Fitness Reset: Cork's Lynn O'Leary shares her top tips on where to begin

The best exercise routine you can have is one you enjoy and one you can keep up consistently.

That’s the advice of leading Cork fitness, performance and nutrition coach Lynn O’Leary, and she should know, having helped hundreds of people reach their health and fitness goals by taking a sustainable approach.

It’s the time of year when so many of us are either trying to re-establish an exercise regime, or perhaps begin one for the first time.

For lots, it can feel like the mountain is too big to climb.

First of all, Lynn stresses that it’s “so important to approach any healthy lifestyle with both compassion and action.”

“It was perfectly normal to be eating more, socialising more and prioritising family and friends over the holidays. That is not a negative thing, it’s a positive! Give yourself grace to feel a little ‘imbalanced’ but remember that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We can enjoy these times during the year and still fill our cup with a quick walk or a healthy breakfast to start the day!”

She doesn’t feel it’s helpful to have a mentality of all or nothing.

“Understand that, yes, you might miss the gym on a certain week or eat more, but you can still maintain habits that make you feel good like drinking your water, nabbing some fresh air, and including some colour on your plate,” she said.

Lynn helps people reach their health and fitness goals whether that be dropping some weight, running a marathon, or just elevating their day to day life through movement, a healthy diet and focusing on foundations like sleep and stress.

For those who want to make a start on a new fitness journey, but don’t know where to start, she has two bits of advice.

“Firstly, don’t underestimate the power of walking. It’s transformative for our health, hugely accessible and being outside is so good for our mental health. If it’s a work-out or the gym, don’t go it alone. Ask for some help. A friend who could show you the ropes, a local gym for a walk through or a trainer for a plan tailored to your ability! Having said that, 60% of my clients do work-outs at home with some dumbbells and kettlebells. If you’re intimidated by the environment, try building some confidence at home first.”

Consistency really is key, Lynn stresses.

“However, consistency over perfection is what’s really important. Remind yourself to ‘see the forest from the trees’. We all have a bad day or an unpredictable day where we have to miss a work-out or get caught up with family. Don’t beat yourself up, show up the next day and control the controllables.

“Can’t get your walk in? Have a really balanced dinner and drink your water. That day is still a success. Six months of two work-outs a week is far more effective than a couple of weeks with four work-outs!” she said.

Establishing your ‘why’ at the outset is also key, particularly for the days when we don’t feel like showing up.

“Remind yourself of your ‘why’, why do you want to move more? What will you gain from that? If I skip my work-out, how will I feel after? Tell yourself you can do anything difficult, even for one minute. So start, and I bet after that first minute you’ll keep going!

“And if you’re saying ‘I don’t have time to work-out’, try rephrasing that to ‘I am not prioritising working out’ – it hits differently. It’s blunt, but we all have 10 minutes where you’re probably scrolling on your phone. The power of an hour is greatly overestimated and the power of 10 minutes is greatly underestimated. Plan ahead, start small, you do have time.”

Lynn’s recipe book, Nourish with No Fuss, contains lots of ideas and inspiration. See nourishbylynnoleary.com

Lynn's top tips 

• Don’t dive too deep: You don’t need to start with five workouts a week if you were doing none at all, be realistic and aim for 2-3 x 30 minutes across the week.
• Nutrition by addition: Stop thinking about cutting things out and add things in. To each main meal, add a lean protein source and a fruit or vegetable. More volume equals more satisfaction.
• Get some accountability: without a plan or something holding you accountable, it’s difficult to stay driven on the days we don’t feel as motivated. That could be a friend or ‘goal buddy’, a fitness class, or a coach to support your journey and make sure you show up for yourself!