What to Do If You Are First Starting to Exercise

Photo By: Health Gauge

Congratulations on your decision to get started on a healthier lifestyle! Maybe you used to be an athlete or maybe you have never seriously exercised before. The important thing is that you are looking to get in better shape. As long as you are patient and committed, progress will come. You won’t be perfect, but remember you are aiming for progress and not perfection.

Starting to exercise for the first time can be intimidating. You don’t need to be intimidated though. You have every right to get fit and healthy. There are plenty of resources out there for you to learn how to exercise. Soon you will feel right at home at the gym.

1. Focus – You need to figure out exactly what you are trying to do. What do you want? Decide and make that your main focus.
2. Get evaluated – This isn’t just a disclaimer. You seriously need to talk to a medical professional to see if you are healthy enough on the inside and outside. You need to know if you have any injuries or health problems. This will let you know if you are able to train at all or need to modify your program.
3. Commit – This might be the most important step. You can’t make progress until you are truly committed to the mission. You have to deeply desire to be healthier before you can start accomplishing it.
4. Get help – You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Find yourself a training group, partner, coach or personal trainer. The biggest benefit of any of these might be the accountability factor. You need someone who will hold you accountable during the days when you don’t feel like training or eating right.
5. Improve your nutrition – Frankly, the majority of your results will come from a proper diet and nutrition program. It’s true that you really can’t outwork a bad diet. A proper diet can keep you healthy and help with muscle growth and fat loss.
6. Try stuff out – Now is the best time to find something you enjoy as a way to get fit. There are countless ways to exercise and get in shape. You don’t have to do the traditional exercises in a major gym to get results. You can try different types of exercise that you maybe never thought of before and see if you like it. Perhaps you’ve never lifted weights seriously before, but you may really enjoy CrossFit, olympic lifting, powerlifting, or general bodybuilding training. Perhaps you want to try out a new sport or one you used to play, like basketball or volleyball. You might find that you really enjoy running and want to compete in local road races. There is a type of exercise out there for everyone. You just have to find yours.
7. Set goals – This is listed last, but it is certainly not the least important. Without goals, how do you find a purpose in your training? Setting goals will give you a sense of direction. You can continually set new goals as you achieve more and more.