Has iso or working from home knocked your 2021 health goals off course? Put down the constant snacks and reboot your fitness.
2021 hasn’t gone quite as planned. We Zoomed, we binge-watched, we drank all the wine and baked so much bread. And all those New Year’s health resolutions and fitness goals we’d set quietly went on the backburner. But with warmer weather just around the corner, it’s time to get moving and use that gym gear for what it was made for once again.
To help us find motivation, we turned to Gold Coast single mum and bona fide superwoman Belinda Norton (@belinda.n.x), founder of popular health and fitness blog blivewear.com, certified personal trainer and author of Fit Mama. Here are her top tips for rebooting your fitness.
Set a program
When it comes to training, Belinda is a firm believer in establishing a weekly plan. The first step is sitting down and mapping out a realistic schedule that incorporates more movement into your days, including walking, strengthening and stretching.
Even Belinda struggled in the early stages of isolation when the gyms closed-up shop, but she responded by tweaking her weekly program to incorporate more home workouts, HIIT, yoga and stretching, and by making the most of the Gold Coast’s beautiful outdoors.
Not sure where to start? An initial session or two with a personal trainer can help identify what you need to do to achieve your fitness goals.
When setting your fitness plan, however, don’t forget about that thing called life. Friends, family, fun and work are all part of the equation, Belinda says, and by factoring them in from the start you’ll find a fitness program that actually works for you.
“It’s important to truly find that wellness balance” says Belinda.
And be kind to your body. We know it’s tempting to try to make up for lost time and go all out, but Belinda warns doing so can leave you sore or misaligned (as she found out the hard way post-isolation).
Get into a routine
Having a plan is one thing, but sticking to it is where many of us fall off the wagon. The answer, according to Belinda, is making exercise an easy part of your routine.
“Fitness is a lifestyle, not a chore, and when we set a good routine it forms an easy habit for us to maintain”. – Belinda Norton
Have everything you need at the ready, Belinda suggests, and it will become second nature. Know what training you plan to do and how to do it, get your favourite music queued and have all the equipment and clothes you require (in case you needed any more excuse to bulk up your athleisure-wear collection).
And if you happen to miss one session? Don’t throw in the towel on the whole week, Belinda says. A “quality over quantity mindset” is much more conducive to achieving those fitness goals.
Make it fun
It might sound obvious; but if you have fun with fitness, it makes it all that much easier to stick to a regime. Belinda’s tip is seeking out exercise that respects your body. “We train our body to feel good, to look after ourselves,” she says. Find things that make you feel good, and they’ll become a welcome part of your routine. Belinda factors in a daily 30-minute walk along one of the Goldie’s stunning beaches with her dog or a good friend for company, for example, and arranges to meet up with friends for yoga classes or at the gym
On the weekends, Belinda suggests mixing things up: “Add bush walks, surfing or even test out a fun fitness class”. If the weekend workouts become a passion, it will make the weekday ones all that much more fun, too, she says. And in no time, your fitness goals will be right back on track.
Add an extra level of fun to your fitness journey and book a stay at The Darling Penthouse Deluxe Exercise Suite at The Star Gold Coast, The Star Grand at The Star Sydney or Treasury Brisbane Hotel and go for a run or walk in the local area!
