New to fitness? There are few stages that you'll encounter before you get fully into the swing of things and officially become part of the "fitness crowd". Don't sweat it though, everyone was a beginner once!
Stage One: The surge of motivation
Its day one, and you’re ready. No, you’re more than ready. You were born to work out and you’ve only just realised it, so you’re damn well going to give it everything you’ve got. Cue the screenshotting of fitness quotes and spamming your social media channels with the likes of ‘#FitLife’, ‘#Gains’ and ‘#BeastMode’. We’ve all been there.
Stage Two: The meal prep
If you jump on the #PreppingLikeABoss band wagon, which is in no way a bad thing, then you might be in for a shock. It’s the best way to ensure you’re eating right and supporting your training, as we all know that 80% of your success is down to your diet, but it’s not a piece of cake (sorry to mention the ‘c’ word). It will take time, you will overthink it, and you will be lost in a mountain of Tupperware on a regular basis. It’s all part of the fun.
Stage Three: Getting to grips with the equipment
Perhaps you’re looking like a deer caught in the headlights at this point, or perhaps you have 100% confidence in your lifting abilities and plan to get stuck in with minimal research. Yes, you will use equipment incorrectly, you will spend a fair amount of time faffing about whilst you try to transition between exercises and you will definitely overdo it at one stage or another. Again, all part of the learning curve.
Stage Four: DOMS
Oh you’re in for a real treat here. If you think you’re going to wake up fresh as a daisy, ready for round two without an ounce of a struggle, think again. Your body will be in total shock at this point and your DOMS, otherwise known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, will be in full swing one to two days post-workout. It’ll hurt, but it’s a good pain. If it feels like a bad pain then you’re probably doing something very wrong (refer to stage three), and you need to get guidance from a professional. Let’s hope it’s just DOMS, eh? That way, you can roll out the pain with either a foam roller or massage ball.
Stage Five: Feeling like Arnie
You’ve now been working out for approximately two weeks and you’re smashing it. You are the fitness master. How did you go so long without lifting a weight or getting your heart racing during treadmill sprints? Hey, better late than never. Just take it easy so you don’t overdo it, because there’s nothing worse than being told you can’t workout.
Stage Six: Losing your focus
It’s inevitable that at some point, you’ll begin to lose sight of why you started and need things shaking up a bit. Change your workouts around, give your diet a boost and set some new goals. Before you know it you’ll be revisiting stage number one with all the motivation, but this time around you won’t have stage three to contend with, because you’ve already been there, done that, and got the t-shirt. You’re basically a pro at this now.
Stage Seven: Becoming part of the fitness community
Depending on how long you keep at it, eventually you’ll get to the point where there is just no turning back. Fitness is your life now. You’ll be the colleague who is now known as “the healthy one of the office”, you’ll be the friend who “says no to nights out ‘cause they’re healthy now” and you’ll be the family member who “doesn’t eat enough and spends half their life working out” (little do they know you eat like a machine and actually enjoy training). Welcome to the fit life, newbies.