Fitness Tips
If you've never exercised before, or it's been a significant amount of time since you've attempted any type of physical activity, here are some tips to help get you started, help you achieve your fitness goals and keep you injury free.
1. Stay Hydrated
Drinking fluids throughout the day is essential for maintaining healthy hydration levels.
Replenishing fluids during exercise is essential for maintaining optimal performance, especially when exercising in hot temperatures.
Moreover, hydrating after your workout can help you recover and get you ready for your next training session.
2. Review Your Nutrition
Be sure to consume a balanced diet to support your fitness program.
All food groups are necessary to sustain healthy energy levels and get the most out of your workout. Carbs are vital, as they can fuel your muscles before exercise.
Carbs are also important after exercise to replenish glycogen stores and assist with the absorption of amino acids into your muscles during recovery.
Additionally, protein helps improve muscle recovery after exercise, repairs tissue damage, and builds muscle mass.
Lastly, regularly consuming healthy fats has been shown to help burn body fat and preserve muscle fuel during workouts, making your energy last longer.
A good health and/or nutrition coach can guide you here.
3. Warm Up & Cool Down
It’s important to warm up before your workout. Doing so can help prevent injuries and improve your athletic performance.
It can also help improve your flexibility and reduce soreness after your workout.
Simply start your workout with some aerobic exercises like arm swings, leg kicks, and walking lunges.
Alternatively, you can warm up by doing easy movements of the exercise you’re planning to do. For example, walk before you run. If you choose to do a group fitness class, this should generally form part of the class.
Cooling down is also important because it helps your body return to its normal state.
Taking a couple of minutes to cool down can help restore normal breathing patterns and even reduce the chance of muscle soreness.
Some cool-down ideas include light walking after aerobic exercise or stretching after resistance training.
5. Listen to Your Body
If you’re not used to working out every day, be mindful of your limits.
If you feel pain or discomfort while exercising, stop and rest before continuing or consult your coach for guidance. Pushing through the pain is not a good idea, as it can cause injuries.
Also, remember that working out harder and faster is not necessarily better.
Taking your time to progress through your fitness program can help you maintain your routine in the long term and make the most of it.
6. How to Stay Motivated
The key to staying motivated and making exercise a habit is to have fun while doing it. This helps you to not dread exercising.
If you’re able to and want to, joining a gym or taking a virtual fitness class like yoga or Pilates, hiring a personal trainer, or doing team sports are good ideas to help increase motivation and enjoyment.
Working out as a group or with a friend can also help maintain accountability and motivate you to keep up your exercise routine.
Furthermore, tracking your progress, such as logging your weightlifting levels or noting your running times, can help keep you motivated to improve your personal records.
Bottom line
Starting a new exercise routine can be challenging. However, with the right tools, guidance, support and having real objectives can help you maintain a fitness routine in the long term.
There are many different types of physical activity to choose from. Trial a few and see what works for you. A varied program and training regime will help you stay on track.
The goal is to start slowly, build up your fitness level, and let your body rest from time to time to help prevent injuries.
Keeping track of your progress or joining a small group class are great examples of how to get started and actionable steps that can help you stay motivated and achieve your goals.
It’s also important to eat a healthy diet and hydrate regularly as well as check in with your coach and/or healthcare provider to monitor your progress/health.
So what are you waiting for?
Start exercising today!
Over the past few weeks, we have covered all the basic steps of How to Start Exercising. If you have missed any of these steps, just click on the links below.
If you need help to get started or have any questions, please reach out to us at Holeshot, we'll be more than happy to show you the way or answer any questions.
A Beginners Guide on How to Start Exercising (Part 1)
How to Start & Maintain an Exercise Routine (Part 2)
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