Exercise Tips For Beginners.  I’ve been active my entire life. I started dancing as a little kid and continued with ballet, modern and later ballroom into adulthood. For as long as I can remember swimming came naturally to me as did mountain hiking. From a young age I would hike in the German hills surrounding my grandparent’s home. I have hiked the Alps, the Rockies, I’ve walked the Appalachian trail and the Tatry mountain range.

I also taught rock climbing and was a personal trainer before owning a Pilates studio. Although I was never a fan of organized sports or team activities, I have, nevertheless, been quite active my entire life.

Perhaps unfairly, I assume that everyone has had similar experiences and that most people are used to a lot of physical activity. The more I speak with different people, the more I realize that while everyone knows they should be moving more, our sedentary society demands it, there are still a lot of people who don’t always know were to begin.

EXERCISE TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

Know Your Why. When I was working as a rock climbing instructor, most people came in for fun and that was great. They got a 3 hour session and some even signed up and purchased memberships to the gym. Their goals were usually fairly obvious and initially they were there to have some fun and to try something new.

• When I was a personal trainer and Pilates instructor, however, it wasn’t quite that simple and we’d frequently ask people what they wanted to achieve, because we needed to know the best way to serve them.
• Once people were able to tell us what they wanted, we were able create realistic programs to help them reach their goals. One client’s dream was to complete an Ironman and she came in more frequently than someone who simply wanted to maintain their fitness levels.

It’s Not All Or Nothing. I believe that this is were most people fail after deciding to become more active. More often than not, they will sign up for classes without first easing into them, or they will spend copious amounts of money on gym memberships, go a few times and then simply stop. While gym owners love this, I can assure you that it’s not the way to start.

• When you are new to working out start slow and pace yourself. Seriously. The last thing you want is to get so sore that you won’t continue or feel so overwhelmed and intimidated that you don’t go back. This leads me to the next point, either go with a friend or hire a trainer, either way you will be accountable to someone. Give yourself ample stretching time after your workout (read THE IMPORTANCE OF STRETCHING) and give your body a break when it needs it. A big part of actually getting fitter are your off days.
• On that note, especially if you are out of shape, go for 30 to 45 minutes at a time to start. There’s no need to spend half a day at the gym before you are use to it.
• Before you worry about making your workout tougher (that will come later), start by making sure that you actually go. Consistency is the key here because without that you are sure to fail.

Pick A Workout You Enjoy. This should be kind of obvious, but somehow I find myself having this argument a lot. I promise you, there is no law that says you have to go to a gym. You can get a fantastic workout taking a dance class or going for a bike ride. I’m willing to bet that if you hate what you are doing you won’t do it, so pick an activity you like and that is relatively easy to start doing. Just remember that you should include strength training and cardio to get a complete, all over body workout. Read: WHY SHOULD WOMEN LIFT WEIGHTS

Educate Yourself. The more you understand about your body and how exercise affects it the better. Be patient, it will take time to see real results. Expect that you will gradually have to increase your workout amount or its difficulty because after a point your body will get used to the movements you are performing. Know also that as you get stronger and more accustomed to this new way of life, you will have to change your diet.

Incorporating exercise into your life shouldn’t be scary or intimidating and it will go a very long way in helping you live a longer, happier and healthier life!

Take a moment to read, WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FITNESS

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