How I developed and maintained a fitness-focused lifestyle

Identify your mindset and intentions. Answer honestly why you want to pursue fitness, what fitness means to you, what results you want to feel / see, what obstacles are in your way and how you want to address those obstacles.

I went "cold turkey" and overnight, I went from being a night owl (go to bed at midnight) to an early bird (go to bed by 10pm for 6:30am workout). I also made a commitment to myself to watch my food portions & quality and exercise for 60min or more daily, whether that was strength training, yoga, hiking or other and planned out my routine every week.

Stick to my commitment! I used a calendar to track all my daily intentional movements and maintained a food diary. I woke up at 5:45am every day and went to my gym or yoga studio rain or shine...even when there's a power outage.

Fitness is hard so get as much help as you can whether digital or in person. A movement coach makes a huge difference especially if you're just starting a movement program and/or you're dealing with any chronic pain or past injuries. A good coach will help you build up and progress and recommend a routine that speaks to your personal goals and struggles.

I said fitness is hard right? Partner with a fitness buddy if you can. Find someone who has similar goals and preferably someone you feel comfortable holding accountable and vice versa.

Plan and rest. I travel a lot and I plan for that. I figure out in advance what my movement space will be like when I travel and I work with my coach to modify my routine. Don't forget to rest and let your body recover.

Challenge yourself in a fun way and remember fitness and moving should be progressive so take it slow and not rush to lift the heaviest weights or get discouraged that you're not running 5 miles a day right out of the gate. When I began my fitness journey, I was doing step ups on a 12 inch box. I slow graduated to jumping as I got stronger and more confident and now I can do 30 inch box jumps. :)

Again, stay consistent even if you decide fitness is important to you. Life is always changing and will throw curveballs at you. When COVID-19 forced me into quarantine, I continued my movement routine at home. I still wrote out my daily movement program and eventually converted the guest room into my "movement space." I've logged over 260 days of working out at home since mid-March to mid-Dec 2020.

Help others! Friends and family ask me all the time how I stay consistent especially during COVID quarantine. I'm always eager to share my journey and my strategies and "teaching" others help me remember my own motivations. I offer to do virtual workouts together and that reenforces accountability for me too.

Finally, just show up. Getting out of bed, getting dressed and showing up in your preferred movement space is already half the work. There are countless times where I yearn for more sleep but I give myself a pep talk - "just get dressed, you don't even have to move if you don't want to" -- and 99% of the time, that works!