Tiff's Tips: Create a Fitness Community

getting fit is not easy. changing your routine and your lifestyle and making time for things you don't necessarily enjoy or want to do everyday.

so how do you keep going on the days that are tough? 

by creating a fitness community for yourself!

now what is a fitness community?? 

a fitness community is simply a support system for your health and fitness goals. 

you can create this a few different ways!

1. first (and most obvious) way is with your family and friends! get them in on your fitness! have them workout with you. or even just remind you to get up and go to the gym. or get healthy recipes to share. or you can create fitness challenges between your friends and fam so you can all feel a bit healthier. maybe you can go on walks on your lunch breaks with your co-workers! the possibilities are endless. 

2. go to workout classes at your local gym and create your own in-person fitness community! people who go to workout classes are some of the most consistent gym-goers! if you start going to classes regularly you will definitely start recognizing people and make friends and they'll notice if you start skipping classes regularly! 

3. get a trainer! they'll keep you accountable AND will tell you what to do when you go to the gym so you have no excuse to not get it done. they will support you and make sure you are going to hit the goals you set for yourself. (btw, hiii! i have in person & online training available!) 

4. fitness app communities! there are about fifty trillion different fitness apps out there right now, and with that, SO many people on them and that means that there are SO MANY people you can connect with. FitBit has challenge boards, Nike Run Club allows you to get people to cheer for you while you run, MyFitnessPal has forums to meet people. Just to name a few, because there are honestly too many apps for me to even keep track of. Find the one(s) you like and make friends on it, so you have an awesome virtual support system. 

5. facaebook group communities! just like apps there are even more facebook groups. if there is something you like on the internet, there's probably a subgroup of those people who are also exercising. seriously, check in those groups if there is a fitness based subgroup or just search for it. you already have one common interest, might as well add fitness into the mix! 

6. instagram communities! instagram has become my favorite for my fitness community. just by searching through a hashtag you can find so many people who are interested in the same kind of fitness you are. instagram has an AMAZING fitness community and you can find so many people going through the same thing you are. and instagram is great to use as a log for your gym days and/or for your food. it's a great tool to use! 

so there ya have it. 

having some people from ALL these groups is definitely ideal, but sometimes that's just not reality for all of us, so even if you can't get your friends and family to get involved in your health and fitness lifestyle changes you can find people all over the place to help you be as successful as possible!

want more support? contact me on my instagram or facebook or email me at tiffnessfitness@gmail.com to find out about getting in on a personalized training program!  

HOW TO: get fit working full time

getting in shape is tough in perfect circumstances, but going for it while working or going to school full time is an added challenge. BUT that's how 97% of people are gonna have to get into shape... with a busy schedule. (that's obviously not a real statistic, btw).

but it is totally do-able. I did it! (i actually got the most fit in my life while working 40+ hours and commuting an hour to and from work) and so have so many other people! 

March 2015 (first day of work) vs June 2017 (during my last week of work)

so here's how to do it:

1. check out my list HERE to see my advice on small changes you can make daily that can add up to a healthy lifestyle change

2. schedule your workouts! if you really have a packed day, schedule in the time to workout and STICK to it. this may mean waking up early or exercising on a lunch break or staying up late which means you have to...

3. make exercise a priority! this is a KEY concept. if something is important to you, you'll make time for it. that's how life works. and i'm not suggesting you have to make time for two hours at a gym, either. do a 15 minute HIIT session or a jog on your lunch break, there is always time for some sort of exercise in your day.

4. be consistent! make your routine and stick with it. once it's part of your regular schedule, it is so much easier to keep with it. it's so tough to keep starting and stopping and starting again. just stick with it, it's worth it... no one's ever regretted a workout. 

5. find workouts that work for you! if you hate running... don't do it! i swear no one is forcing you to run. no gym? home workouts! there are so many at home workouts you can do! no equipment? bodyweight training is seriously effective. (btw, click HERE to sign up last minute for my all at home bodyweight training group for August!) 

6. have a plan! in line, with everything else i've suggested having a plan for your workout is so important. make sure you don't just schedule your workout and have no idea what you're gonna do. know what you're gonna do! pick a youtube video to follow, write down what you're gonna do that day, get a trainer who will tell you what to do! (i'm available, btw) 

7. make your co-workers your workout buddies! a couple great reasons to incorporate your co-workers into your workout routine, 1) they're around already... instead of going to lunch go for a walk or do a hiit routine 2) having people do workouts with you will keep you accountable. workout buddies are immensely helpful when it come to keeping on track 

8. diet is key! food is fuel for your body. it gives you the energy to get through the day... if you're fueling poorly, you're not going to have the energy to workout properly! i'm not saying you need to entirely revamp your diet (though you might), just focus on being properly hydrated, eating enough protein, and cutting back on the processed sugary snacks that'll just cause you to crash anyway.

9. SLEEP! just sleep! get your required sleep in. your workouts will suck if you're exhausted. you will hold onto weight when you're not sleeping properly. and all around, your life suffers IMMENSELY when you don't sleep. i know, getting a full night's sleep is not always an option, but make it a priority and get your sleep in and your workouts, weight, and life will improve. 

If you do these things, you'll get fit all while working 40+ hours a week. I swear.

need help getting fit? click HERE to see if my in person or online training would work for you! or just send me a message on Facebook or Instagram if you have any questions about any fitness questions or my programs! always happy to help! 

think i missed any tips that helped you? leave me a comment! i would love to hear your take! 

why & how i became a personal trainer

if you would have told me a few years ago that I would be a certified personal trainer I would have laughed straight in your face. 

aug. 8, 2015 ~ 5-6 months after beggining to exercise

here's the thing, i had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew it wasn't hospitality or accounting.  i started working out shortly after my i got my job in accounting.  before then I was able to pretend that since I was on my feet all day (just standing and leaning on the desk tbh) I didn't need to exercise. but once I got a desk job I had no excuses. so a few times a week i would wake up a little early and go walk and jog on the treadmill in the garage. over several months i started running more days during the week, and do longer sessions. and i started focusing on my nutrition and what i was eating more. lots of small steps. (and some definite over-training, but that's another day's discussion). but exercise definitely became something i looked forward to. I really enjoy(ed) getting to push myself every morning. I made lots of little goals, different speed goals and different distance per month goals. and once i got to hit those i could make new goals and that was exciting for me. 

sept.9,2016 ~ post workout 

and then once i was able to go to a real gym i realized there was more to life than cardio and started doing more weightlifting and kettlebell (i had started that before, but once i got into a gym i realized how much more i could do and i was able to push myself even more with different weights). and i was able to learn all sorts of new things that i never had the chance to do before. 

and that's when people really starting asking me for help in weight loss and working out. or people would come out to join me in my morning workouts. and i had a lot of fun helping people out and answering questions about how i did it but also i didn't feel totally comfortable in giving people advice because i didn't have all the answers and health and fitness is a personal journey and i didn't want to be responsible for giving someone bad/ wrong advice. 

nov. 3 2016 ~ got my study material for ACE PT exam 

and while all that was happening i was also trying to figure out what my next step was going to be, and what i wanted to do with my life. i went over a lot of different options and a lot of different ideas but kept looking at personal trainer certifications... and after talking with colt about it, i made the commitment to going for it. i realized that the gym is what i genuinely looked forward to everyday and getting to help other people figure out the gym was cool for me. and i was already doing a lot of research for me and other people so, why not have the actual certification? 

dec 2016 study session

was it easy? absolutely not. preparing for that exam took months of studying and reading and re-reading and note taking. it was so, so stressful. but thanks to many (MANY) hours of reading and studying and the un-ending support from col t i took the exam and passed it and earned my certification through ACE! 

it has been a long road to becoming a personal trainer but i feel so right about it. i already have gotten to help lots of people with their goals and i cannot wait to help so many more throughout my career! 

post-workout with awesome ladies

by the way, if you are interested in training (in person or online) send me a line!! i would love to work with you! (tiffnessfitness@gmail.com)