6 Fitness Influencers Share Their Best Advice for Beginners
Whether you’re just getting started or coming back from a long layoff, keep your motivation going strong with stick-with-it tips from fitness influencers.
Everyone knows that sticking with a workout program isn’t always easy, but no one knows it better than fitness influencers, whose sleek physiques and workout tips inspire countless social media users to make changes in their own lives and get fitter. Despite life’s inevitable ups and downs, these fit women have managed to stick with it and inspire millions thanks to their efforts in the kitchen and the gym.
Click through for fitness and lifestyle tips from some of our favorite fit bloggers.
Best Advice: “Set micro goals, or small goals that help you reach larger ones. Your ‘big goal’ might be to lose 25 pounds, but it’s easy to get discouraged when you don’t see results right away. Micro goals allow you to have monthly, weekly, or even daily goals to celebrate along the way. Think: working out 20 minutes each day, drinking more water, taking more steps, or ditching added sugar. When you are able to reach these goals each week, it gives you serious motivation to keep going.”
Exercise She’ll Do for Life: “Burpees! It may be everyone’s favorite exercise to hate, but it challenges strength, flexibility, and endurance and works every major muscle group. And with modifications, anyone can totally do them.”
Best Advice: “Be prepared. Anyone starting a new workout plan needs to have a clear understanding of what they will be doing and when they will be doing it. Set a weekly workout schedule and stick to it. Study the exercises, watch videos, or ask others if you need help. There are far too many people guessing their way through a workout, which typically ends in them giving up. Lastly, give it time! You have to work for your results; they will not happen overnight. Work hard, stick to your routine of eating healthy and regular exercise, and trust that in time you will get stronger and have results.”
Exercise She’ll Do for Life: “One workout I am loving at the moment is [group cycling studio] SoulCycle. Something about riding to the beat of the music in a dark room while getting in a killer workout draws me in. There are instructors with different styles and music for whatever your mood is. I always leave high on endorphins, feeling accomplished, strong, and badass.”
Best Advice: “Follow a program. I spent many years in the gym without understanding what it meant to strength train. Sure, I had followed some online workouts and mimicked what some of the trainers were doing with their clients, but I didn’t have a plan. A set training program, whether it’s for 21 days or six weeks, is an immediate way to stay accountable and keep your goals right in your face. From Day 1, take pictures and measurements and print out a calendar with your workouts already scheduled in. Schedule in rest days, and if you miss a day, get right back on it. Four days a week of strength training is a perfect place to start, adding in cardio like HIIT, sprints, or a spin class in between those days or after your lifting.”
Exercise She’ll Do for Life: “Deadlifts. I tend to be quad dominant, meaning I use my hip flexors and quadriceps more naturally than my glutes and hamstrings. There is no better feeling than waking up to sore hamstrings. I do a variety of deadlifts: conventional, straight-leg, and even de cit deadlifts so that I never get bored.”
Best Advice: “Don’t overdo it! Too many people start out too hard and too fast, and they burn out quickly. The goal is to make healthy living a part of your lifestyle, so you need to do it in a way that is maintainable. Choose a workout routine that makes sense with your current lifestyle and activity level.”
Exercise She’ll Do for Life: “The one thing I will continue to do the rest of my life isn’t a specific workout or move. It’s simply the action of being active! I will always and forever look for ways to get my body moving, whether that’s lifting weights, functional training, boxing, hiking, riding bikes, or simply going for a walk at the age of 90. Figure out what ways you like to move, and do that.”
Best Advice: “Ease into it. Whether you are just starting your fitness journey or returning after a long break, you will feel sore and tired if you follow a plan that is too rigorous. Beginner workouts are often so brutal that they discourage you from continuing. Follow a beginner-friendly plan that grows more challenging to help you keep progressing toward your goals.”
Exercise She’ll Do for Life: “Pushups. They will help build lean mass in your entire upper body, including your core. It’s also a low-impact exercise that is not likely to cause joint pain.”
Best Advice: “Stay consistent. Fitness is a journey, and you will have both good and bad days. Use each workout as a learning experience and a chance to see how far you can push yourself, but be aware of what you need to work on. Track your progress and enjoy all your favorite exercises, but be diligent on the ones you may want to avoid. Each time you step into the gym you are improving your health and wellness.”
Exercise She’ll Do for Life: “I have numerous favorite exercises that include compound lifts like squats and deadlifts, but one thing that I always keep in my training regimen are high-incline sprint intervals. I sprint for 10 to 20 seconds and then rest 20 to 30 seconds before repeating; I’ll do five to 10 rounds. You can perform similar intervals on the elliptical or a stationary bike.”
