…3 Tips for Finally Getting in the Best Shape of Your Life, When You’ve Failed Before…

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On some level, everyone wants to get into great shape, and to feel as though they are at the peak of their physical potential.

Among other things, being fit and in shape is likely to significantly boost your confidence and self-esteem in a wide variety of ways, and for another thing, being physically fit and in shape is one of the surest ways of safeguarding your health and longevity.

Unfortunately, however, the simple fact is that virtually everyone who’s ever attempted to get in shape has faced stumbling blocks along the way, and many people end up being so disheartened by their previous setbacks that they lose hope in the idea of ever getting fit, altogether.

Here are a handful of tips for finally getting in the best shape of your life, when you’ve failed before.

  1. Find a training style that really motivates you, and that you’re excited to make progress with

In order to get into great shape, there will undoubtedly be times when you have to turn up to a workout even when you aren’t in the mood. But, that doesn’t mean that you should – or even can – stick with a routine that doesn’t excite or motivate you in the slightest, just because you feel like you have to.

In order to get in great shape, and stay in great shape, you actually need to be able to find a training style that generally inspires you, and you also need to be able to find excitement and enthusiasm in the journey.

First off, this means you might have to try out a few different exercise routines and workout styles, in order to figure out which ones motivate you the most, and which ones simply leave you feeling miserable and unfulfilled.

It might be that a great barbell powerbuilding routine leaves you feeling like you are the king or queen of the world. Or, maybe bodyweight training is something that you feel motivated to get out of bed for every morning. Or, it might be the case that a routine focused around kettle bell swing progression not only feels cool to you, but also comes with quickly observable benefits for your direct functional fitness in everyday life.

Whatever the case may be, find something to get excited about.

  1. Fuel yourself for your workouts properly, so that you’re not running empty on every exercise

No one on earth is likely to enjoy their workouts – and very few people will stick with them in the long term – if they are chronically under-fuelling themselves for the demands they end up placing their bodies.

These days, and in recent years, low-carb dietary movements have been very popular for a variety of reasons – and they may certainly have particular benefits in specific contexts, for certain people.

One thing that is quite unanimously understood in serious athletic circles, however, is that diets low in carbohydrate and high in saturated fat tend to leave the body woefully under-fuelled for intense, frequent, and explosive workouts. The primary fuel of your muscles is a stored form of glucose called glycogen – and you can only get enough of that when you’re eating a diet rich in (hopefully healthy, complex, whole food) carbohydrates. There is also evidence that mixing high saturated fat consumption with high carb consumption blunts your body’s ability to efficiently mobilise energy.

Of course, your dietary carb ratios are just one factor in how fuelled up you are for a workout. Eating at a caloric deficit while trying to train hard and heavy will also tend to leave you feeling totally drained and wiped out in a hurry.

When you try to train hard without properly fuel your body, not only will your performance suffer, but you will feel awful, and you will find that you end up with chronically elevated stress hormone levels – which is very detrimental to your health in a variety of ways.

Fuel yourself so that you actually feel as though you have the energy to train well, and to enjoy it.

  1. Consider the importance of your exercise setting – it might be worth creating a home fitness space, or going in the search of the right gym

It might be that the gym you’re currently training at has an atmosphere that leaves you feeling unwelcome, and a selection of equipment that leaves you unimpressed and disinterested.

Or, it may be that your current attempts at training from home leave you feeling lonely and demotivated.

One way or the other, it’s important to consider the significance of your exercise setting. If you’ve been struggling to get in the kind of shape you want to be in, it might be because you’ve just been training in the wrong environment.
Maybe creating an uplifting home gym or fitness space, or else going in search of a gym that really motivates you, could make all the difference.