You know the moment. You catch yourself in the mirror or you’re winded walking up stairs and you think — how did I get here. Maybe it was a breakup, a desk job, a kid, an injury, or you just stopped caring for a while. Doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re reading this, which means some part of you wants to fix it.
Good. Here’s exactly what to do. No motivational speeches. No before-and-after Instagram garbage. Just the plan.
This is a 30-day reset. It won’t turn you into a fighter. But it will get you off the couch, moving every day, eating like a grown-up, and feeling like a different person by day 31. After that, you pick your path — the gym, a heavy bag, a sport, whatever. But first, you build the foundation.
Before Day 1: The Stuff You Need to Start Taking Yesterday
Most people walking around right now are deficient in things their body literally needs to function. You’re tired, your joints ache, you can’t focus, your sleep sucks — and you think it’s because you’re out of shape. Some of it is. But a lot of it is because you’re running on empty at the cellular level.
Start these now. Not next week. Now.
Vitamin D3 — If you work indoors, you’re almost certainly deficient. D3 affects your energy, your mood, your immune system, and your hormone levels. Take 5,000 IU daily with food. This alone will change how you feel within two weeks.
Magnesium — The most underrated supplement that exists. Most people don’t get enough from food. It helps with sleep, muscle recovery, stress, and cramping. Take magnesium glycinate (not oxide — that’s the cheap stuff that runs right through you) before bed. 400mg.
Omega-3 Fish Oil — Reduces inflammation, supports heart health, helps your joints. If you’re carrying extra weight and your knees or back hurt, this matters. 2-3 grams daily.
Sea Salt — Not table salt. Real sea salt or Himalayan pink salt. Add it to your water, especially in the morning and before workouts. You need electrolytes. Most people are chronically dehydrated and don’t realize it. A pinch of sea salt in your water first thing in the morning will change your energy levels.
Amino Acids — EAAs or BCAAs. These support muscle recovery and help preserve muscle when you’re in a calorie deficit. Take them during or after any workout. If you’re just getting back into moving your body, aminos will reduce the soreness that makes most people quit after day 3.
Protein — You probably aren’t eating enough. Aim for 1 gram per pound of your goal body weight. If you can’t hit that through food alone — and most people can’t — add a protein shake. Whey if your stomach handles it, plant-based if it doesn’t. One shake a day fills the gap.
Creatine — The most studied supplement in fitness history. It works. 5 grams daily, every day, no loading phase needed. It helps with strength, recovery, and even cognitive function. There is no reason not to take it.
That’s it. D3, magnesium, omega-3, sea salt, aminos, protein, creatine. This isn’t a stack some influencer is selling you. This is baseline maintenance for a body that wants to perform. Start now and let them build in your system while you begin moving.
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Week 1: Just Move
You’re not going to the gym yet. You’re not buying equipment. You’re building one habit — moving your body every single day.
Walk. That’s it. 30 minutes minimum, every day. Morning is best. Get outside, no headphones for the first 10 minutes, let your brain wake up. If you can’t do 30 minutes without stopping, you really need this.
Walking is the most underrated form of exercise on the planet. It burns fat without spiking cortisol, it’s easy on your joints, it clears your head, and it builds the daily discipline you’re going to need for the next three weeks.
Clean up your diet — but keep it simple. No meal plans. No counting macros yet. Just follow three rules this week:
- Stop drinking your calories. Water, black coffee, tea. That’s it. No soda, no juice, no alcohol this month.
- Eat actual food. If it comes in a bag or a box with 30 ingredients, put it down. Meat, eggs, rice, vegetables, fruit. Keep it basic.
- Stop eating after 8pm.
That’s Week 1. Walk daily. Eat clean. Take your supplements. Sleep 7-8 hours. You will already feel different by day 7.
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Week 2: Bodyweight Work
You’re moving every day now. Time to add resistance — but you don’t need a gym and you don’t need weights. Your body is the weight.
The Daily 20 — Do this every morning. Takes 20 minutes.
- Push-ups: 3 sets of as many as you can do. If that’s 5, it’s 5. No shame.
- Squats: 3 sets of 15. Bodyweight, full depth.
- Planks: 3 sets, hold as long as you can.
- Lunges: 3 sets of 10 each leg.
- Burpees: 3 sets of 5. Yes they suck. Do them anyway.
Rest 60 seconds between sets. That’s it.
Still walking every day on top of this. The walk is non-negotiable for the full 30 days.
This week, start paying attention to protein. You should be hitting that 1 gram per pound target. Add your shake if you’re falling short. Your body is now doing work and it needs fuel to recover.
If you’re sore — good. Take your aminos. Drink your water with sea salt. Stretch at night. Don’t skip a day because you’re sore. Show up anyway and do less if you have to.
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Week 3: Add the Heat
Two weeks in. You’re walking, you’re doing bodyweight work, your diet is cleaner, your supplements are building up. You have momentum. Now we add intensity.
Pick one of these paths based on what you have access to:
Path A — You have a heavy bag. Start hitting it. Three rounds, three minutes each, one minute rest between rounds. Don’t worry about technique yet. Just throw hands, move your feet, keep your hands up. The heavy bag is the single best piece of fitness equipment that exists — it builds cardio, burns calories, strengthens your core, and lets you take your stress out on something that can handle it.
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Path B — No heavy bag. Shadow box. Stand in your living room, your garage, wherever. Put three minutes on a timer. Move your feet, throw jabs, throw hooks, keep moving. Rest one minute. Repeat three times. You will be drenched in sweat. Shadow boxing is a full-body workout and you need zero equipment.
The No-Equipment Boxing Workout You Can Do Anywhere
Path C — You want the gym. This is the week you walk in. Start with a simple push/pull/legs split three days a week. Don’t ego lift. Don’t follow some advanced program you found online. Light weights, learn the movements, build the habit of showing up.
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Your schedule this week:
- Walk every day (still non-negotiable)
- Bodyweight work 3 days
- Heavy bag, shadow boxing, or gym 3 days
- One full rest day
You’re now training 6 days a week. Your body is adapting. Your sleep is better. Your energy is up. The supplements are doing their job in the background.
Week 4: Lock It In
This is where most people fall off. The excitement of starting wears off and discipline has to take over. Here’s what separates the people who actually change from the ones who do this every January and quit by February.
Build the routine you’re going to keep. The first three weeks were about building habits and getting your body ready. Week 4 is about designing the life you’re going to live going forward.
Pick your training split. Here’s a simple one that works:
- Monday: Gym or bodyweight strength work
- Tuesday: Heavy bag or shadow boxing
- Wednesday: Gym or bodyweight strength work
- Thursday: Heavy bag or shadow boxing
- Friday: Gym or bodyweight strength work
- Saturday: Long walk, hike, or active recovery
- Sunday: Rest
Keep your supplements locked in. By now they’re part of your morning routine. D3, omega-3, and creatine in the morning. Aminos during workouts. Magnesium before bed. Protein shake when you need it. Sea salt in your water.
Start tracking something. Your weight, your push-up count, your waistline — pick one metric and watch it move. Progress is the best motivator there is.
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What Comes Next
You just did something most people talk about and never do. You moved every day for 30 days. You cleaned up how you eat. You gave your body the basic nutrients it’s been starving for. And you built a training routine you can actually sustain.
From here, it’s about going deeper in whatever direction pulled you in:
Got hooked on the heavy bag? Good. There’s a reason fighters have the best physiques in sports. The bag doesn’t lie and it doesn’t care about your excuses.
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Want to explore combat sports? Boxing, jiu jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling — they’ll all get you in shape and teach you something about yourself that a treadmill never will.
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The hardest part is already behind you. You started. Now don’t stop.
