Regular exercise does wonders for your health. However, starting and maintaining a fitness program can feel overwhelming and takes a lot of determination and discipline. Luckily, you can begin seeing and feeling the benefits of consistent physical activity on your body and wellbeing immediately. If you’re looking to start a fitness regime, we’ve got some helpful tips.
Regular exercise improves your physical, mental, and even emotional wellness significantly. Some of its primary benefits include:
- It helps you achieve and maintain healthy body weight
- Increases your muscle mass
- Reduces your risk for chronic diseases
- Lifts your mood
- Boosts your mental health
- It enables you to sleep better
In short, regular exercise is powerful and helps improve your life.
How to Get Started
Consider the following before starting a new workout regimen.
- Check Your Health
Consult your healthcare provider when starting an exercise routine. Early checkups can detect health issues, help you optimize your workouts and understand your limitations, and create a tailored exercise plan.
- Make a plan and Set Realistic Fitness Goals
Create a plan with attainable steps and goals. Start with easy exercises and continue building from there. Setting small achievable goals increases your chances of success and keeps you motivated along the way.
There are numerous types of exercises you can do, including:
- Aerobics: All workout programs should include continuous movement like dancing, swimming, and running.
- Strength training: These exercises help increase your strength and muscle power. Examples include weightlifting, resistance training, sprinting, and plyometrics.
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT): Characterized by repeated bouts of high-intensity effort exercise followed by various recovery times or low-intensity exercises.
- Balance and stability: These are exercises designed to strengthen your muscle and improve body coordination. Examples are Pilates, core-strengthening training, and tai chi.
- Flexibility: These exercises help muscle recovery, prevent injuries, and maintain range of motion. Examples include yoga and individual muscle-stretch movements.
- Calisthenics: Moves performed without gym equipment, targeting large muscle groups. Examples include pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and lunges.
- Boot camps: Refers to time-based, high-intensity circuits combining different aerobics and resistance exercises.
- Make it a Habit
Sticking to your workout routine is another essential component of exercise. The best way to maintain your exercise routine is by making it a habit and doing it regularly. Making a plan and sticking to it requires discipline, so it’s best to plan around your daily schedule. For example, you could opt to work out first thing in the morning or immediately after work.
A Few Fitness Tips for Beginners
Getting started with a new workout regimen is challenging. Below are some tips to help you begin your journey.
- Stay hydrated by drinking water before, during, and after each session
- Optimize your nutrition by consuming a balanced diet to fuel your muscles before workouts, help sustain your energy levels, replenish your glycogen stores, and improve muscle recovery during your rest period
- Always warm up before your sessions to prevent injury and mobilize the areas you plan to work out.
- Cool down and stretch after your workout to restore your breathing patterns and reduce muscle soreness
- Listen to your body and be mindful of your limits. Pain, discomfort, nausea, and lightheadedness are signs you should stop and rest before continuing
- Be consistent by sticking to your program and avoiding frequent starts and stops
- Pace yourself and avoid doing too much too soon
- Train with a friend or gym partner to keep you motivated during the workout and reduce your chances of skipping sessions
- Try new exercises to keep things interesting, prevent boredom, and avoid plateauing
The Bottom Line
Starting and maintaining a new exercise routine is challenging, but setting realistic goals can help keep you on track in the long run. The key is to start slowly and build up your fitness level and have plenty of rest to prevent injuries. Finally, keep track of your progress and never give up.
The Amarillo Town Club is a leading fitness center in Amarillo, TX. We provide affordable and customizable programs to inspire healthy lifestyles. Whether you want to train with a trainer, take a group fitness class, lift some weights, or hit the pool, we’ve got something for everyone. Contact us today.
