If you’re just starting out on your fitness journey, you might be feeling overwhelmed at the number of fitness plans out there. Paleo? Yoga? Pilates? Protein powder? Reps, sets, weight? Cardio, aerobic, anaerobic?

It’s almost akin to an Elder Scrolls character creation screen.

Most of us get stuck for hours at this screen. Which is exactly my point when it comes to fitness plans. The number of options out there are just staggering. And more often than not, it leads to absolute confusion and misinformation. I am sure you can relate.

Therefore, allow me to provide an alternative that always works.

The fitness plan you first pick is how your character looks. It does not matter at all for how powerful you are going to get, or whether you will be able to defeat the boss at the end of the dungeon.

What is much more important, is that you pick a character that looks appealing to you, aka one that YOU LIKE.

And this is exactly the same for a fitness plan, especially if you’re just starting out. Whether it be hitting the weights at the gym, playing tennis, or going for a swim, what matters the most is that you choose something that you enjoy.

Most people jump onto the bandwagon (especially following something like a New Year resolution) and try to do something too advanced much too soon. That’s almost the same as logging into your character for the first time and wanting to kill the end boss.

First and foremost, as a beginner, you will need to get into the groove of physical activity, and that can come in a myriad of shapes and sizes. Find a sport, activity or fitness plan that you like, because enjoying the process is the most crucial aspect.

If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it’s highly likely that it’ll turn into a mindless grind and you won’t be able to sustain the process in the long term.

 

At this point, you might be asking, is it really that simple? Well, it really is! Nevertheless, allow me to present it to you from another perspective.

When you first start out in any MMORPG, it doesn’t matter where your starting zone is.

In World of Warcraft, if you picked a Night Elf or a Tauren, you would still start off in a capital city, and start off by killing low level mobs to help you get into the groove of the game.

The same goes for Guild Wars, whether you picked a Charr or an Asura, or Final Fantasy Realm Reborn, whether you picked a Hyur or Lalafell.

The only difference between these low level mobs that you encounter is in aesthetics. They all help to achieve the same outcome, which is to get you some starter experience on your journey.

And this is exactly the same for your fitness journey, and when selecting a fitness plan.

Pick whatever you like, and just have fun with it. If you don’t like it, go ahead and change it.

You’re not going to hit max level in an MMO overnight, just as you aren’t going to suddenly lose that belly or become a Mr Olympia overnight.

You might decide to change your character class when you hit level 5, and start over again. And that’s perfectly fine for fitness plans too. You might hit the gym for 5 weeks, before discovering how fun it actually is to go swimming instead. It’s all a journey of exploration when you first start out, and it’s just as important to discover what you don’t like as much as it is for what you do like.

So, go out there and explore the world of fitness, just like you would do in an RPG! There are multiple bosses (personal bests), dungeons (sports facilities) and loot (gym equipment) out there for you to discover. The possibilities truly are endless, but when you look at it in the way I just described, it’s actually a good thing :).

 

 

If you still feel confused at the sheer number of fitness plans out there, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a message!

Remember, we were all beginners once, and there’s no such thing as a stupid question.

Interested in training together with me? Click HERE to get in touch with me, and I’ll be more than happy to meet you!