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I’ve learned a lot about fitness, food, workouts, etc.  The one thing that applies to all is to choose wisely.  In all aspects and remember that each facet of your fitness will flow over to the next.

If you are trying to find a coach/trainer to help you take it to the next level try digging a little.  I’ve often felt like I was being interviewed by the trainers that I talked to.  Almost as if they were trying to size up whether I was worthy of being taken on as a client.  Pfhhhtt, it’s my money, I’ll do the interviewing thank you.  Talk to people who know them, people who have trained under them, ask for references, call the references and get feedback.  If the trainer is good, they won’t hesitate to give you the information.  If they flat refuse, perhaps they are not the trainer for you.

Food is always such a hard topic to discuss because there are so many different “plans” for people to follow.  Choose wisely.  Simply put, the best foods you can eat are the foods that have been processed as little as possible.  Fresh veggies, fruits, lean meats, things that require very little effort if you learn the basics in the kitchen.  You want starches?  Choose wisely, a sweet potato or squash is a whole lot better for your body than a over-sized (eye-eyeballed) serving of pasta.  And remember, you can’t out train a bad diet.

Workouts can be just about as confusing as food.  Choose wisely.  Set yourself some measurable goals, measurable means specific things you can put a tape measure or mathematical calculation to and determine if you are progressing.

Measurable goal examples:

Reduce/increase inches: neck, shoulders, biceps, chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves.

Increase 1 rep max dead-lift to xyz.

Run 5 additional flights of stadium stairs before a x time cap.

If you struggle to go it alone, hiring a coach can be a great thing.  But don’t go into it blindly, don’t trust your outcome to someone you haven’t checked up on.  Ask around, if you are uncomfortable asking around the gyms, ask around the nutrition stores they usually know all of the local trainers.

Need a goal?  Set yourself an appointment with a professional photographer for six months from your start date.  Hold yourself accountable at the highest level.  Keep a log.  Take progress pictures every 4 weeks.

If you can go it alone,  and you feel confident in your own ability, write down your plan and follow it to the letter.  Hold yourself as accountable as you would expect a coach to hold you.  Educate yourself on nutrition, don’t blindly follow along.  What works for one doesn’t always work for another.