Now that I am quite a way into my fitness journey it is safe to say I am starting to realise some things that I really wish I knew before starting the whole progress. This journey has been a bumpy one so far and I will be honest it has also been a real eye opener in a lot of ways. There are definitely some standout points that I really wish I knew before starting on this and those things are... 

You will slip up at times

This has happened to me many of times now and honestly I know know that this is due to the moods I am in. I slip up way more than I should but it is OK to slip up sometimes as you will learn from your mistakes and hopefully not making them again or at least cut back on the amount of slip ups you have. 

Not every week will be a loss 

There are different factors that can have an effect on this and you can have a great week putting everything into it and you might still only have a maintain or a slight gain. I used to get really upset when this would happen to me as I didn't realise before it could simply be down to water retention, salt intake and even muscle growth. Your body might still be recovering too so you might not see an immediate loss on a weekly basis. 

You can eat anything    

When I have tried to lose weight before I have just cut everything out of my diet gone cold turkey and ultimately failed straight away. You don't need to do this though as you can eat your favourite foods and still remain in a calorie deficit. If you cut everything out you are more likely to fail so small changes over time is a lot more beneficial and by keeping your favourite foods involved you are less likely to get fed up like you could with dieting. 

Your body will be sore but don't let it stop you 

In the past and even the first few weeks into this journey as soon as my muscles felt sore I would give up and end up not working out for a long time after. I have now realised though that my body is going to get sore after a long workout as I am putting it through things it hasn't before but I don't need to give up on that specific workout as the soreness is good for me. If I feel sore the next day I don't need to give up I just need to adapt and either push through if I know that pain isn't anything serious or if I do need to adapt as I know I can't lift weights that day I just need to switch it to a cardio session or a long walk. There is no point skipping a work out due to your body adapting to what you have put it under. 

Injuries will happen 

Injuries are going to inevitable with the strain you put on your body and by putting it through movements it is not used to. I have realised on this journey it is really not worth adding extra strain if an injury does happen and the best thing to do is just rest or adapt workouts that won't aggravate the injury there is no need to make an injury worse and prevent workouts for a longer period of time if a simple bit of rest can help the injury heal quicker. 

Your mental health will improve

I honestly thought people lied when they said that this happened when you worked out but now I have seen it for myself so I definitely believe it. My mental health has been effected by my weight gain and I felt so down and didn't want to do anything but since working out my brain seems to have switched and I rarely have bad days, yes they happen from time to time but if I just get working out my mood is soon lifted. I wish I knew this sooner as it would have come in very handy a few years ago. 

You will find out who supports you and who doesn't 

I guess when you start this journey you realise just who supports you and wants you to do well on your journey and those who couldn't care less. I am lucky enough to have a great support network with my family although they will try derail me with wanting to go out all the time to eat but at the end of the day they support me and want me to smash my goals, same with Liam he is 100% supportive on this journey and wants to see me do well. What has amazed me though is how supportive people online are too, Instagram has helped me meet people with the same goals and it is a great source of encouragement and support from those people on the app. 

You won't change overnight 

Everyone falls into the trap at some point thinking they are going to see changes instantly when in reality it could be a month before you notice any changes no matter how hard you are working out and how well you are eating. It is easy to want to give up if you look in the mirror after 1 week and see no difference but keep going you will see those changes over time. 

It isn't all about cardio

I never did weights until the start of this year, why? Because I didn't think it was beneficial if I wanted to lose weight. I honestly thought all my workouts should be cardio based and WOW was I wrong. Since incorporating weights into my routine I have noticed a big difference and I am happy to say it is only effecting my weight loss in a good way. I am so glad I have now got weight based sessions in my routine as it is making it much more fun.  

You don't need fancy equipment 

If you are serious about the journey you don't need a gym membership or super fancy equipment. My journey is taking place at home, I have a cheap weight set, a few resistance bands, a cheap exercise bike and that is all I use. I can take these outside and do outdoor workouts if I like plus I can take myself off for a walk or run locally which of course is free. You don't need to spend a fortune to lose weight you just see what works for you. 

Fitness classes help make the journey fun 

If you had told me last year that I would be happily going to a boxing class once a week and even considering upping that to two a week I would have just laughed at you and said not a chance. However in May 2021 I started going to a boxing class regularly and now countdown to Wednesday evenings when the class is happening as I love it that much. Attending this class just makes working out more fun and breaks my other workouts up a bit with something different to do. If you get the chance definitely try a group fitness class you never know you might end up falling in love with it.

The scale isn't the only way to measure progress

Like many others for a long time I was just focusing on what the scale said and getting down when it was barely moving, it even almost caused me to give up a few times as I felt I was getting nowhere. In reality though if I was checking my measurements, progress photos and how clothing fit me I would have actually seen that my body was definitely changing and I was losing inches off problem areas and that the actual physical progress was taking place even though the scales didn't fully show that. Don't rely on your scales take photos and measurements too it is bound to surprise you. 

So there you go those are the things I wish I knew before I started my whole weight loss and fitness journey as I think the start of it all could have been a bit smoother if I had known these things and I might not have had so many wobbles. As I continue my journey though I will be constantly reminding myself of these points just to make sure I remember specific points especially that the scales aren't everything. 

What do you wish you knew before starting your fitness or weight loss journey?