The following is a guest post by Jenna Simmons who is attaining her Masters in Sports Science.

Many New Year’s resolutions include getting in shape, which includes losing fat, gaining muscle mass, building strength, and enhancing the body’s endurance. However, very few of those who resolved to do so actually make it past January. Many people give up a few weeks into their workout routines because they get impatient at not seeing instant results, while others are still not getting the results they want even after working out consistently. What could be wrong?

There is no one way to reach a fitness goal, but experts generally agree on six things when it comes to keeping fit and getting in shape. The following are fitness expert tips to help you achieve your goals.

6 Fitness Expert Tips To Help You Get Into Shape

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Be realistic and patient

Is it possible to get rock-hard abs in a week doing crunches? Or lose 4 inches from your waistline in 10 days? If you hardly eat, it may be possible, but of course not recommended. Your fitness goals should be realistic. Instead of aiming to run 5K in 20 minutes in one week, or losing 10 pounds in a fortnight, aim to increase healthy behaviours to help you reach that goal. Start by walking 20 minutes a day and gradually increasing the intensity, distance, and time from there. Don’t worry and don’t hurry—getting in great shape slowly but surely makes you gain a more stable strength and muscle mass, and helps you maintain weight more easily. Be patient—you may not see results right away but trust the experts and believe the results will come.

Consistency is key

It’s no use cutting out fatty food from your diet and getting on the treadmill if you’re only going to do it once a month. No exercise program, training regimen, or revolutionary healthy diet will work if you don’t do it on a regular basis, so be consistent. Experts recommend complementing a balanced diet with an effective exercise routine that consists of strength training twice a week for 20 minutes, interval training (two minutes of walking followed by two minutes of running, then repeat for 20-40 minutes), and low-to moderate-intensity cardio exercises such as dancing, running, jogging, or walking for around 60 minutes a day. The more working out becomes part of your daily routine, the easier it will be for you to do it consistently. To help you keep it up, see the next tip!

Find a fitness buddy

A fitness buddy shouldn’t be someone you compete with in terms of getting fit (but if a friendly competition works for you, why not), but someone you can establish a healthy lifestyle with. You can go to dance classes together, run together, and generally encourage each other to get in shape. Be each other’s coach and motivator, and you’ll find yourself enjoying your workouts more. This is a great tip for those who are too shy to go to the gym alone, or those who really don’t want to hit the running trails without having another person there in case of emergencies.

Know how your body clock works

People have different body clocks: some may have the most energy at night, while others are better in the morning. Observe your body to determine the time of the day when you have the most energy, and schedule your fitness activities then. Fitness experts say that working out during the time you have optimum energy levels will yield the best results and that doing what you like will make getting into shape more enjoyable. This means that if you absolutely hate weights, do some research about other activities you can do to help you gain strength and build muscle. If you’re itching for a cardio workout but don’t like running, take up dancing or Tae Bo instead.

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Get checked by an expert eye

All the effort you make and money you spend on gym membership, nutritional supplements, workout equipment and fitness gear would give you more value if you’re doing things correctly, and for this you would need to be assessed professionally by fitness experts. A professional assessment will help you determine the areas you need to focus on and the fitness activities and workout routines you need to do to make sure you’re on the right track towards an overall balance health-wise.

Fitness assessments generally take into consideration your overall fitness capability in terms of muscular strength and endurance (upper body, lower body, and core), cardio-respiratory fitness, and flexibility. There are various tests you have to undergo to determine how you do in each. Based on the results of the tests, along with your measurements or body composition and fitness goals, a fitness professional will then recommend a fitness program that will be best for you.

Don’t overspend on your supplements

One of the main issues that people say they have is that the high cost of supplements such as whey protein powder and amino acids, to name just a few, are prohibitively expensive. One great idea is to have a look around online and see if you can snag yourself a bargain from one of the many deals that are available at any given moment as they main players fight it out to win your custom. There are numerous voucher code sites that offer deals on brands like Myprotein where you can really look at reducing your outlay on any given product.

In conclusion, try to temper your expectations and don’t expect too much too soon. Above all, getting into shape and maintaining a good physique takes time as well as a lot of effort and self-discipline. Your road to that dream physique might not be as long as you think and you can make be even more effective in your fitness endeavours by following the advice set out in this blog. Good luck on your journey!

AUTHOR BIO:

Jenna Simmons has been blogging for three years now and likes to blog in her free time as well as play tennis in the summer months. She is currently enrolled at university and is studying towards a Masters in Sports Science.