If you have decided to take care of yourself and get fit by doing sports, you are in luck because your body and your health will thank you for it, but getting started is not easy and discouragement can soon end your good intentions. If you do not want to be demotivated on your first day of training, keep in mind some tips, as simple as they are important.
Motivation is the key to not falling apart after that first session in the gym. If you are determined to train, it is because you are aware of the benefits that your physical activity will bring you, but the difficulty of the exercises, the fatigue, or the stiffness of the first days can wreak havoc on your healthy intentions.
In order not to abandon the first day of training, it is essential that, before starting, you are clear about your goal. It’s simple. If you work hard to achieve a specific result, you will train with greater intensity and with more enthusiasm, because you want something and you are willing to work hard to achieve it. No matter what you propose: lose weight, feel more agile, have stronger and more toned muscles, be able to resist during a race. Your goal will come to your head in moments of discouragement and holding on to it will make you overcome discouragement.
The keys to staying motivated the first days of training
You already have your goal and you are going for it but the threat of losing motivation after the first day of training lurks and that first day you have to overcome it. The following tips to not get discouraged after training will help you:
1. Be aware of the physical form you are starting from
It is very important to know your limitations because that way you will get an idea of when you will begin to notice the results of your effort. Getting a medical check-up is always advisable. You cannot start playing sports at a high level if there is a health problem that you should be careful about. Overweight, heart ailments, joint discomfort. A prior medical check-up will give you peace of mind and also if you are feeling great, your doctor will be the first to encourage you to start at the gym or play sports to feel even better.
2. Realistic goals
If you don’t want to leave the gym in the dark on the first day, don’t push yourself more than you can give. Get over that first day of training in which things have not gone as you expected by setting a deadline, for example, two weeks, in which you promise not to give up. Setting a possible, short-term goal will help you stay motivated.
3. Personalized training plan
If you do not have a training routine assumed, the first days are the most difficult, and having the advice of a professional trainer is essential to avoid throwing in the towel at the first discouragement. In the gym, your coach will guide you on the appropriate exercises for a beginner like you and will know how to motivate you by explaining how you are going to evolve. A suitable weekly training plan and a good coach will not allow you to lose motivation in the first session. His advice will get you back in training.
4. Appropriate equipment
It is not a secondary question in the motivation to face the first day of training. If you are uncomfortable on your first day of training, everything will get too “uphill”. Adequate shoes, protective elements if the sport you practice requires them, breathable clothing that allows your mobility and does not overwhelm you. These are small details that influence when it comes to keeping your motivation on the first day and that will make you not You decide to quit because the training has been “torture”.
5. Food and hydration
You have to feel good while you train so as not to get discouraged by the first difficulty and in that well-being, the right diet is decisive. Some foods that give you the energy required by the physical activity you start and proper hydration before, during, and after training will help to stop, without you realizing it, that discouragement from the first training that, surely, you can overcome.
