Introduction

~Becca Rell

"We don't need to be perfect, we just need to get started."

 To most, fitness can seem daunting because there is a lot to learn, and it may seem intimidating to someone who is just beginning. Our hope with this blog is that we are able to ease some of the nerves around this and educate people in order to help them live healthy lifestyles. Fitness is so much more than just getting a workout in for the day, and we want to be a part of educating people on this as well as answer any questions that they may have along the way. Beth Kienitz and I, Becca Rell, are going to be teaming up to post helpful content in all areas of fitness including nutrition, wellness, motivation, weightlifting, holistic health, and more. Beth is a NASM-Certified Personal Trainer with a huge heart for her clients, focusing on helping them reach the goals they have set for themselves as well as pushing them even further past them. Her content will be centered around structuring workouts, strength training, setting goals for yourself and achieving them, recipes to help with muscle building or cutting, macro-counting, etc. I, Becca, have a bachelor's degree in Biomechanics with concentrations in Nutrition, Research, and Sports Medicine. My content will be centered around sport specific training both pre and post season, motivation, nutrition, and holistic health.

"Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude, and your mood."

Fitness is defined as "One's ability to execute daily activities with optimal performance, endurance, and strength with the management of fatigue, stress, and reduced sedentary behavior (Medical News Today)." By staying active and fit, one is able to greatly reduce their chances of developing various health conditions as well as balance their mental health, hormones, mood, etc. Exercising and creating a good fitness plan not only changes your body, but it also changes your mind, your attitude, and your mood as well. Fitness is usually achieved through proper nutrition, physical exercise, as well as rest and recovery. It is important to note that rest is crucial to overall health because it allows the body to recover. It prevents burnout and overfatigue from occurring, so it is important to schedule this into your overall fitness plan.

"The only person who can stop you from reaching your goals is you."

There are a number of different topics that are all categorized as fitness or wellness. They can seem confusing or even daunting to most, so I provided definitions below to hopefully develop an overall understanding of them. There are also subtopics listed below the definitions that will all be talked about throughout the course of this blog.

1. Nutrition and Diet - Nutrition refers to the process by which the body takes in food and uses it to support growth within the body, whereas diet refers to the specific foods and beverages that an individual consumes on a daily basis.

   1. Macro Counting

   2. Meal Planning

   3. Weight Management

   4. Supplementation

   5. Hydration

2. Strength Training - A form of exercise that specifically focuses on the improvement of muscular strength as well as endurance by working against resistance that comes in the form of weights, resistance bands, machines, or even body weight. Through repeated progressively challenging movements, muscles become stronger and more resilient.

   1. Cardiovascular Training

   2. Flexibility and Mobility

   3. Sport Specific Training

   4. Injury Prevention

3. Mental Health - A person's overall emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. Mental health affects not only how we think, feel, and behave, but also how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

   1. Stress Management

   2. Motivation

4. Rest and Recovery - Rest refers to the periods of inactivity or reduced activity in a fitness plan while recovery refers to both the active and passive strategies that are used to help the body heal and improve performance.

   1. Sleep

   2. Rest Days

5. Lifestyle and Habit Building - Lifestyle refers to how a person chooses to live their life, reflecting their habits, values, behaviors, etc. whereas habit building refers to the small, consistent actions that you structure to make up your lifestyle

   1. Time Management

   2. Productivity

   3. Work/Life Balance

   4. Tracking

   5. Fitness Planning

"Studies have shown that people who have a friend along with them on their fitness journey, are 65-95% more likely to continue going to the gym. "

Setting fitness goals for yourself is very simple when structured correctly. It is important to not overcomplicate this process and start slowly so that your body is able to avoid burnout and maximize the muscle building process. Using the SMART goals method is often the most efficient and beneficial way for people who are looking to start their fitness journey, to not only set goals they can achieve but go beyond. In order to structure a SMART goal, you must think of something that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. This allows for no gaps that lead to error and keeps you on track to reaching your goals in a timely matter. A great way to ensure that you are able to keep yourself accountable when making goals for yourself is either to send your plan to a friend who is able to keep you on track, or, even better, set goals with that friend and hold each other accountable. Studies have shown that people who have a friend along with them on their fitness journey, are 65-95% more likely to continue going to the gym.

1. Specific: what would you like to accomplish?

   1. Be thorough with what you would like to accomplish and ensure that you do not leave out any details. Open ended goals often lead to lack of motivation and gaps to change what you originally wanted to accomplish

   2. Ex: I want to lose 15 pounds through strength-based training and a healthier diet. I will train 3 days a week and eliminate processed foods and unhealthy sugars.

2. Measurable: how will you track your progress?

   1. It is important that you have a way of keeping track of your progress, mistakes, setbacks, and successes throughout your journey. This way, once you have achieved your goal, you can look back and reflect on your process in order to help you structure your next goal you would like to reach.

   2. Ex: I will measure my weight each week as well as track my meals each day. I will do a reflection each week about how I am feeling, what went really well, and what was challenging throughout the week.

3. Attainable: goals need to be realistic in order to be successful

   1. Be careful that you don't create a goal that you are either unable to complete within your specific timeline or because physically you can't realistically do it. Start with smaller goals and work up towards the bigger goals. Everyone is capable of reaching any goal they set for themself, but it is important that we do not overwork ourselves and allow ourselves to build up to those areas

   2. Ex: It would not be possible to lose 15 pounds healthily in a month or two so it is important to give yourself time to adjust to the eating patterns and workout schedule you set for yourself so that you will lose weight healthily and gain muscle in the process

4. Relevant: a realistic goal takes into account the practical situation

   1. Busy schedules, current health condition, access to food, etc are all reasons that can impact goals that are out of our control. When structuring your goals, be sure to make it relative to your own individual situation.

   2. Ex: 3 days a week because I work full time and may not be able to go more than that. Eliminating processed foods, eating out, and unhealthy sugars but not everything needs to be organic, or grass fed as my budget does not allow for it. (There are plenty of healthy food options that do not break your budget! There will be a blog about this in the future!) I will get this goal done by Christmas so that I can allow my body to adjust from living a more sedentary life and lose weight healthily without causing fatigue or burnout.

5. Time-Based: What date would you like to accomplish this by?

   1. Set a time frame for yourself so that you are able to keep yourself accountable with achieving it.

   2. Ex: It is currently June 2025, and I would like to accomplish this by Christmas this year.

""The harder you work for something, the greater you will feel after you achieve it."

Fitness is only as easy or complicated as you make it. You have to be determined, motivated, and hardworking, however, you also need to take all seriousness out of it, have fun, and be okay with failure. You will never regret any fitness goals you have set for yourself and accomplished, and your body will thank you in return. Studies have shown that cardiovascular health, lifespan, mental health, and musculoskeletal health, are all improved through regularly workout out and everyone has the capability of achieving these in their own individual lives. You simply have to choose each day to push yourself past your limits and strive to be the best version of yourself. You will only climb higher and higher if this is your continued mindset each and every day.