“Ugh I ate another big mac combo.”
“I haven’t worked out in years.”
“I suck at benchpress.”
It’s difficult to get started with fitness. There’s an insane information overload out there. There’s so much to read and so much to think about. You don’t know where to start. Today I wanted to share some quick tips to help you grab a firm hold of your fitness so that you can start to get jacked.
What are 10 little tips to help you grab a hold of your physical health right now? In other words, how can you get one step closer to becoming so damn sexy?
1. Replace pop with water.
Pop sucks. Sugar is horrible. Pop doesn’t do anything for you. I don’t need to show you any scientific facts because we all know what pop does to us. You feel bloated and useless after. I would recommend starting off slow by replacing pop with water. A nice cold-refreshing glass of water can really help you feel better and curb your appetite. You also hydrate yourself.
Can you try replacing that pop with a glass of water?
2. Start your day off/first meal with protein.
Are you getting enough protein into your system?
Chances are that you’re not. You don’t have to inhale protein like a bodybuilder, but you certainly need to add some protein to your diet.
My favorite tip came from the 4-Hour Body when Tim Ferriss suggested that we start the day off with 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up. You simply do your best to get 30 grams of protein into your system. This could be through a shake or through egg whites. The trick is to try to prepare it the night before.
What does this do? It fills you up so that you’re not starving and heading over to grab a double whopper for lunch. Try this tomorrow. Find a way to start off with protein. Watch those pounds fall off! Don’t blame me when you have to spend money on a new wardrobe.
[Must read: the full scoop on protein.]
3. Walk more and get some fresh air.
Do you walk enough? Likely not. My friends hate me because I always park as far away as possible. Why? Because it’s a great excuse to squeeze in a little walk.
If you don’t have any time to train or don’t care for working out, the least that you can do is start walking more. Give it a try.
4. Bust out some pushups.
Right now. Drop down and bust some pushups out. If you want to bring yourself a few steps closer to your sexiest version yet, you need to get a little wild sometimes.
- Waiting for the water to boil? Drop down and perform pushups.
- In line at the club? Pushups!
- Commercial? Pushups.
- Stalking girls on Facebook? Pushups!
There’s nothing wrong with busting out some pushups. I asked my buddy Mike to bust out some pushups the other day. He confessed that he sucked at them. I replied with:
“So what?”
If you can only do one today, that’s cool. Shoot for two tomorrow. By the time next year rolls around, you’ll be impressing your friends with how many consecutive pushups you can perform.
5. Treat the world like your gym.
On a similar note, it’s time that you started treating the world like your gym. What do I mean by this? Allow me to share some examples:
- At the park? Try some pull ups.
- Around a hill? Do some hill sprints.
- Two bars beside each other? Try some dips!
You get the point. The world is your gym. Treat it as such. Don’t complain about not being able to hit the gym.
6. Try cheat days.
I love pizza. Pulled pork poutine? Sign me up as well. I love to eat like a pig.
How’s this possible though? Isn’t this piece all about grabbing control of your fitness life? Yup.
Instead of throwing in the occasional poutine or slice of pizza, what about a cheat day? This is one day in the week where you pig out and reward yourself for good behavior.
I’ve actually read many studies that show how cheat days are good for you. I’ll take that!
If you have HUGE cravings for junk food, the same way I do, the best thing to do is to save it all up for one day. A Friday or Saturday is usually best. Use that day to go wild. Eat everything that you desire. Don’t hold back. Then go back to normal the next day.
You don’t have to deprive yourself. You just have to be a little strategic about how you eat junk food.
7. Buy Earth grown nutrients.
I’ll never forget the classic line about man made food. It’s simple: “if men made it, don’t eat it.”
I’m a huge fan of nutrients that come from the Earth. This includes anything from berries to nuts. Anything that once lived or anything that swam. The trick is that it has to come from the planet.
I do realize that this isn’t always possible 100% of the time. I just suggest that you try to eat “real food” as often as humanly possible.
8. Don’t leave junk food around the house.
The best way to stop eating junk food is to not have it around the house. It’s that simple. We are creatures of habit. We do whatever is convenient and easiest. When you’re hungry, nothing matters. When you’re starving, you’ll totally forget about this article or any other fitness tip.
Try not to leave junk food around the house. Just don’t buy it. Unless it’s your cheat day of course.
9. Try a fun sport or any fun activity.
Going for a jog in the park is lame. No offence if you happen to enjoy this. But I don’t. Most of us hate working out because it feels so boring. Who the hell wants to jog on a treadmill for an hour? Not me! That’s a long time. That sounds excruciating.
Playing soccer or football is technically like a jog in the park. Except you’re not alone and you’re not bored. You also burn a ton more calories. Who has time to jog when you can play a sport?
I personally attend MMA classes for my cardio, but don’t mind joining in on the occasional soccer game when I see one happening or get invited.
10. Sleep more.
Sleep is key. If you want to live forever, you need to rest. While I know that I’m a hypocrite because I don’t always get enough sleep, I do know how to work with my body. My general rule is that if I’m tired, I’ll take a power nap. I also try not to lay down until I’m totally tired.
My goal is to get enough sleep so that I feel refreshed and amazing the next day. There’s nothing like a solid rest. If you want to feel better and stop chugging energy drinks for breakfast, you need to get more sleep! Go ahead and pass out.
Which one of these quick tips will you apply to your life? Start slow and transition into it.
“Life without endeavor is like entering a jewel mine and coming out with empty hands.” — Japanese Proverb