It’s a new year and your motivation is high. You want to get healthy and be in the best shape of your life. It’s time to make a concrete plan that will get you to your goals and keep you on track. But when it comes to figuring out a fitness plan best suited to you, who can you trust to give you the best fitness advice?

Modern Mississauga wants to make your life easier. We asked Mississauga’s top 5 fitness experts for their most valuable tips to get you in your best shape this year, starting with our Lead Fitness Writer, Alicia Jones.

Alicia Jones’s insatiable energy and persistent dedication have helped the Mississauga community get fit for the past 10 years.  With a specialized honours degree in Kinesiology, she is the founder and fitness trainer of the in-home fitness company Destination Fit, which specializes in working with women in unconventional environments of their choice such as their home or office. She’s a passionate health/fitness writer featured in local and national publications and she’s also a local health personality regularly appearing on Rogers TV and speaking at events across the GTA. Her informative blog posts and unique articles inspire the everyday person who struggles to find time, motivation or desire to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

Alicia Says: “Approximately 85% of the Canadian population aren’t meeting the recommended physical activity requirements and it’s drastically changing our quality of life. My mission is to help people get active. That involves creativity and thinking outside of the norm. We’re all different and we all have a unique formula to get us fit.”

Alicia’s most valuable fitness tips revolve around one very important fitness principle:

There’s no such thing as one size fits all. She jokes, “That doesn’t work for pantyhose and it doesn’t work for people.” Your exercise program should be as unique as you are. The only way to find what works is to get truly connected with you.

1. Logging is key: No matter how tedious you think it is, you have to log your food and fitness activity. At least for the first 6 weeks.  You begin to hold yourself accountable for your actions.  You get insight into foods that may cause irritation and weight gain.  You see whether you’re as active as you originally believed.
2. Find your internal “why”: If you’re losing weight for a wedding or to look good on the beach, that’s great, but those are superficial factors that disappear.  The more personal your weight loss goals, the better. The goals should signify a deep meaning that is personal to you. If you’re doing it because you feel so happy when you have the energy to play with your kids, or you feel more accomplished because you can move from task to task with ease, then you’re more likely to stick with your goals even after big events come and go. 

Keep an eye out for more tips throughout the week from the rest of our fitness experts at Modern Mississauga!