The other week I joined the Power Mac #NoExcuses contest and was challenged to share a 3-minute video of my fitness journey. They had a mini awarding over the weekend, and I’m glad to have been chosen as one of the winners and got to win some really amazing prizes. To see more of the entries of the contest, you can watch them here.

Shot during training at Focus Athletics with my strength and mobility coach, Jaako Bernardo.

To those who still need a little push or are thinking of ways to start getting fit, here are some tips that will get you to make time to workout (or get anything you’ve ever thought of doing, done).

Be a doer

So many people nowadays like to share that they worked out more than (consistently) do the workout itself. It’s always okay to share (I always do), but don’t get too caught up in it. Truth is, there’s always a sense of satisfaction in being able to share that you worked out. But make the routine a priority, not the announcement. If your workout isn’t as intense as what you see others posting, don’t be ashamed of it. Did a one hour walk around your village? Be proud, and be consistent. Once you get the momentum going, you’ll find yourself doing more and more as you go.

Organize yourself

“I have no time” is BS. That either means it’s not a priority or you need to organize yourself. I found that organizing myself in the smallest ways and in all aspects of my life–my room, my mind, my calendar, my closet, the way I label things–helps me get my life together as a whole. It’s a constant effort to do so. And once you get on that track, you’ll realize that you have time. And 30 minutes of exercise (even just walking around the village) in a day counts.

Ask for help

I was going to a country club gym for more than ten years. When my membership expired, I had to move to another gym, and the thought of a new gym kind of made me feel uneasy. It’s normal. Even if you’ve been gyming your whole life, starting out in a new gym still gives you a bit of anxiety because people, behaviors and machines are different. So if you’re starting out and you get that feeling of anxiety, don’t worry. People who have been gyming majority of their lives feel it too. Just walk up to a gym instructor and ask for help.

Find what works for you and get moving

When I say workout, it doesn’t necessarily mean in a gym. Just get moving and get physical. Your body needs it. Do stretches, move the different joints in your body. When you don’t use particular parts of your body, they get brittle and stop functioning over time. So whether it’s in the gym, on the field, in a court, or on the street–just get moving.

Give yourself room to grow

Don’t punish yourself for not showing results as fast as others. Just. keep. going.

Eat better 

You don’t necessarily need to subscribe to a diet plan. You don’t need to starve yourself. You also don’t need to turn vegetarian/vegan. These are good ways to eat better, but not the only ways. Stop eating junk, learn about the benefits of different types of food, and take in more of the good stuff. You can still have a slice of cake or pizza once in a while. It’s totally fine. But have enough self control to limit it to, really, once in a while.

When they awarded the winners of the #NoExcuses contest, they asked each winner to say something. This is the bit that I shared (although not verbatim):

“When I joined the contest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to win. I’m not fit, and you’d expect the winner of this type of contest to be sexy and have abs, or have an intense transformation. But I won (with no abs and barely any muscles to show), and I’m glad that somehow I was recognized for the different type of fitness journey I’m in. So with all your personal journeys, if you don’t see results as fast as others or you’re not losing weight or getting close to your ideal self in X amount of days, don’t get frustrated, just keep on going, cause the fitness journey is really different for everyone.”