How to achieve your fitness goals with Personal Trainer Jade

The first step to take and best approach to have when starting your training journey, is to tap into the emotional and functional duality of moving and to find your Why beyond the goal. You’ve most likely heard or read this many times before but it is a game changer. Discovering your Why is a journey, give yourself time to explore and have fun with it! Is it that moving makes you feel empowered, strong and in control? It helps you to connect with your mind and body? You have more energy for yourself and others? It expands your social circle, making new friends with similar interests? You want to introduce a holistic approach to your wellbeing and know that moving can be a key ingredient within the mix, as well as bring you joy?

Training your body well and working towards a fitness goal can be an excellent tool to show yourself that you can do anything that you set your mind too and inspire others that they can too!

Begin by asking yourself ‘Why do I want to move my body, what goal do I want to achieve and how can I do it?’ Make the answers personal to you and then go for it!

Let's explore these three questions further to help you take the next step on your fitness journey.

Why do I want to move my body?

1. To be well. Observe and recognise the positive impact on your day to day when you choose to be well through movement. This will keep you coming back to it again and again. Your choices inspire your actions and your actions influence how you feel.Movement can help you to feel strong, confident, focussed, energised and empowered. As well as provide more headspace, increased productivity and joy so you can thrive throughout your day. Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki champions the brain-changing benefits of exercise with it being the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today.‘Working out boosts your mood and memory - and protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases’ Wendy Suzuki, TEDWomen 2017.
2. Enjoyment. There are so many fantastic ways to move with no right or wrong way to train,
   only a way that works well for you. Try different things and be open to more than one mode
   of training, empowered by the possibilities and the different types of movement that can
   make you feel good both in mind and body.
3. The ripple effect. Remember the ripple effect of energy. Training helps you to be in a
   positive energy field. Energy attracts energy and positive energy creates more energy
   within self and others. It can be super empowering to know you can shift the vibration of a
   room simply by being you. Be the energy you want to feel and it will appear more around
   you.

When the reason for Why you train is driven by feeling and backed by science, you have
an advantage to commit to the new behaviour, so go for it! Release any pressure or
expectations, especially when starting out and simply enjoy the process.

What goal do I want to achieve?

1. Strength. Strength is an important element in any training programme and a great area to achieve
   superb goals. Increase lower, upper body and core strength by improving the completion
   of specific exercises to varying intensities, to demonstrate progression and possibility of
   the mind and body. From increased plank hold times to lifting heavy weights, there is
   scope to achieve various SMART goals and build incredible strength.
2. Endurance. An endurance goal can look a number of different ways. From completing 10,000 steps a day to running 5 km, 10 km, half and full marathons or more, there are many ways to
   increase endurance.
3. Mobility, flexibility, yoga, meditation. Mobility, flexibility, yoga and a meditation practice works wonders for fitness and wellbeing. From measuring an increase in range of motion to improving form for specific exercises, introducing new yoga positions, poses and holds, developing a consistent practice, slowing down and deepening the mind and body connection - there are many SMART goals in this area to compliment your strength and endurance training.

A training programme works well when it covers all three categories. Start with a SMART goal across one of these and build up from there, using some of the below methods to help you achieve it.

How can I do it?

1. Start small. Build up to your goal with a short, medium and long term plan across 4, 8 and 12 weeks.
2. Make it easy and make it accessible. Train at home or in a studio, online or offline,
   morning or evening. There is no right or wrong way to train, only a way that works well for
   you. “One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do
   each day and then stack your new behaviour on top. This is called habit stacking.” Atomic
   Habits, James Clear. Be empowered by finding a way that compliments your lifestyle.
3. Design a routine. If you can commit to one session a week, excellent! Do that and build
   up to an ideal weekly training programme.
4. Find a community. If you thrive off of the community aspect of fitness, find a great class
   or group that you can all enjoy together.
5. Set yourself up for success. Train in clothing and footwear that make you feel great!
   Create a space dedicated for you and your body, lean all the way in!
6. Invest in a coach for accountability, support and knowledge. A coach and personal
   trainer can help you to achieve your personal goal and transformation if accountability,
   support and expertise will help you to thrive.

Training well is about exploring and mastering your mind and body. Fall in love with the process, remember Why you are doing it and the many health benefits. Set a goal that interests you with a clear plan to achieve it and you will be moving in no time. And remember, small changes equate to big impact.

“Decide the type of person you want to be. Prove it to yourself with small wins.” Atomic Habits, James Clear.

Enjoy the journey!

Jade Swaby
Coach and Personal Trainer
Founder of I. Brand You 

www.i-brandyou.com

@j_a_d_e__s