If you’ve decided it’s time to figure out how to start exercising for beginners, you’re already one step closer to improving your health and well-being. The exercise involves physical activity that puts your muscle groups to work.
Regular exercise has proven to offer numerous health benefits – it may even help you live a longer life!
This guide will cover everything you need to know to get started on leading a more active life. Keep reading to find out how to set a fitness routine and stay committed to it.
Why Do We Need Exercise?
Exercise benefits everyone, irrespective of gender, age, or physical ability. Are you worried about heart disease or preventing high blood pressure?
Regular exercise boosts blood flow, and as a result, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease reduces significantly.
If you still require more convincing, getting active can also help you manage and prevent several other health conditions. These include stroke, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, depression, anxiety, and certain types of cancer.
Furthermore, research shows that people who start exercising experience improved quality of life. Aerobic exercise improves mental health and encourages better sleep patterns.
However, that’s not all. Maintaining a workout routine also improves energy levels, encourages healthy weight loss, and increases muscle mass.
Additionally, studies also revealed that exercise strengthens the immune system. Consistently exercising can do wonders for your wellness!
Overcoming Hurdles to Get Started
You’re not alone if you’re unsure about how to start exercising for beginners or sticking to a workout plan. We have already discussed how beneficial exercise is for your mental and physical health.
However, most of us struggle to break free from old, sedentary habits despite best efforts.
Making exercise a part of your everyday life takes more than just willpower. The key to success is to approach how to start exercising for beginners with the correct mindset, intention, and strategy.
Perhaps your self-esteem or mental health barriers are holding you back. We, at some point in our lives, feel the motivation quickly fading away. But there are certain precautions you can take to make getting active more fun.
Slow Progress is Better Than No Progress
It’s important to remember that even a little exercise is better than none at all. Adding just a few minutes of physical activity to your routine will help you feel the benefits.
Don’t force yourself to engage in painful exercises or spend countless hours at the gym. Instead, set realistic goals and focus on consistently improving your fitness level.
Also, remember to be kind to yourself. Rather than focusing on your lack of motivation or your present fitness level, look for growth opportunities. The physical changes will take longer.
However, you can expect instant improvements in your energy levels and mood.
Common Excuses and Solutions
Exercise can be challenging due to practical reasons such as health conditions or a hectic schedule. Nonetheless, it’s not difficult to develop various excuses for not exercising. Here are some of the most common reasons and how to overcome them:
Too Tired or Busy
Contrary to popular belief, in the long run, physical activity lowers exhaustion and increases energy levels. Regular exercise will leave you feeling energized, rejuvenated, and more aware.
However, it is up to you to make exercise a priority. Even if you are busy, finding free time in your day for important tasks isn’t impossible.
A good workout doesn’t require several hours. Short bursts of activity varying from five to fifteen minutes across your day can be pretty helpful.
On the contrary, if you are busy during the week, you can opt for weekend workout programs instead. You can also incorporate exercise time into activities with your kids if you are a parent. Begin with low-intensity workouts and find an exercise partner to keep you motivated!
“It’s Boring”
Finding a regimen that fits your fitness level and interests is the key to overcoming boredom. If breaking a sweat in the gym or running on a treadmill isn’t your idea of fun, you can try activities like yoga, swimming, or even dancing.
Another way to make things engaging is to combine exercise with something you enjoy doing. For example, you could take a serene stroll through a park or walk laps around a mall while window shopping.
It’s crucial to switch things up once in a while to avoid falling into a rut. Aside from switching up the type of exercise, experiment with the intensity of your workouts.
Incorporating high-intensity or interval training also boosts fat burn, making your workouts more effective.
Self-Esteem
It’s never too late to start working on increasing your strength and physical fitness. However, it can be unfamiliar when thinking about how to start exercising for beginners.
Therefore, it’s natural for you to want to avoid it. In addition, feelings of being overweight, elderly, or looking ridiculous in workout clothing can be unsettling.
Remember, age, health, or weight concerns do not restrict exercise. Begin small, but start somewhere.
Try swimming or cycling if training is too hard on your bones and joints. If you feel self-conscious, you can try walking with friends or working out in the privacy of your home.
Personal trainers and comfortable clothing are also effective ways to motivate yourself.
Aches and Pains
While sore muscles are normal when starting a new regimen or increasing the intensity of your fitness program, exercising should not hurt. You don’t have to push yourself to the extent of body aches to obtain results.
Simple activities like gardening, cleaning the house, or even walking can build strength and fitness.
It’s crucial to stretch and warm up your muscles before moving on to how to start exercising for beginners. Rushing into a workout without warming up can leave you in discomfort and pain.
Warmed-up muscles also improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury during exercise.
Gyms Are Too Expensive
Gym membership costs vary widely, but most people never end up using their subscription. So instead of committing to hefty memberships, you can consider more cost-effective alternatives.
Some options include buying gym equipment to use at home or exercising outdoors instead. There are also a plethora of free or affordable tutorials available online.
Exercising does not have to be expensive at all. It’s all just about getting creative with what you have available.
How much exercise?
When it comes to how to start exercising for beginners, every minute counts, and anything is better than nothing. A quick walk or even a few minutes of activity is better than being a couch potato.
Health professionals recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week.
While this recommendation may sound like a lot, you can split the time to fit your schedule. If you can’t find 30 minutes to exercise 5 days a week, you can further break it into smaller workouts.
For example, two quick 15 minute workouts are just as effective as working out 30 minutes in a go. Consistency is crucial! Mix daily chores, sports, and strength training for best results.
Stretching every day is also very beneficial as it improves posture, increases flexibility, and reduces body aches.
How Intense Should Your Workout Be?
You don’t always have to engage in high-intensity exercises for progress. If you are wondering how to start exercising for beginners, the first step is to include easy, moderate, and high-intensity activities in your fitness plan.
Low-intensity or easy exercises raise your heart rate, but not to the extent that you are gasping for air. Some of your daily chores and activities fall under easy exercises, such as walking your dog or walking to the grocery store.
On the other hand, moderate-intensity exercises allow you to burn calories regularly for extended periods.
Moderate workouts improve heart health, stamina, and endurance while posing a lower risk of injury than high-intensity activities. Challenging exercises such as high-intensity interval training are not suitable every day.
While high-intensity activities are the most effective way to burn fat, these workouts are challenging.
As a result, your body will need more time to recover between workouts and in the days that follow. If you want to stay active, combining these exercises will help burn more calories long-term.
Depending on your goals, create a plan with regular rest days and a variety of activities to keep you challenged.
Common Exercise Types
We tend to limit ourselves to only one or two types of activities. But, there are a variety of exercises you can choose from. Some of these include:
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic activities focus on raising your heart and breathing rate. It strengthens your heart and lungs while also increasing endurance. Aerobic exercise also lowers blood pressure and sugar levels, improving mood and reducing inflammation. It is very beneficial to almost all bodily systems.
Continuous movement, such as aerobic regimes, is crucial when planning how to start exercising for beginners. Examples include brisk walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, and swimming.
Strength Training
Strength training helps build back muscle mass that we lose as we age. Regular strength training will make you feel physically stronger and more confident.
It will also make daily tasks like moving heavy objects or carrying groceries much more manageable. Strengthening muscles also stimulates weight control, better posture, and bone growth.
Strength training uses resistance and weight to build muscle mass. Common examples include resistance exercises with a band or a weight.
Bodyweight or calisthenic exercises like squats and lunges also ensure adequate training of your muscle groups. You can do these at-home workouts for beginners without any equipment.
Balance and Flexibility
Balance, flexibility, and mobility are essential aspects of a well-balanced workout plan. However, these exercises are underrated.
Exercises that focus on improving flexibility increase mobility while lowering joint stress and the risk of injury. The fact is exercises like stretching promote healing while improving fitness levels.
The next time you have an injured muscle, stretch it to encourage blood flow to your muscles.
Other benefits of improving balance and flexibility include relieving stress and pain, resulting in better performance. Examples include yoga, pilates, tai chi, and core-strengthening exercises.
These exercises are known to improve body coordination too.
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) or Boot Camps
HIIT workouts are usually alternated with low-intensity recovery periods for one of the most time-efficient ways to exercise. Similarly, boot camps use a combination of high-intensity circuits that combine resistance and aerobic exercises for a full-body workout.
Intense workouts also boost your metabolism. This accounts for the extra calories burnt during HIIT sessions or boot camps.
Some health benefits include reduced body fat, blood pressure, and heart rate. If you’re short on time and are wondering how to start exercising for beginners, consider signing up for a HIIT class or boot camp.
Getting Started
Before commencing your fitness journey, there are a few things you should carefully consider. These involve evaluating your health and defining goals for you to work towards, all while staying safe.
Assess Your Health
Before moving on to how to start exercising for beginners, consult a health professional. This is crucial if you are new to exercising, have any underlying health conditions, or are pregnant.
A physical health assessment can help optimize your workout since you can understand your limitations better.
Most fitness tests focus on aerobic fitness, muscle endurance and strength, flexibility, and body composition. Sometimes balance, mobility, and stability are also tested to ensure you do not injure yourself.
Start by documenting your baseline fitness levels, such as your body mass index, body measurements, how many pushups or sit-ups you can do in a minute, and how long it takes you to walk a mile. Measuring your heart rate is also recommended.
Goal Setting and Design your Program
Are you finally considering how to start exercising for beginners? Or, are you motivated by a specific goal, such as preparation for a marathon?
Setting clear goals for your fitness journey helps track your progress and stay motivated. It’s easy to promise yourself that you’ll work out every day. However, creating a plan combining attainable objectives and goals makes it easier to commit long-term.
One way to do this is to create a step-by-step strategy. Then, as your fitness levels improve, add to this strategy.
For example, if you aim to run a 5-kilometer marathon, you can begin by creating a plan that incorporates shorter runs. Then, over time, increase the distance of the run till you can do the total length in one session.
Starting with small, more attainable goals will boost your confidence and chances of achieving success.
Stick to The Routine
Another important aspect of how to start exercising for beginners is sticking to a regimen. People find it simpler to stick to a healthier lifestyle if they make it a part of their lifestyle.
However, it takes some effort to form this habit in the beginning.
A creative way to encourage yourself is to combine something you enjoy with your exercise. For example, if you enjoy watching a show, you can stream it during your workout.
Another trick is to make a timetable and try to exercise at the same time every day. These tips can help you make your routine last.
How to Make Exercise a Habit?
Research shows that you can establish a new habit if you commit to at least four weeks of the activity. You are most likely not alone if you have been inconsistent with your fitness.
Sometimes, planning how to start exercising for beginners may be more difficult than anticipated. These strategies can help increase your odds of making exercise a habit.
Regularly Treat yourself
Regular exercise offers a lot of long-term benefits. These include increased energy, improved sleep, and better well-being.
However, it is essential to reward yourself every time you finish a session or achieve a new fitness goal. Choose something you enjoy, but wait until after you complete your workout.
Your treat can be anything meaningful such as a weekend getaway or even the satisfaction of achievement. Set a weekly goal and reward yourself for making the effort worthwhile.
These little treats will help you stay motivated and move forward.
Small Steps, Big Momentum
Setting goals like 30 minutes of exercise every day is easy. However, committing to them is more complicated.
The higher your ambition, the more likely you will give up and fail. Instead, begin with simple workout goals that you know you can accomplish.
Then, as you progress, add more difficult objectives to keep increasing your fitness level.
Select a Regimen That Makes You Feel Good
If you don’t enjoy exercise or it makes you feel uncomfortable, you’re less likely to follow through. When planning how to start exercising for beginners, choose activities that suit your lifestyle, abilities, and interests.
These exercises will help keep you focused instead of getting into a monotonous pattern of running or lifting weights.
Let Instinct Take Over
When it comes to building a habit, triggers and instinct play a key role in success. In fact, research suggests that those dedicated to starting exercise rely on their instinct.
Triggers such as little reminders set your routine up so that you don’t have to rethink later. Setting up an alarm or a fixed daily time to exercise can help your instincts take over so you never miss a workout again.
Make it a habit to include them into your day over time.
Sample Exercise Plans
To give you a kickstart on how to start exercising for beginners, this sample workout plan is a great place to begin. None of the exercises requires equipment or a gym.
However, feel free to tailor the program to your fitness level and incorporate activities you enjoy!
Tuesday and Thursday
Set at least one day per week to rest. This will help recovery and reduce the chances of sore muscles.
Monday
Thirty minutes of any aerobic exercise- this could be a light jog or a brisk walk.
Wednesday
Strength or Circuit Training. Begin with 10 to 15 minutes of aerobic exercise such as a run. Then, move on to a combination of bodyweight or dumbbell exercise sets, alternating with a short rest in between. A few examples you can try include lunges, squats, jumping jacks, and pushups.
Friday
Focus on balance and flexibility through yoga positions or pilates.
Saturday
30-minute run, jog, or a long walk around your favorite park.
Sunday
Have some fun and go swimming. Or, continue conditioning your muscles through strength training.
This one-week program is only a sample to help you get started. As you improve your fitness levels, adding more high-intensity exercises to your regimen is recommended.
This will ensure you do not plateau in progress and continue building strength.
Tips For Beginners
Getting started on a fitness routine can be intimidating. Unfortunately, most people get started on how to start exercising for beginners on the wrong foot.
As a result, they can acquire other bad habits and struggle to meet their health goals. Applying these five tips to your regimen can set you up for success from day one.
Always Warm-up
Warming up your muscles prepares your body for aerobic activities. When you begin your workout by warming up, blood flow to your muscles, and your body temperature increase.
This helps reduce the likelihood of muscle soreness or injury.
Before starting your workout, warm up by concentrating on major muscle groups. Then, if necessary, you can focus on your goals and customize your warm-up accordingly.
Begin by starting your chosen exercises slowly and gradually building the speed and intensity. For example, if your exercise for the day is a run, begin your workout with a brisk walk to warm up.
Cool Down Your Muscles
Like warming up before your workout, a cool-down after is just as important. Your heart continues to beat faster than usual after physical activity.
Furthermore, your blood vessels also remain dilated. If you come to a stop too quickly, you may feel ill.
Light walking or stretching after your work out effective ways to cool down. Aside from lowering your pulse and body temperature, cooling down can also reduce muscle discomfort.
Regularly Hydrate
To remain hydrated, it is essential to drink water and fluids throughout the day. However, it becomes even more vital to replenish these fluids during exercise.
Hydrating during and after your workout maintains performance levels and aids muscle recovery.
Because everyone is different, there are no clear standards on how much water to drink when exercising. Instead, consider how much you sweat, your area’s temperature and humidity, and your workout intensity.
Nutrition and Eating Habits
A balanced diet is just as important as your workout when thinking about how to start exercising for beginners. To maintain healthy energy levels and make the most of your regimen, you’ll need to eat a healthy balance of all the food groups during exercise.
Carbohydrates fuel your body and muscles before exercise, giving you that extra boost to keep going. They also restore glycogen levels and amino acid absorption so that your muscles can recover effectively.
Similarly, proteins also aid muscle and tissue recovery while increasing muscle mass. Lastly, healthy fats help burn body fat and preserve muscle fuel.
As a result, a well-balanced diet allows you to have more energy for longer and deliver better results.
Listen to your body
If you are new to figuring out how to start exercising as a beginner, be aware of your limits. Stop and rest if you are experiencing pain or discomfort while exercising.
Forcefully working through the pain could lead to injuries. Keep in mind that working out harder is not a good idea.
Instead, listen to your body and take your time to advance through your fitness program. In the long run, being aware of your body’s needs will help you maintain your habit.
Making Exercise More Enjoyable
No matter how much willpower you have, exercise can become repetitive and boring for the long haul. You are more likely to stick to a workout routine that’s gratifying and fun.
These creative strategies can help make exercise for beginners more enjoyable:
Add Something You Enjoy
Consider your favorite activities such as watching TV or talking to a friend. Then, incorporate them into your workout.
You can also switch up simple things like chores or housework by turning them into an opportunity to exercise.
Think Outside the Gym
It’s alright to find the gym costly and dull. Getting outside can make a significant difference for many people.
A run outside in nature can elevate the experience, unlike running in the same spot on a treadmill. Think outside the box when it comes to the activities you can choose from.
A few suggestions include kayaking, rock climbing, Zumba, horse riding, martial arts, or rollerblading. There are several options to choose from that are both adventurous and challenging.
Get Social
Exercising with friends and family is a great way to socialize and stay motivated. Consider joining a jogging club or dance class if you appreciate the company.
You can also join an adult sports league or team if you enjoy healthy competition. In addition, there are various ways to involve your family if you have one.
Children learn by example, so exercising as a family is a great way to encourage healthy habits from a young age.
Make it Play-Time
There are several video game consoles and online platforms that feature activity-based games. This means players are physically active and simulated in their game.
Some popular activities include dancing, golf, soccer, and bowling. You can also use your smartphone for applications that aim to motivate you.
Staying Motivated
To stay motivated and make fitness a habit, having fun is essential. This ensures you don’t fear exercising; instead, you will look forward to your workout.
Mix various activities or consider joining a virtual fitness class to boost motivation and enjoyment simultaneously.
Another way to stay accountable and keep pushing yourself is to work out in a group or with a friend. By keeping track of your progress through charting, you’ll be encouraged to keep improving.
Over time, expect to beat your personal bests and continue to improve fitness levels. And, don’t forget to reward yourself with every accomplishment.
To Sum it Up
Getting into a new fitness routine can be difficult. However, the tips in this guide were designed to help you stick to exercise in the long run.
With a plethora of physical activities to choose from, find what works for you and switch them up every now and then. Start carefully, gradually progress, and keep track of your journey while focusing on your nutrition.
So, are you ready to begin exercising?
