STarting to Exercise: Top Tips to Stay Safe and Get Healthy

The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

www.TheNewsyNeighbour.com

May Issue 115

Article Provided By: Austin G Hackney

There are many benefits of regular exercise: it's good for your body, your mind, and your emotions. People who exercise are not only fitter, but also more relaxed, happier, and more in control of their lives. 

But if you're not used to exercising, you need to make sure you get started in the right way so you can stay safe and reap the benefits. A common mistake is to do too much too soon. Overdoing it can lead to muscular damage. Working out too hard at first can also put you off, leading you to relapse into an unhealthy lifestyle. 

For most people, moderate exercise is the best. But if you are overweight, very unfit, or older than 65, you should have a medical checkup and get advice from your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen. There's no need to spend a lot of money on gym membership or expensive machinery. Going to the gym can be useful, and certain machines might be right for your health and fitness goals, but you don't need them to get started.

Any new habit will meet psychological resistance, so it's a good idea to start with something easy and build up as you get used to it. A good, all-round exercise to get you started is walking. Experts recommend 30 minutes of intentional exercise each day to keep fit. If that's too much for you at first, do whatever you can manage and increase the time as it gets easier. You could also break your 30 minutes up into three blocks of 10 minutes, doing one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening.

 

Other forms of easy exercise to get you started are swimming, yoga, tai chi, and cycling. Experiment until you find an exercise which you enjoy and can keep going. If you need social support to stick to your new exercise habit, a local walking club, water aerobics class, or cycling club might be just the thing.

When doing your exercises, it's always a good idea to spend five minutes warming up before starting. Gentle walking and a few stretching exercises should do the trick. With exercise, it's always better to do a little every day than push yourself too hard one day and do nothing for the rest of the week.

Be patient with yourself. Starting exercise is as much about learning a new habit as getting fit and healthy. Learning new habits takes time and dedication. If you miss a day, don't berate yourself. Just get started again the next day; little by little, you'll become used to your new routine.

After about three months, if you stick at it, you should find that taking exercise has become a habit and is now a part of your life. Once you reach that milestone, the only way is onward. As you get fitter, increase the amount of exercise you do. Experimenting with new routines now and then will keep things interesting and stop you getting bored. Keep an exercise journal to mark your progress and to encourage you to keep at it.

It's never too soon or too late to exercise. Everybody can enjoy improved health. If you're introducing intentional exercise into your life for the first time, or coming back to it after a long break, following this advice should give you the best chance of making it a success and achieving your goals while staying safe and getting fit.