We're going to tell you the truth. Getting fit, those initial first few trips to the gym / walk-runs / swims, is tough. Horrible, you might say. People don't always tell you that - probably because they just want you to join their fitness cult or have blocked their own 'starting out' trauma from their memory.
The other truth is that anyone who embarks on that journey is brave. As creatures of habit, exchanging well-worn habits for new, sweaty, and at times painful, ones is the ultimate act of discipline, strength and courage. So if you are reaching the start line of your fitness journey, kudos to you.
Starting out is tough enough - what with all the feelings of self-consciousness, anxiety about things hurting or not working, fear of the unknown - without the added confusion of knowing what exactly you should be doing.
The global fitness industry is worth $87 billion and wherever you turn, you’ll find new classes, gyms, memberships, clubs, celebrities, social media stars, nutritionists, wellness gurus, personal trainers and athletes all offering the ‘Ultimate’ way to get fit. Knowing where to start is now one of the biggest barriers to getting fit.
So, how to do it. Here are Strive's simple tips to help you get fit:
The best exercise is the one you’ll keep doing
People always want to know which type of exercise or sport is the best one for getting fit. Yoga or running, cardio or weights, Zumba or swimming? There are so many activities to choose from, all offering a range of different benefits. But when you’re looking to start, always choose something you can see yourself enjoying and coming back to. Seek out activities that simply get you moving in an environment that fits your needs - maybe you like being with others or perhaps you’d prefer doing this alone. Maybe you love music or remember a time when you experienced joy from being in the water. Could immersing yourself in nature be an attraction for you or do you think you might enjoy learning a new skill? Building fitness and movement around the things you enjoy is the key to making physical activity something you want to keep doing.
Don’t make weight loss your goal
If you really want to get fit, change your goals. When you start exercising with weight loss as your driving force, you risk stopping the activity when you’ve achieved your weight target. It can also position exercise as something you do to punish yourself with for not hitting your targets or having an indulgent night out. When weight loss is the thing that drives you to exercise, fitness remains something you only do when you feel you need to. Instead, when we shift our goals to focus on the joy of movement, the chance to escape your life for a moment, the opportunity to lift our mood, meet new people, learn a new skill, travel, feel more confident, manage pain, achieve an ambition or get us through a rough patch in our life, getting fit and staying fit becomes that much more possible.
Prioritise time for You
One of the biggest barriers to getting fit is time. We don’t have enough of it. Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves. We can’t make more time but we can make decisions about how we spend it, and getting fit will mean putting You towards the top of the pile.
It may involve making sacrifices, getting up earlier, or even asking for more help but getting fit means prioritising time for ourselves and our health. You never know, when you set time aside for exercise, you may find yourself feeling more energised, more productive, and more efficient.
10 minutes is better than none
On the subject of time, you don’t need loads of it to get fit. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) will give your musculoskeletal, cardio, and respiratory systems a great workout in anything as little as 10 minutes. You can join a class or find hundreds of options online, most of which are free on video channels and don’t require any equipment. Other benefits to this kind of workout are that it can be done anywhere, even in a hotel room, and you’ll definitely sweat, which is good for our immune system and our mood.
Add weight
Whilst movement of any kind is the priority, including resistance work in your schedule is one of the most important things you can do for your body and mind. Not only will it help you build a strong base of support as your body starts to move more but it also helps to build a body that can stay active as we age. Everything from joint health, bone density, freedom of movement, pain management, cognitive function and balance can all be improved by getting stronger. It doesn’t have to involve getting into a gym or hiring a personal trainer either, although we do recommend our Strive strength sessions, of course. It can be as simple as adding press-ups and squats to your routine.
Keep challenging yourself
Once you’ve found the type of activity you enjoy, make sure that it continues to challenge you. That doesn’t mean that every time you put your trainers on you try to run faster or further than you did the last time. It means listening to your body and knowing when it feels right to add something in or change something about your regime - this is usually when something starts to feel easy. Small changes to the frequency of your workouts, the time you spend working out, the intensity of your workout, and the type of exercise you do, all help to drive fitness levels forward and avoid reaching a plateau where fitness can actually decline.
Keep track
It’s easier than ever to track our performance in everything from the number of steps we take to our energy efficiency. Whilst you don’t have to go out and buy yourself an expensive watch, keeping track of your progress is a simple way to stay motivated. Making a note at the end of a workout or even at the end of each week of the activity you accomplished and how it felt will give you evidence of your progress, but can also be used to identify any changes you may need to make, especially if you start to experience aches and pains, which is usually a sign that some rest is needed. For women in particular, keeping a record of your workouts relative to your cycle will help you plan to have less intense workouts in those weeks where oestrogen and progesterone levels drop and everything from our mood, core temperature, and fatigue levels go awry.
Keep it simple
Getting fit is not a precise science. There are no right answers to the type of exercise we should do, the amount of time we should take, and how often we should do it. After all, we are all different. It takes time, the ability to listen to your body, a little sacrifice, and above all else, the commitment to feeling happier and healthier.
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