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The best fitness advice you’ll ever get!

April 06 2022 6 min read

How can you make positive changes? What are the best ways to increase your fitness? What should you focus on when you’re first starting a new exercise routine? Here’s some great advice from the Fitness First team…

ON CHANGE

‘Understand why you want to make changes to your life and realise it’s not necessarily going to be easy – but you’re the one in control of those changes. Improvements are made by creating habits, and habits take time to develop.’

– Andy McTaggart, Health and Fitness Manager, London, UK

‘If you want to change, do what you wouldn’t normally do. And remember, it’s important to work on mobility and stability first so you stay injury free and can keep performing better for longer.’

– Jacky Wong, National Fitness Manager, Hong Kong

‘Don’t give up. Your body will surprise you. The most gratifying thing about being an instructor is when someone manages to do something they didn’t believe they could do. As a yoga teacher, I’ve seen that with baby steps, any student can achieve even the most challenging poses.’

– Rakhi Anand, National Brand Manager, India

‘Try to work multiple muscles and muscle joints at the same time. During a workout, old muscle fibres are being broken down, while newer, better quality muscles develop during the recovery phase. If you can engage multiple muscles, you’ll break down and then rebuild more muscle fibres than if you were to work isolated muscles.’

– Rina Baliga, Nutrition Counsellor, Mumbai, India

‘Every step forward is a step in the right direction. To change yourself you must challenge yourself slightly.’

– Emily Keel, Fitness Consultant, Hampshire, UK

‘Always be open to new training methods and ideas – your body can respond well to change.’

– Max Eldridge, Fitness Consultant, London, UK

ON MAKING PROGRESS

‘Fitness is not about being better than someone else – it’s about being better than you used to be. All too often I see clients comparing themselves to other members, and forgetting what they need as individuals. Do what’s right for you.’

– Terence Chan, Fitness Training Manager, Hong Kong

‘First, set a realistic goal. You’ll get a great confidence boost when you achieve it. Don’t be upset if you don’t reach it, just evaluate your training programme and diet, and focus on the progress you have made.’

– David Konya, PT, Sydney, Australia

‘You can’t control what you don’t measure. Precise results require a precise approach: by monitoring your intake of proteins, carbs and fats you’ll have greater control over your body composition. Track your progress and don’t be fooled into thinking that you can out-train a bad diet.’

– Nick Cheadle, PT, Sydney, Australia

‘Fitness is a process. It’s OK to pull back: listen to your body, not your ego.’

– Aurelia Lynda, Group Exercise Manager, Jakarta, Indonesia

‘Make sure you get the right workout plan based on your specific goals. Don’t ever be worried about asking for advice – we’re here to help!’

– Ng Weng Hau (Kelvin Ng), Group Exercise Manager, Puchong, Malaysia

‘The moment when you are about to give up – that’s when your training starts. This is the truest test of character, as you don’t have to prove anything to anyone except yourself. Beat your best; the rest doesn’t matter. I’ve never competed with anyone, but by pushing myself to run further and faster than I had before, I found I was soon running 42km a day.’

– Sandeep Sachdev, Nutrition Counselling Manager, Mumbai, India

ON KEEPING IT FUN

‘Find a training buddy to work out with. Don’t be afraid to try something new – it will always be exciting. Try to find something you enjoy doing so you won’t get bored.’ 

– Leanne Tesoriero, PT, Sydney, Australia

‘Expand your comfort zone! Too many people at the gym play it safe with the same workout programme every day. Boring! Try and mix up your weekly routine to keep you motivated. If all you ever do is lift weights, why not try a high-intensity interval training, Freestyle Group Training class or a Zumba class.’

– Kathy Johnsun, PT, Sydney, Australia

‘Get a good training partner – someone who’ll push you to squeeze out an extra rep or two and someone you can compete with in the gym.’

– Amir Khan, Health and Fitness Manager, Birmingham, UK

‘Only do exercise you enjoy, that way you’ll stick to it. I’m not a fan of cardio machines, for instance, so I do the exercises I enjoy in a circuit to get the same cardio benefits. Make it fun – if it’s a chore you won’t be doing it for long.’

– Paul Chipp, PT, London, UK

What’s the best piece of fitness advice you’ve ever heard? Share your tips and advice below…