Mikey Moon's health and fitness column: Plan your regime properly

This week’s health and fitness advice from Mikey Moon of Fortitude Fitness is to try and plan your fitness regime properly...
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Mikey Moon's health and fitness column: Exercise will help, even on your bad day...

When we set goals, or we start a new regime, the temptation is there to go all in.

Unrealistic expectations are set in order to achieve these goals in the shortest time frame possible.

Mikey Moon says proper planning is paramountMikey Moon says proper planning is paramount
Mikey Moon says proper planning is paramount
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These include: a new diet cutting out every ounce of food that isn’t ‘healthy’; working out every day; and walking 30 minutes every day.

Those are big expectations, so how do most people get on? Well, normally, they fall flat on their face.

It starts well. Monday and Tuesday are easy enough but Wednesday goes a bit wrong because you have to work late, you’re exhausted, you’re sore, you miss the gym and you can’t get out for your walk.

This adds to your stress levels for the day and results in a small implosion, which ends in you ordering a pizza and raiding chocolate in the fridge.

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Come Thursday morning, you are punishing yourself. You feel terrible about last night and it has zapped all of your motivation.

You skip the gym again because you feel down. This is the vicious circle you have locked yourself in.

Here is what you could do instead by setting yourself some realistic expectations: work out three or four times per week; eat within the 95-5 rule, getting the majority of your foods from single ingredient foods with the occasional treat; and get outside each day.

It doesn’t matter if it’s 10 minutes or an hour, get out and do a little walk each day and then, twice a week, try a bigger walk.

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Working out three or four times a week is easily achievable. It also means that if life gets in the way one or two days a week, it isn’t a big deal.

The 95-5 rule means, if someone offers you a treat or you want to go for a drink, you can without ruining your diet.

Everyone has at least 10 minutes a day to get outside, and two long walks in seven days isn’t asking a lot.

It will seem like you are doing less but take a moment to think about how many times you have managed to complete a full week of the first option.

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Fortitude Fitness is on the Poulton Industrial Estate, Beacon Road. Visit www.fortitudefit.co.uk for more details.

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