You Are Enough! 5 Common Fitness Mistakes to Avoid in 2025

In this episode of the 'Be Where You Are Today' podcast, host Amy shares valuable tips and tricks to avoid common fitness mistakes as you embark on your New Year's resolutions. She emphasizes the importance of remembering that 'you are enough,' avoiding all-or-nothing thinking, and being cautious of random advice from unqualified individuals on the internet. Amy also highlights the significance of strength training and setting realistic, non-scale goals. Additionally, she introduces the new 'Strength Your Way' program for beginners and 'begin again-ers,' along with exciting updates and challenges in the BodyFit Athletic Club for 2025.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hey everyone, I'm Amy and welcome to the Be Where You Are Today podcast, where we connect with fitness and nutrition professionals and others so we can connect with you and wherever you are in your own journey. Today, it is just me, as you can tell, and I am going to be providing some tips and tricks to avoid some common mistakes when it comes to fitness in the new year.

 So first off, happy new year. This is our new year's podcast. I first want to start by saying that I'm so thankful for all of you who have supported us as we launched this podcast just a few weeks ago. Those of you who have listened and watched to the episodes that we already have up and have subscribed and have shared and commented.

Thank you so much. We're so excited about what we have coming up in 2025. We have new guests that are on the schedule. I'll be doing [00:01:00] more with Vivian, who is our body fit registered dietitian nutritionist. If you're in the body fit athletic club, you get a lot of her over there, but we wanted to share her with everybody.

So she always has great advice. Really good at educating and informing on things. Nutrition and things that can be confusing, especially this time of year. So as well as Vivian, we have other people coming up and we also want to hear from you. So if there is someone or something that you would like to see on the be where you are today, podcast, please let us know.

You can leave us a message in the comments. All right, so let's dive right into it. So we're trying to keep all of these short, but it's the new year. And let's be honest, this is the time that we all get bombarded with marketing and messages and advertising, and much of it is in the fitness and nutrition space, because , this is a time that many of us Make New Year's resolutions around fitness or nutrition.

It's also a time that [00:02:00] maybe we have indulged and enjoyed a lot of delicious food and drink and maybe got more rest than workouts during the holiday season, which you know, I will tell you that is perfectly fine. But we're often thinking about nutrition and fitness and the things that maybe we're lacking towards the end of the year because of scheduling or otherwise.

And It's also a time that a lot of people feel like it's a fresh start. I actually love that about the new year. I've always said this, even as someone who has worked in the fitness industry for almost 20 years and the new year's rush, especially when I worked in the gym settings, 

it was crazy, right? It was such a busy time. So many people joining the gyms coming to classes. Everything was full, but I personally loved it. I worked with a lot of other people who didn't enjoy it because they thought it was too busy. It was too crazy, and they thought these people weren't serious.

But I loved the energy of it. I loved just the excitement that people had around moving [00:03:00] their bodies in January, and I love the new year just because it does feel like a fresh start. It does feel like a time of renewal and a time to really be thinking about what the future holds for all of us. So that's great.

But it's also a time that we get hit with all of the marketing and all of the advertising telling us that we are not enough, right? That we need to be smaller, that we need to take up less space, that we need a new you, that we need to change things, that we need to get your body back. All those phrases I hate, right?

So my first tip for how to avoid fitness mistakes in the new year is And my most important, I was going to save it toward the end, but I thought I would just open with this. The first thing is I want you to remember that you are enough and don't let anyone or anything tell you otherwise. I know that seems simple and maybe it seems a little cliche, but this is the time of year that you're going to get that [00:04:00] messaging and listen, I've worked in it.

That messaging is designed to make you feel like you're not enough or that you are lacking or that you need to change. And listen, there is nothing wrong with wanting to make changes in your life. There is nothing wrong even with wanting to make changes in your body. As we always say here at BodyFit by Amy, we believe in body autonomy and making changes is a part of that.

And yes, that can include fat loss or weight loss, but often the messaging around that wants to lead us to believe that we are not enough, that we need a new you, we need to fix or change things. And I just want you to remember during this time that you are enough. You are already strong. You are already capable.

And if you want to make changes or improve or get stronger or change things. in any area of your life. That is okay, but you don't need a new you. You are not broken. So please try to remember that. That is something we talk about all the time at Body Fit by Amy. [00:05:00] I talk about that in my videos. Vivian and I talk about it over in the Body Fit Athletic Club.

But this is a time that whether you think you're susceptible to that or not, I'm one of those people that thinks, Oh, I don't believe that I know better. But the messaging is out there. People are trying to sell you things. People are trying to get you to buy their programs or their supplements or whatever it may be.

And they're going to try to do that by making you think that your life or you are lacking or that you're not enough or that you need to change. So in the midst of all of that, remember that you are enough, you are strong, you are capable, and you are here. Next, also very important, beware of all or nothing thinking.

I know, again, this is another one that we say, oh, I don't do that, but it is so common, especially in fitness, but in nutrition and a lot of things. And it is so common this time of year. Again, we come in excited. We're ready to do this. We're excited about the program that we might be starting. Maybe it's [00:06:00] BodyFit by Amy.

Maybe it's something else. Maybe it's another change that you're making or something that you're starting in the new year. And that excitement is great. But often we're so excited that we really go for it. And maybe the schedule is unrealistic for us. Maybe whatever we're jumping into is not at the right level for us.

And what tends to happen when we get into that all or nothing mindset? is it rarely results in all because that's really not realistic. It's really not sustainable or maybe your definition of all depends on how you define all. And sometimes it results in nothing. Maybe you get burnout, you start out strong, but it's too much and you're really tired or you're newer to exercise and you start something and maybe it's a little too intense or you're going a little too heavy or you're doing a little too much and you're overly sore or you get an injury from doing too much too fast or you're not getting enough rest and your body really feels it and you start to really dread those [00:07:00] workouts or dread whatever program it is you're doing.

And then you often feel like, Oh if I can't do it in the way it's supposed to be, if I can't go all out, if I can't do every single day or every single marker of this checklist that I've made for myself or this program says I have to, then I'm just failing and I'm not going to do it at all. How many of you have experienced that?

I hope that you'll let me know in the comments because I know often Vivian and I both say in the bodyfit athletic club that we are recovering all or nothing thinkers and maybe you are too. But we've been there right where you miss a day or you miss a workout or you miss insert whatever it is. And then you think, Oh I guess I fell off the wagon.

Listen, You're not off the wagon. We're never off the wagon. We're just on a track, right? And sometimes there's gonna be curves and sometimes it's gonna be messy and some days it's gonna little get be a little bit different. But that does not mean that you have to stop or that you have failed. So just be aware [00:08:00] as you go in with the excitement, with that enthusiasm, with that renewed energy, which again I love.

Remember, that we want it to be appropriate for you and your goals. So maybe you have a big goal of exercising five days a week, but getting into it, it's not really built into your schedule yet. Maybe we want to start with three or maybe you have a goal of doing 45 minute workouts or 30 minute workouts.

But in order to just build the schedule, build the habit, We want to start with 15 or 20 minute workouts, whatever it is for you, make sure that it's realistic for you, for your schedule, for your routine, for your lifestyle, for your level, and make sure that it's sustainable. And if it's not, don't be afraid to adjust.

Maybe you think that it is, and you start out and you realize that's just not going to work for me. It's I'm going to be late for work, or it's not going to work with my schedule, with my family. You can always adjust. So be aware of all or nothing thinking. Make [00:09:00] adjustments as needed. And if you start out with that, Oh, I'm going to do it and something changes or something is not right.

Let's adjust. And it does not mean that you have failed or that you need to stop. Remember that. Also a very important one. This next one. One of my pet peeves. Don't just follow random advice of people on the internet. Okay. We live in this glorious. technology age where we have so much at our fingertips.

And you may have heard me say before that I love it and I hate it, right? I have a love and hate relationship with social media. I love this. I love the ways that I can connect with so many of you. All around the world, all around the country. I love that connection. It brings when we don't have to be in the same room or even on the same continent in the same time zone.

I love that. You can get a lot of information that I can provide free workouts. And low cost programming [00:10:00] for so many of you who maybe don't have it accessible in other ways. I love so many things about it. But what I don't love is I don't love that anybody can do that. And maybe they're not qualified. So Don't just listen to anyone and know the credentials of who you are listening to or who you are following just because someone is in really good shape or they're posting all about their workouts or their meals just because they look a certain way or seem to have a certain lifestyle that does not mean that they are qualified to be giving fitness or nutrition advice or medical advice.

The list goes on because they are all over. Instagram and Tiktok and YouTube and all of the places that you can find information. So that's not to say don't follow people or don't be inspired by people. But if someone is giving advice that maybe they're not qualified for, Make sure that you take it [00:11:00] all with a grain of salt, or maybe you seek out someone who is qualified.

That is why it was so important to me, even though I have, again, almost 20 years of experience working as a certified personal trainer, as a certified fitness instructor. I have a master's degree in exercise science. I've been doing this a long time. I've worked with tons of people. That does not mean I know it all.

So I'm always learning. Most recently, getting my menopause certification years ago when I did my pre and post natal and always trying to stay on top of things because science, if science is always changing. So the people you should follow should be the ones that are acknowledging that things do change and we adjust as we learn more and as research change and as we look at evidence.

That's also why I felt so strongly about bringing Vivian into the body fit athletic club and onto the body fit by Amy team. We love her. She's amazing. She does. She wears so many hats for our team, but she also is a qualified nutrition professional. I have tons of [00:12:00] nutrition background based on what I've done and also 

during grad school, taking sports nutrition, things like that. But that doesn't make me a dietitian. So that's why I wanted to bring her on. So listen to the qualified professionals. Make sure you know who you're listening to. Make sure that they are credentialed or they have experience in education and also that they align with what you want.

And also, as long as we're talking about it, when it comes to social media, if someone you're following is making you feel bad about yourself. Unfollow that person, right? You don't need that negativity. There are so many amazing resources again out there, but make sure that it is helpful for you. Make sure that the people that you may be learning from or taking advice from or getting tips from are qualified and make sure that it is bringing you joy or empowering you whether rather than bringing you down.

And if someone promises you the quick fix or the hack or the secret that no one's telling you. run, [00:13:00] right? Or at least be suspicious. I know a lot of times myself included, we will put language in just to get you to click because we want to. We want your ears to tell you something. But listen, there are no quick fixes.

There are no hacks or secrets that no one's telling you. But there are a lot of us out there trying to provide quality information, evidence based information and to really help others. But when we do it, we're making sure that we are also learning from qualified professionals and watching things as they change.

When it comes to goal setting, all right, this is New Year's resolution time, right? This is the time that we all tend to make resolutions. I often encourage people not to think of them as a resolution and more of a goal or an intention, right? Of course, if we want to look at, when we've polled people, what the number one New Year's resolution is, I'm sure I don't have to tell you, you could probably guess, but it's almost always weight [00:14:00] loss.

In fact, it always is. But it ranks up there is the highest, the number one New Year's resolution. That's okay, but there are many different ways to approach it. But when it comes to resolutions or goals, don't just go with the one that you think you should do or the one that is top of mind, really think about it.

And my best piece of advice with that is to set goals and resolutions or intentions, whatever you want to call them that have nothing to do with what you look like or your size, right? It doesn't have to be lose weight or. go down a pant size or things like that. You can set in the same way we talk about non scale victories.

You can set non scale goals. So maybe your goal when it comes to fitness is consistency. Maybe it is to get X amount of workouts in a week or in a month or in a year. Many of the people in our body fit community will have a calendar where they're tracking by year, right? Or by month and then by [00:15:00] year.

So it's less about, oh, I have to get this much today or I have to get this much this week. It's looking at The entire year, the entire month. Am I active? And am I consistent? Consistency and workouts is a great goal again. I encourage you to start small and make sure it's realistic for you. So if it's not five days a week, maybe we start with three and work our way up to five.

So setting goals that are not about the scale, not about a size. Maybe it's also doing a certain number of push ups. Maybe it is going up in your weights, jumping from swinging a 20 pound kettlebell to a 30 pound, something like that. Setting realistic goals that are not about a size is so much more helpful in the long run because even though there may be certain metrics that we can go by as we track them, which can be very helpful.

If you've heard me say it before, maybe you haven't. I believe numbers can be helpful if they're serving you in a positive way. and not in a negative way, [00:16:00] right? But they're gonna be easier to hit. And I think we're more empowered when we think about those goals that are really about how we feel or about the schedule that we're creating or the habits that we're creating or something that we can accomplish that has nothing to do with What we look like or the size that we are, right?

So set those non scale goals or, even non number goals and just see how it goes. Start small, work your way up. I also always recommend setting a short term and a long term or just thinking about things both. What do I want to accomplish? In the next few weeks, the next few months and over the course of the year and then along with that, which probably should be its own separate tip, but we're just gonna include it with this.

Give yourself grace and allow yourself that flexibility again, like we talked about with that all or nothing thinking. You don't have to do every single day. And if you miss a day, it doesn't mean that you failed or you need to quit. Give yourself that [00:17:00] grace, especially when there are so many things that are beyond our control.

Doesn't mean you're lazy if you miss a day because you're sick. It doesn't mean that you're not committed if you don't finish a workout because you're just tired or you needed a little more sleep so you didn't have time. It doesn't mean that you're failing if you've got a really busy work week and you want to say, okay, I know I can't get much done in the next couple days, so I'm going to focus on work.

And then over the weekend, I'm really going to get some really good workouts in, right? There are many ways to do it. So give yourself that grace, give yourself that flexibility and think of how the grace or the flexibility that you would extend to someone that you care about, whether that is a family member, a partner, a co worker, a child, you wouldn't expect them to be perfect all the time.

Why do we put those expectations on ourselves? And last, and maybe this is the most important one, although I think they're all important. [00:18:00] Lastly, When it comes to your fitness resolutions, don't just focus on cardio, prioritize your strength. All right. Yes. As a trainer, I can tell you that we need all of it, right?

We need strength. We certainly need mobility, which we're talking a lot more about just in general in the fitness world, but certainly here at body fit by Amy. we need cardiovascular training, not necessarily because it burns all the calories like we were once led to believe, but because it is going to strengthen our heart and our lungs.

And we need that cardiovascular training for our body. And also it feels good. It's a nice break from the weights, all of the other things that can be communal. We can get outside, but when it comes to your workouts, especially if you are someone who we just talked about, who maybe can get three days a week in, or your schedule is a little different, prioritize your strength training.

The further I go in this industry, the more we learn from newer research. [00:19:00] Strength is everything. Skeletal muscle is now often called the organ of longevity. We know so much about the, not just how it's going to improve our lifespan, help us live longer, but our health span, how we feel during those years that we're living as we get up in age, right?

We're going to feel better. We're going to move better. We're going to have so many other health benefits, reduced risk for both chronic and any other disease that may come along in your lifetime, strength training and brain health has been a hot topic. We know that it has protective effects against Alzheimer's and dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases that we see.

So strength training is so important beyond the obvious. We want to be strong, or we want to look strong, right? It's okay if you want some definition, or you want to see your muscles, that kind of stuff. But, We know that we need it for so many other health reasons [00:20:00] beyond just what we look like. So prioritize your strength training.

And if you've done my workouts before, if you haven't, I encourage you to try them. There are so many completely free ones and free programs over on the YouTube channel. We are out. always talking about how we can get it all in. We like to keep the workout short. We're all busy. We don't have a ton of time.

You're going to actually feel that heart rate get up more over the cardio days, depending on what you're doing when you are challenging your muscles through strength training, right? It takes more energy to lift and move something heavy through space than it does just to do a jumping jack, right? And especially if you're challenging yourself with heavier weights, As you get stronger, as you progress, you're going to feel that all over.

So you can get cardio with strength again. I put cardio and mobility and other days on our weekly calendars. If you're following those, because we need that as well. And we need a break, but If you can make strength training the main priority, not to say those other things are not important, not [00:21:00] that we don't need them, but when it comes to how we feel, how we move, how our body responds with all the different health markers, strength training is really important.

If you have never been into strength training before, Good news. I have lots and lots of options for you, including our new program. The new free program that is launching on Monday, January 6th for free on YouTube. It is available for everybody. We are calling this strength your way. It is a four week guide to fitness for beginners and begin againers.

So maybe you're somebody who's been active in the past or you've done workouts in the past, but you need to get back into a regular routine. And really, it's very similar to when I've done in the past a back to basics program or back to basics workouts. We're keeping it simple, but you can do it. Make it strength your way.

So if you're not a beginner and you're going heavier, you can challenge yourself. I give you those [00:22:00] options, but it is specifically designed for this time of year when a lot of beginners are getting into exercise and begin again-ers. People who, again, maybe have had a regular workout routine, but got out of it for whatever reason.

Maybe it was pregnancy and kids. Maybe it was a new work schedule. Maybe it was just an injury or an illness, something that got you out of the routine. This new program is for you and I think you're going to like it. There's going to be a lot of options. There's going to be a lot that goes along with it.

So make sure that you're subscribed on the YouTube channel and that you're signed up for my emails. Those are all in the description. You can get everything you need to know. Also over in the body fit athletic club, we have a new challenge, a new focus groups were things that we started this past year in 2024.

They generally are around eight to 12 weeks. So they're a little bit longer. We are doing a focus group called Back to Human. Listen, as I just talked about, things can get very [00:23:00] complicated or seem very complicated when it comes to fitness and nutrition. Vivian is leading this focus group. I'll be helping her out, but she's going to talk a lot about the nutrition side and be showing you that, guess what, it doesn't have to be that complicated.

It doesn't have to be a million supplements and eight different types of water and things like that. 10 different types of fitness equipment. We can get back to just what does it mean to be human instead of eight different types of water? How about we just focus on hydration, right? How about we focus on just our regular movement patterns?

It's gonna be a fun challenge. And in the athletic club, we are running some specials for membership, so check those out below as well. But there's a lot more that goes along with that. Q and A's live streams. weekly video lessons and so much more as well as all of our regular nutrition content that you get over in the club.

So just to let you guys know everything that I'm talking about here, it's for everybody. I do have programs for you both on the free [00:24:00] side on YouTube as well as in our membership in the body fit athletic club. So many things that I hope will be helpful to you in the new year, not just helpful but also enjoyable.

That's the other thing we have to remember that fitness. should not be stressful. It should be relieving stress in your life, not adding stress. And if your current fitness routine or what you're maybe you're really into it, maybe you're trying to get into it. It's been tough. But if it is not, if it is causing more stress to your life, It is time to evaluate that and see what we can change.

All right, fitness should not be adding stress. Fitness should be relieving stress. So I have tons of things. We have tons of things here at BodyFit by Amy and in the BodyFit Athletic Club. But at the end of the day, finding what works for you, makes the difference. Being where you are today. That's why I wanted to title this podcast that is why we that I say that all the time in workouts and in life that it [00:25:00] doesn't have to be overly complicated and you not only have to challenge yourself and work in the ways towards the goals that you have towards the things that you may want to work on or improve, but you have to do it by being where you are today.

And that means showing up, moving your body and remembering that you are enough. Thank you so much for being here. Definitely. Let me know in the comments, if you relate to a lot of this, any questions you may have, and of course, what you would like to see on the be where you are today podcast in the year 2025.

I'm Amy reminding you to show up, keep moving and be where you are today.