The Basics of Starting
If you are like most people the thought of beginning an exercise program can be daunting and confusing. There are so many articles in every magazine out there how does one choose? Here are some basics to get you off on the right foot.
See your doctor FIRST!
You see this all the time, and there is a reason, even though exercise is good for you there may be some limiting conditions on your health chart to take into consideration as you begin. Do you have heart disease? Diabetes? Are you taking ANY medications? Is physical activity new to you? A doctor may have suggestions as to how a program may need to be altered to your conditions.
Find your baseline.
Where are your starting from? It can be easy to get discouraged when starting an exercise program if the results are not immediately visible on your waistline. A basic fitness assessment generally includes measuring your body fat percentage, recording your weight and body measurements, as well as testing your aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility. And just for posterity, don’t forget the “before” picture.
Tailor your program to YOU.
Not the beach body in that magazine or what your sister in laws friend’s mom did 5 years ago. You are you right now and you need to design a program based on you. Write out a schedule on your calendar. Plan on exercising regularly so you can get past the soreness stage. Start slowly, allow your body to get accustomed to your new demands. And don’t do an entire program at once, start small and continually add on.
Get your equipment together.
Nothing derails a new exercise program quicker than not having the right equipment ready. Whether it’s a pair of walking shoes and a radio or an entire home gym.
START!
Quit talking about doing it and move! Often the hardest part is putting on your shoes, once you start moving you can keep going.
Retest.
Every 4-6 weeks retake the fitness assessment test to see how your program is working. Nothing is more motivating than a couple less inches around the middle or realizing you can do 5 more pushups!