By David Tepera, December 26, 2018

Well, you’ve made it through a long month of Christmas parties, gifting and lack of exercise. Yep, right now, you’re probably feeling a little blah, bloated and broke. Don’t feel alone, even as a family of professional physique competitors, we’ve battled the diet challenges all month, too.

I know there’s still one more week of celebration with New Year’s around the corner, but it’s time to get your bodies in motion again.

Being in the fitness industry, we typically see people registering for gym memberships in January, along with every quick weight loss program imaginable. Then finally, people start signing up for personal training by February and March due to the lack of success on their own.

I’m not referring to anything negative about this process, it’s just the way it has always been.

The good news is people are truly sincere about enhancing their lives to become healthier. I applaud your efforts because it is life changing.

Remember, the journey to a healthy life is a marathon and not a sprint. When you go all in too quick, you set yourself up for failure. I always tell my clients not to beat themselves up for falling off the wagon. Just pick up where you left off and keep moving.

It takes three to four weeks of steady training to get your bodies adjusted. Then, starting around the fifth week, changes become visible. All of our clients notice muscle gains and fat loss around that time.

What’s most important is to stay focused and determined because your body will keep improving. Yes, if you skip an entire week, it will be a set-back, but don’t give up. Your body will bounce back, plus you’ll feel better about yourself.

Here are some of the benefits for weight training alone; lean muscle, stronger bones, metabolism boost, better immune and cardiovascular system, and most importantly – anti-depression.

I’ve heard repeatedly from people whining about not having time or can’t afford a gym membership. My response “exercise is free”. Back in the day when time and finances were difficult, I would jog throughout my neighborhood for cardio, put cans of food in pillowcases to use as weights, load books in my backpack to perform sets of pushups, plus lay on the floor while watching tv and rep-out tons of sit-ups.

So, to me, there are no excuses, just be creative and have fun.

Now, let’s all get rid of the Christmas blah, bloated and broke feeling, and start ramping up for an amazing 2019.