Looking to get into exercise but don’t know where to start? That’s understandable! In today’s world of Instagram fitness gurus, ever-changing workout fads, and expensive new gyms, it can be quite challenging to know where you should start when it comes to starting out for the first time. The most essential aspect to keep in mind is that fitness comes with time. Don’t expect to be an expert after a couple of sessions and don’t feel bad about not seeing progress straight away – learn to love the experience of exercise and let the physical improvements come with time!
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Any Exercise is Good Exercise
When you are starting out, the biggest hurdle can often be deciding what kind of exercise to do. There are so many diverse kinds of exercise nowadays, from spin classes, HIIT workouts, and Pilates, to yoga, jogging, and weight training. If you are a newbie you have the opportunity to try out what might work for you, so do not get caught up in trying to pick one thing that you are going to stick to and instead, try out a variety of options to see what you like. Any movement is good! Over time you will learn what you like and then you can start to build a program that works for you.
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Too Much, Or Too Little?
It is usually recommended that you do about 30 minutes of exercise a day. However, this exercise can vary from walking to a full cardio session. As an exercise newbie you may want to begin with 30 minutes of exercise two to three times a week, such as a jog, HIIT session, or yoga class – and keep the other days simple with a brisk walk. Over time you will be able to do more intense workouts more often but remember that any movement is better than no movement! In terms of doing too much, as a beginner, you do not want to overdo it. Rest days are important, even for professional athletes, and working out too often and not giving your muscles time to repair will damage your progress overall.
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Develop Habits
Starting slow and building up to more intense workouts might seem counterintuitive if you are looking for quick results, but in the long term pushing yourself to work out for an hour five days a week will lead to injury and burnout. What you are aiming to do is build the habit of exercising regularly and putting together a program that you can actually follow consistently for a long time. By working slow and steady, you will develop a healthy relationship to exercise, which in the long run will help you to maintain your routine for longer.
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Find Motivation
Motivation to exercise will mean different things to different people. Once you find your motivation, it will be easier to keep going and keep improving. Try exercising with a friend, so that you can work together to build healthy habits (and they can help get you out of bed when you are feeling unmotivated!). Or try setting realistic and dynamic goals that are not based on weight – for example, try aiming for an extra five reps and then when you achieve that, push for ten!
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Take Care of Yourself
This is the most essential thing to remember to do when starting a regular exercise programme. Make sure to drink enough water, don’t skip the warm-up or the cool down, and take rest days if you are feeling too sore or uncomfortable. If you feel bad, you will associate that feeling with exercise and this will stop you from enjoying your workouts! Lastly, remember that taking care of yourself does not just involve your physical health – your mental health is just as important! While exercise boosts endorphins and can help you to feel better on a bad day, when you are new to exercise and you are not seeing the results that you want, it can be hard to stay happy. Make sure to celebrate all of your successes, no matter how small. Whether its five push-ups instead of four, a few seconds improvement on your running time, or a small improvement to your form – you made that happen and it is worth celebrating!
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
If you’re an exercise newbie, then you may want to hire a personal trainer to help you get on the right track. Better yet, why don’t you study our Personal Training Diploma to see how it’s done! Follow this link to read more.
