Hi if you’re trying get healthy or start exercising for new years please allow me to share some things I have picked up over my last few years of exercising fairly regularly

(CN for exercise obviously. But I like to think I have a good attitude towards it, so like, a gentle content note. No diet talk really)

Ok for context I have practised yoga for over a decade but up until three years ago I had not ‘exercised’ in any way shape or form since school PE lessons. When I took up running the year I turned 30 my friends thought it was hilarious bc I famously would not run for a bus before

Running sucks till you’ve done 6-9 runs, after that it feels pretty good and you’ll probably never regret going for a run but you have to do at least 6 runs (without a months gap between) to get there

If you want to lose weight then create a calorie deficit, that’s about all the dieting advice I know or will mention. But also if you don’t want to lose weight and you do start working out-especially cardio- then p l e a s e make sure you are eating enough to make up for it

If you want muscles you need to eat more. Calories are units of energy and you need that

The average person with average goals doesn’t need to count macros or take bcaas or timed nutrition. Just eat more vegetables basically. Drink plenty of water

The standard omnivorous diet is already sufficient in protein, you probably don’t need to supplement

That said, you’ll prob be hungry more often and you do need to make sure to consume some protein esp after a run so adding a scoop of powder to a smoothie with a frozen banana, seeds, oats, peanut butter and milk of your choice is a good snack. Vegan powders exist

Magnesium oil is good for sore muscles. If it stings when you first start that means you’re probably low in it so stick with it if you can and get salts for your bath if you can’t

You have to learn to love your sweat. This was a weird thing for me when I started exercising and it put me off for years but now I see sweating as proof of how hard I am working

If you can’t be bothered to wash your hair after a workout then blowdry the sweat in and everyone will tell you how great your hair looks all day

You need cardio, weights and some form of flexibility and you probably can’t do without either one of them. Sorry but it’s true

You need to lift heavy. Especially women. Bulking up is not a thing you need to worry about. Osteoporosis is. Also looking strong is sexy af. Aim to look unfuckwithable. Aim to look like you could crush a man with your thighs

Warm down. Jfc just do it

Don’t weigh yourself if weight is not your goal. Don’t measure yourself if you’re gonna get hung up on the numbers. Weight is a numerical representation of your relationship with gravity and nothing else. BMI is bullshit and everyone knows it

Make sure some of your goals are not measurable by distance, speed, a scale or a measuring tape but by your happiness, confidence, mental wellbeing, sleep, feeling strong etc

Do take pictures to track your progress. You don’t need to post them anywhere. Do it at the same time every month (esp if you have a menstrual cycle)

If you do have a menstrual cycle learn to work within it. Take days off when you bleed, know you will be more sore some days, you will be slower on others. Somedays you will feel like you are flying. Embrace your cycles

Only PE teachers expect you to workout on the first day of your cycle. Personally I think that ‘exercise is good for cramps’ line is BS. Exercise does help regulate hormones and deal with pmt tho

Combine your fitness practice with a mental relaxation practise. Particularly if you are doing HIIT or similar. Those workouts build cortisol in your body, you need to lower those levels when you’re done

There is an exercise programme for everyone and every body. You can experiment. It’s meant to feel good

I’ll say that again in case you missed it. It is meant to feel good.

Running technically is free but once you get into it you will want to buy all the things. You don’t need much more than a good bra, trainers and something to hold your phone in. Trust the woman with the compression socks, heel risers and special headphones

People love to make fun of women in sportswear, saying it’s not a fashion show or whatever but I really believe if you feel good and hot and comfortable in your athleisure yoga pants then it gives you a little boost (people will criticise women whatever they do anyway)

You can sometimes get Sweaty Betty and Lululemon in TK Maxx and they absolutely do make your workouts better bc you feel good and feeling good is the goal of working out no?

While we’re on that. Yogapants are a legit fashion choice outside the gym. They make your butt look good, people assume you’re fit and healthy and they are the closest thing to pjs you can wear outside (no one is criticising men in joggers or trainers down the pub are they?)

There is no such thing as motivation. This is actually a thing I learned in psych class. So stop beating yourself up for not feeling motivated

There is no motivation, there is just you making decisions. Aim for most of them to be healthy decisions

Showing yourself you can do hard things is one of the most therapeutic things I have experienced

Forget ‘never miss a monday’ and other prescriptive fitspo bs. Workout if and when you can. A good rule of thumb is never go more than three days without exercising or three days without a rest day

Some people won’t get it*. That’s ok. You‘ll outrun them soon. Or benchpress them

*My ex laughed at me a lot that first year I started running. I got strong and then I dumped him

New years is arbitrary. It is hard to motivate yourself in January, especially if you have to leave the house. You can start over as many times as you need

That being said, running in the rain feels glorious sometimes. It reminds me how much I like to feel alive

Every day you move your body is a gift to yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s only once a week at first, it all counts

Finally. Exercise is not a punishment for existing in your body. It should feel like a celebration of being alive*

*eventually. Those first few workouts are gonna be tough, but you are tougher

Hope this helps and doesn’t too sanctimonious. I just read all the books and blog posts and went to classes and tried all the things and then I got sick and I had to change my attitude to my body a lot again and I learned a lot of lessons these past few years