation to create a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. Natural nutrition helps you not only see results but also FEEL better in your body.
Not sure where to start? I can help! I help people find an at-home fitness program that fits their personal style and that best helps them achieve their goals, whether it’s weight loss, weight gain, muscle toning, muscle definition, weight maintenance or just to feel better and more confident in their body. I love to help people get started!
Best part? Each fitness program is paired with a simple, healthy and all natural nutrition plan that makes creating healthy changes and achieving your personal goals easier. (Bonus: Each program also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, which a gym never provides!)
4. Select a start date. Mark it on your calendar.
When do you want to start your HEALTHY YOU journey? Choose a start date; make an event out of it! While you’re waiting to receive your at home fitness “challenge pack” or fitness equipment, get out the calendar and choose an official start date. Mark it with a star, heart or huge circle. Get excited about it! Tell others and ask them to support you, ask them to join you, too!
Personally, I like to start on a Monday; you can start anytime that works for you. The reason I like to start on a Monday is that I like to take the weekend to prep my food, create my workout calendar, prepare my exercise space and mentally prepare to start a new routine.
Most of the home workout programs that I work with come with a pre-planned workout calendar that’s been put together by Exercise Scientists. This way, you already have your workouts planned out for you! You just have to get up and push PLAY to get your workout started and check it off once complete. Simple.
Activity: Write out your workouts for the next 30 days.What TIME will you work out each day? Be specific and write it down.
5. Plan Out Your Food.
As I’ve shared, nutrition (your healthy natural food) is a very important part of this journey. Healthy eating (consistently) is the main thing that holds people back from feeling their best and achieving their goals. Stress eating, emotional eating, falling back into bad habits, not feeling confident in what to eat and lacking preparation is what I see that holds people back the most.
It’s “easy” to workout for 30-60 minutes a day, but hard to control what goes on your plate and in your mouth for the other 23 hours (yes, I know, part of that is sleep).
With the nutrition guide that comes with your program, please create a grocery list of healthy foods and start planning some meals using these foods. Once you have a grocery list prepared, plan a date and time to go grocery shopping. Start with once a week; I’ve found the more times we go to the store, the more opportunities there are for “junk” to fall into our carts! Before you go shopping – TOSS OUT THE JUNK or TEMPTATIONS.
While at the grocery store, ONLY get what is on your list. Don’t let other things slip into your cart. Be honest with yourself. Don’t be afraid to get double the veggies versus getting another treat. (It’s probably cheaper to get the veggies anyway!)
Plan it out! Please answer these questions and set a healthy date with yourself!
- When will you write down your grocery list?
- When will you go grocery shopping?
- When will you plan out your meals?
- When will you toss out the junk?
6. Prep Your Food.
Once you have the healthy foods to create your meals, schedule a time to prepare it! Just because you have food in the fridge and a meal plan, doesn’t mean that you will eat it. Washing, cutting, cooking and prepping food helps make it easier for you during the busy work week.
Choose ONE day of the week (each week) to prep (prepare) your food. This will become one of your healthiest habits, you might resist it in the beginning, but when you stick to it, it will make life and eating healthy SO. MUCH. EASIER.
Utilize the nutrition guide that comes with your program to get started. I also provide guidance within our online Healthy Confident YOU group, on the specifics of what has worked for me, but finding what works for you is important so you will stick with it long term.
One thing I LOVE and highly recommend) is having GLASS pyrex dishes (with covers) to store any washed, prepped, cut and cooked food. This is so that you can SEE the food, but also because I just don’t like to use plastic containers for storage.
When food prepping, I like to prep foods in all food categories: healthy proteins, veggies, healthy carbs, healthy fat, fruits and cut up, store, cook, and/or wash anything that would make it easier for me during the week. I also plan to cook at least 1-2 slow cooker meals a week.
7. Track Your Progress.
If you want to make positive changes and at least one of your goals is weight loss or muscle tone, you will want to take before measurements, which includes taking before pictures, weighing in and checking your measurements. Your program guide will show you what and how to measure and also provide a space for you to write down your before and after measurements.
I recommend ONLY weighing in once a week, NO MORE. It’s good to know your starting point and progress. Your weight does not define you, so there’s no reason to weigh in more than once a week. It’s just another option to track progress.
8. Eat Right for your Body.
Eating healthy is important, so it’s important to make sure you’re nourishing your body with a good balance of macro and micronutrients in the correct portions for your body size and activity level. I DON’T count calories, so I LOVE the 21 Day Fix portion control containers that come with that program. Determine what portions and healthy foods are needed for your body type and your fitness program, this is included in your nutrition guide and is important in maintaining energy and also helping your body burn fuel (food) efficiently.
9. Connect DAILY With Others on a Similar Journey.
Join an online support and accountability group! If I’m your coach, I offer monthly Nutrition + Fitness + Support & Accountability groups to help you reach your desired level of success and body confidence.
These “challenge groups” help provide daily support and accountability while receiving guidance from me, your coach, and others in the group. This is an opportunity for you to reach out, connect with and support others who are on a similar journey. When you connect with others on a similar journey, it encourages you to keep making positive changes and stick to your goals. It’s like having gym friends, but from across the country and getting to know them more personally (even if online).
10. Consume Superfoods (Shakeology) Daily.
Our bodies crave natural foods and Shakeology (both in whey and vegan protein) is a healthy, all-natural smoothie filled with over 70+ natural ingredients (50+ superfoods), fiber, probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes (+more). It helps curb cravings, improve digestion, increase energy and help with nutrient absorption.
Shakeology is the best daily dose of dense nutrition and easily prepared as a healthy smoothie; it tastes great and is part of your daily nutrition plan. Best part? It comes with your at home challenge pack and is available in a variety of all natural flavors PLUS it makes healthy eating even easier (I drink it daily for breakfast).
If you are interested in getting started with an at home fitness + nutrition package, please feel free to contact me here. I work with people at all stages in their journey, my goal is to help you commit to YOU and a healthy life foundation.
Here’s a little recap for you!
1. Decide you’re ready and commit to making a change.
2. Write down your goals.
3. Choose a fitness program and balanced nutrition plan.
4. Select a start date. Mark it on your calendar.
5. Plan Out Your Food.
6. Prep Your Food.
7. Track Your Progress.
8. Eat Right for your Body.
9. Connect DAILY With Others on a Similar Journey.
10. Consume Superfoods (Shakeology) Daily.
I wish you success on YOUR journey. I firmly believe that creating a healthy LIFE foundation is critical to support all areas of your life. It can be a difficult journey to start or even continue, but with support and a plan that works for YOU, you will be successful.
Interested in receiving extra guidance on your journey? I coach online healthy eating and fitness groups every month. I specialize in working with women who desire to start loving their bodies more, feeling more confident in their body and life, and connecting to what makes them feel alive. You can read more about part of my journey here. Interested in learning more? Please comment below or contact me here.
I would love to be a part of your journey.
Shine,
Nicole
