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: "survive" thanksgiving

it's the holidays!! it means family and fun and so much food! which is great, but for someone trying to losing weight, trying to stick to a diet, or trying to be healthy in general the holidays can be overwhelming and stressful and just all together not fun. 

BUT it doesn't have to be like that. you can (and SHOULD) enjoy your holidays with your families and enjoy all the fun food that comes along with it!

first things first, don't stress about your calories on thanksgiving. seriously. it's one day. i know we have goals and you want to hit them but you don't need to be tracking every bite to be successful. (promise!) 

and on top of that, any weight you may gain the  next day is most likely going to be just water weight that'll disappear in just a couple of days! (seriously, don't weigh yourself on friday it'll just make you crazy). 

and there's a lot of posts out there saying just don't worry about it, but that's easier said than done, i know, cause i've been there. so it's nice to have a plan for the day so you don't feel overwhelmed by all the food and family. cause, tbh, it is A LOT. a lot of people (usually), a lot of food, and a lot of people asking you way too many questions about your life, health, weight, job, and/or anything else they can think of. 

so here's what you can do to have fun and not be stressed out and feel all bloated at the end of the day:

1) put the non-fried veggies and lean proteins on your plate first! then add all the fun fried foods!  (there are lots of tasty and usually lean options available in thanksgiving! turkey and/or ham and veggies all over the place) 

2) eat slowly and enjoy the fuck outta your food! (it takes time for your stomach to catch up and realize its full, so eat nice and slow and really enjoy your foods) 

3) wait 20-30 mins before you go back for seconds. (like mentioned before, it takes time to for your stomach to catch up)

4) eat your mashed potatoes, casseroles, pies, and cakes without stress!! (seriously!! stress doesn't help anything ever. enjoy TF out of all the food you eat on thanksgiving, pie included!) 

that's it. don't stress about your food and enjoy your time with your family and/or friends. when you look back on your holidays, you want to have happy memories, not remembering the food anxiety or some sort of other negative feelings. 

it really is only one day and it really won't ruin all your progress. promise! don't let nutrition and stress control your life. 

have such a wonderful thanksgiving everyone! 

HOW TO: get over your fear of the gym

gyms and the entire fitness industry can be highly intimidating, especially to those of us who haven't done the whole exercise thing before.

But the gym has become this really scary place for people just starting out there fitness journey. A LOT of people are genuinely terrified of going into the gym.

But why???

I've heard a few different reasons. 

1. afraid of people judging/watching them

2. not sure what they're supposed to do at the gym

3. just don't want to go to the gym 

SO how do we get you into the gym despite all of that?

Here's what you need to know: 

1. No one cares what you're doing at the gym. I know, that seems insane because everyone seems to be very concerned about other people watching and judging them. But, everyone is just there to get their shit done and get outta there. Promise. To be honest, the people who are watching everyone else the most are the people who are the most worried about people watching them. For real. I work at a gym that has body builders,power lifters, and bikini physique competitors and those people are just focused on their workouts and that's all. they do not give a crap what anyone else is doing. 

2. Most people don't know what they're doing. I swear. You know the whole, "fake it til you make it" saying? probably the most true at the gym. it does take time and practice to figure out the gym, so just know that not knowing is part of the process. so many people are just trying stuff out and hoping for the best. 

Here's what you can do: 

1. Take the gym up on their free first personal training sessions. Basically every gym i've walked into has offered a free first session. It may be framed as a fitness consultation or a free workout or orientation or whatever, but those sessions can be whatever you want it to be. if you do that session and tell the trainer you want to learn how to use some equipment or some sort of exercise, that's what those are for. take advantage of it and learn the lay of the land that way. 

2. make a plan. you don't have to wander around the gym aimlessly, and that seems to be a fear for most people. write it out, make a note on your phone, follow a bodybuilding.com program, or hire a trainer (hi!! i'm available, btw) so you can have a plan or program to follow while you're at the gym and not just going from random equipment to random equipment with no rhyme or reason. figure out what you want to work on for each day you're going into the gym and make it happen. 

3. get gym buddies or go to workout classes! if you're wary of doing the gym on your own, get a friend to be a gym buddy so you can workout together. And if you don't have a friend who will workout with you, go to classes and find a bunch of people who will be your gym buddies while also learning a bunch of great workouts to do on your own! every gym i've ever been to offers some sort of classes and they are a great way to get acquainted with the gym!

4. don't let what other people may think of you stop you from doing something you want to do. (and don't hold yourself back!)  if you just don't want to go to the gym, figure out WHY. if you are afraid of people are judging you, fuck those people. go get your gym time in and hit your goals be the badass you were meant to be.

STILL pretty wary of the gym? If you're in my area (El Cajon/ San Diego) hit me up! Especially if you're a 24 Hour Fitness member, cause I can go to any of those and show you around and help you out! And if you need help making a plan/program contact me on facebook or instagram or email me at tiffnessfitness@gmail.com!