28 Life-Changing Fitness Tips from a Personal Trainer

All of your fitness questions, answered!

11. Find Unique Options — If you’re looking to indulge in your sweet tooth but don’t want to veer to far off track, try healthy snack alternatives. They offer the same treats but with better ingredients and fewer unhealthy calories.

12. Understand Your Body Is Unique — Some people can exercise twice a week and get instant results while others dedicate four weekly routines to see small progress. The things you eat and the exercises you complete won’t give you the same results as someone else. See how your body progresses each week and adjust your routine to get the results you want.

13. Stop Comparing — Your body. Your goal. Your results. Respect that your body is different and don’t focus on anyone else’s progress or results. Using someone as motivation is healthy; being upset that you’re not where they are is toxic.

14. Avoid Diets But Embrace Food Changes — Diets can be faddy; they’re usually all the craze until a new one comes along. Ignore them. Instead, make eating a lifestyle change that you continuously enjoy. This gives you balance, better control, and keeps your results consistent.

15. Challenge Yourself — Doing the same routine, reps, and intervals will put your body at a plateau and limit results. Change the days you exercise, change the order of your routine, and always look for new exercises to add to the mix. The more you challenge your muscles, the better they’ll respond.

16. Rest — This includes getting a good amount of sleep regularly and taking days off from the gym. Every six weeks, I take one week off from all exercise and let my body naturally shape. This helps you see your true progress.

17. Numbers Don’t Matter But They Can Help — While some numbers can help you notice patterns and track progress, don’t become obsessed with the scale. Your body fluctuates due to water, food, muscle mass, and hormones. One day you’ll be up and the next you’ll be down. It doesn’t matter. How you look and feel is what really matters.

18. Breathe — Your breath is your power. Be sure to breath properly during your workouts. This will give you more energy during your workouts. (Hint: Whenever you exert energy, exhale; e.g., when you squat up or push up.)

19. Dump All Those Beverages — Soda? Juice? Energy Drinks? Even flavored Water? Say no to all of them. They are loaded with sugar or sugar alternatives and full of additives your body doesn’t need. If it isn’t natural, you don’t need it.