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Have you been thinking about starting a fitness routine, but you’re not sure where to start? It can be intimidating with all of the fads and diets you hear about daily. It doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective! Let’s get it started. There’s a number of changes you can make daily to start. Even something as simple as parking farther away than usual helps get more steps in. Keep the following things in mind once you decide to start your journey.

1. Set your goals – Think about WHY you want to start this journey. Improving your health and fitness can have so many life-long benefits both physically and mentally. Setting achievable goals can help keep you going when you’re feeling a little less than motivated. Your goal may be to take a walk every night after dinner, or to try a new fitness class every week! You decide! The best goals are measurable and attainable to keep you motivated!

2. Include your friends and family – Who you choose to surround yourself with can make a huge difference in your health habits! Looking for something to do on a weekend? Grab some friends and take an outdoor yoga class before brunch! Bring the kids along on a family bike ride and model a healthy lifestyle for them! Including your family and friends helps keep you accountable and makes the entire experience more enjoyable!

3. Get creative – You don’t HAVE to have an entire gym at your disposal to start your fitness journey. You have plenty of space and tools around you to get started! Start with a daily walk around the neighborhood! Raining one day? Do some bodyweight squats and dips on the coffee table, then jog up and down the basement steps a few times! Explore the community, find some hikes or outdoor classes to take advantage of the season!

4. Join a fitness community – While this can be intimidating at times, a like-minded community like that at Black Flag Athletics can do wonders for your fitness experience. Having guidance from professionals can take out a lot of the guess work and keep you both safe and on track. Keep in mind – a community that is welcoming and encouraging will have members of all fitness levels. You DO NOT have to already be in the best shape of your life to join a gym – the community should include, encourage, and challenge people of all stages of their fitness journey! Fitness with friends is more fun!

5. Create healthy habits – The first step is the hardest. Change up your daily snacks, plan meals ahead, take that daily walk…once you get started and begin to feel more comfortable and confident your journey will get easier! Not only will it get easier, it will become more enjoyable! Daily practice creates habits, and the habits will last long term. Get out there and get moving, you won’t regret it!!

Coach Michelle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: COACH MICHELLE KRIVOSH

Michelle has always had a passion for teaching, as well as being active…so coaching was a perfect fit!

After coaching high school basketball for many years, she joined the Black Flag team as a Kids coach and transitioned to adult coaching last summer.

Coaching at Black Flag puts her two passions together!

She holds a Bachelors Degree in Education and a CrossFit Level 1.