Guest article written by Chris Pinner, founder of Innerfit
You are an individual.
Your goals, schedule, likes & dislikes are unique to you.
Your wellbeing routine needs to be right for you, so you love it, and stick with it
This article, organised across Innerfit’s 3 Wellbeing Pillars, will help.
Mindset
Motivation and forming sustainable healthy habits can be tough.
First, what do you want to achieve?
Is it, for example:
● Fat-loss
● Tone-up
● Muscle gain
● General health
● Something else?
Once you have a direction, get more specific. By when do you want to achieve it? What does it look like?
Now just as important, ask yourself why you want to make it happen. Your deep-rooted ‘why’ will act as a brilliant motivator at the start, and throughout. Write it down now.
Movement
Based on your goal, we need to think about the exact type of exercise to do.
Let’s try this – can you answer these questions?
F – Frequency – How many times per week can you exercise?
I – Intensity – How hard will you exercise?
T – Time – How long will you exercise for?
T – Type – What will your training be? (e.g. cardiovascular, resistance, stretching & mobility or a combination)
Again, to stay motivated, choose exercise you actually like and remember to reward yourself! Reward is a powerful motivator and can help sustain healthy habits. Enjoy some me time, hook up with friends, anything that makes you feel good and lets you enjoy the fitter, healthier you.
Nutrition
Your dietary decisions are dependant upon your goal.
As a starter, keep a ‘warts-and-all’ 7-day food diary to add some certainty to what is your normal eating.
If you want something a bit quicker, why not try writing down the 3 ‘quick wins’ you could make when it comes to food right now, for example:
● Add in an extra portion of fruit
● Set boundaries for eating out (and eating in)
● Eat breakfast
Remember that food is about so much more than just fuelling your body; you are what you eat. Whatever strategy or tactic you deploy, it shouldn’t be so difficult it becomes something you dread, make it feel good, achievable and sustainable, enjoy it!
Bringing It All Together
The truth is that most of us “know what we need to do, we just need to do it”.
As a PA, organisation and prioritisation are key skills. Play to your strengths and organise your schedule for wellbeing.
Everyone is different. Pen and pad, Post-it notes, excel spreadsheets, notifications, whatever works to create a wellbeing schedule that soon becomes normal for you.
Research shows most people are 33% more likely to achieve goals that are written down and a commitment to progress reports is made. Note down your new schedule and make a commitment to sustain it to someone you trust.
I hope this has supported you to design your own wellbeing routine.
If you would like to make a positive change and have Chris hold you accountable, please email Chris@innerfit.co.uk for a complimentary 2-week check-in.
BIO
Chris is the founder of Innerfit. Before becoming a Personal Trainer and wellbeing coach, Chris worked at a top US investment bank, Strategy Consultancy and Sports Marketing agency. Innerfit supports companies to have a positive impact on wellbeing & performance.
