Exercise isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea. However, sometimes in order to achieve our goals, we must do the things we are afraid of or require a level of discomfort. If you are just beginning your fitness journey or have taken a long break from focusing on your fitness, I am right there with you. Being someone who for a long time viewed exercise as a chore, I can tell you that it isn’t easy at the beginning and does require effort and some lifestyle changes. However, the benefits I have received from choosing to prioritize my fitness have been plentiful and I can tell you now that it gets easier. No longer do I view exercise with such hate and I have become a healthier and stronger person thanks to it. Along my fitness journey I learnt quite a few things that helped me become more in tune with my body and mind as well as form healthy habits. These pointers may be helpful to some of you who are also in the beginning stages of your own fitness journey. See my 10 tips for beginning your fitness journey, below:
Prior to beginning your fitness journey, it is important to establish achievable and measurable goals. By doing so, you will be able to identify your short-term and long-term fitness goals, as well as track your progress more effectively over time. Establishing goals also gives you something to strive for and provides some direction, as opposed to choosing to do exercise purely for the sake of it. Improving your health, strength and stamina, as well as losing weight are all great goals to have, however, these goals are also quite general. I would recommend breaking down what these general goals look like to you by being more specific and creating small goals in the short term which can progress to bigger ones further into your fitness journey. A great tool that you can utilize to help you map out your goals is SMART goals. SMART goals is a framework that can help you create focused and attainable goals, specific to your desired outcomes. Using this method can assist in seeking clarification and maintaining adherence through accountability.
S – What do you want to accomplish? Where, when, how and why?
Specific
M – How will you measure your progress?
Measurable
A – Is your goal realistic? Do you have the resources and skills needed to achieve this goal? If not, can you obtain them?
Achievable
R – Is this goal relevant to you and what you hope to achieve overall?
Relevant
T – What deadline will you give yourself to achieve this goal? Is it realistic?
Time-Bound
I find that starting small leads the way to further success in the long term, especially for those of us who are just starting out. If you are someone who has put your fitness on hold for a while, jumping into a full-blown workout routine can come as a shock to your body and may be extremely difficult to successfully complete. Jumping in too strong too quickly can also act as a deterrent in returning to future exercise. I know that many of us may look to others to get our workout inspiration from, however, remember that everyone is at a different fitness level and there is no need to push yourself to complete complex exercises that you may not be ready for yet. In due time, however, you will no doubt become more experienced and your body will slowly adapt and be able to take on new challenges.
Remember that even some exercise is better than none at all. If all you manage to complete in one day is an hour of walking or a 10min home workout, that still counts as an achievement that you should be proud of. If you are someone that finds motivating yourself to work out quite difficult, then just start with something small and attempt to build a habit from it, such as walking for an hour every day at a moderate pace, choosing to go for walks and stretch on your lunch break or following a 10min workout video every day at home before bedtime. The hardest part of the fitness journey can be at the beginning, willing yourself to get it done is sometimes half the battle. However, once you are able to get over this hump and doing those small activities start to become a habit, you will find that incorporating more activities into your fitness regime will become easier.
Let’s be honest. For many of us, exercise feels like a chore. It pushes us, causes us to sweat, makes our muscles ache and requires effort. Which is why it is important when you are starting out to find exercises that you genuinely enjoy. If you hate running, don’t do it. If you don’t want to lift weights or aren’t confident in doing something at the beginning, don’t push yourself to do it and let it be the only option in your mind. Yes, it can still remain a goal of yours to progressively improve in certain areas that you find challenging. However, in the short-term you will likely become disheartened, lose interest and make excuses. Instead, focus on incorporating more exercises into your workout that you actually enjoy, and perhaps keep the ones you don’t enjoy as much to a minimum for the time being, until you are confident enough to increase them.
For example, I absolutely hate cardio training and would much rather complete strength and resistance training any day in comparison. I choose to incorporate more weighted exercises into my workouts as well as exercises with a resistance band. However, still acknowledging that maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system is important, as well as a goal of mine, I aim to at least complete 1hr of moderate walking a day and incorporate at least 1-2 cardio-based exercises in my workout routine.
Do not place such high expectations on yourself when starting out. If you have remained sedentary for most of your life or have taken a long break from fitness, you are unlikely to become a pro runner or a gym junkie in 1 week or even a month. These things take time! Find exercises that are enjoyable to you and are enough to keep you interested and willing to do them again. After you find yourself adhering to a routine, then maybe think of incorporating more challenging exercises into your workout.
Completing exercise early has the potential to set a positive tone for the rest of the day, thus increasing productivity and satisfaction. I myself find that if I make the decision to start exercise earlier in the day, I am much more likely to complete it as opposed to later on in the day which tends to be much busier. You will also find that you are likely to have more energy earlier in the day compared to later in the afternoon/evening. This definitely can lessen your motivation to want to complete the exercise. Also, exercise releases the amazing chemical in our brains known as Dopamine. Dopamine induces pleasure, motivation and satisfaction. It also helps to transmit signals in the brain. So, it’s a no brainer (no pun intended) that you should try and start the day by getting some of that good stuff!
In my experience, organization is key to establishing a solid routine. If you have a diary or calendar, keep yourself accountable by organising your weeks and mapping out when you will complete the exercise. Write down what exercises you will be doing and schedule a time to do them. Preparation will become your best friend in this regard, especially if you are someone who tends to have a busy schedule. Setting an alarm on your phone can also act as a great reminder tool. It is easy to say that we will just do exercise when we find the time, however, often harder to execute, especially when we make excuses - being time-poor one of them.
Another handy organization strategy is to prepare the equipment, clothing or gym bag that you intend to use, the night before. This will save you time. It is easy to dismiss the notion of doing exercise when we feel rushed or pressed for time. Preparing things in advance can increase your motivation, reduce stress and limit your excuses!
Keep in mind though that there may be times where things come up and you may genuinely not get around to doing exercise for the day. If this is the case, don’t be too harsh on yourself. We can only work with what is in our control. So, if days like that do happen, acknowledge that it was not in your control, forgive yourself for the missed day and try again tomorrow.
Stretching is incredibly important and should be met with the exact same level of attention as exercise. Stretching reduces the risk of injury, increases mobility, improves posture and enhances exercise performance. Moreover, it is a calming and grounding activity. You should prioritise stretching before and after exercising, focusing on major muscle groups and those which will be utilized during the workout. Take care of your body and it will reward you!
Whether it is your goal to lose weight, gain weight or increase muscle mass, you should practice using other measures besides the scale for tracking your progress, such as taking body measurements, taking progress photos and learning to be in tune with your own body and how it feels. The reason for this is because weight loss or weight gain is not a linear pattern. There will be days that you may weigh more and days that you may weigh less, this is completely normal. Also, it is important to remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if it is your goal to lose fat specifically, the scale may not be the most accurate way to measure this. Constantly checking the scales for progress can also be quite damaging to our self-esteem and can potentially become addictive. Remember when embarking on a fitness journey it shouldn’t be so much about reaching a certain weight, however, you should focus on achieving a certain state of physical fitness and lifestyle. Doing this is likely to form more long-term healthy habits.
I cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining correct posture when performing exercise. Many of us are guilty of putting our bodies in compromised positions by performing an exercise incorrectly. This can have significant consequences including limited exercise performance, poor posture and injury. For this reason alone, it is important to remember to practice with caution and not be tempted to imitate anyone you see at the gym or in everyday life just because they look like they know what they are doing and appear reasonably fit. I have seen many muscly gym junkies performing weighted exercises in an incorrect way, this is not conducive to achieving their goals in a safe, precise and beneficial manner. I recommend thoroughly researching an exercise as well as its benefits prior to incorporating them into your workout routine, and learning how to execute them properly and safely. Seeking the advice of an exercise professional can also help in providing you with reliable information, and creating a plan tailored to your needs and current capabilities.
Please note that if you already have certain physical limitations or are experiencing any pain in your body, it is incredibly important that you seek advice and clearance from a health professional such as a GP or Physiotherapist prior to engaging in exercise.
Be in tune with your body! How do you do this you ask? Simple. We take the time to pause, listen and feel. Our bodies are simply amazing. They complete a significant range of functions for us every day and allow us to go about our daily routines comfortably. It is no doubt then that we should be paying close attention to how our body feels on a daily basis. We can do this in many ways including meditation, stretching, taking the time to simply be more aware of pains and aches instead of dismissing them, paying attention to our breath and doing breathwork, as well as intentionally moving with mindfulness and purpose. By doing these things and taking the time to pause and be present, we can better identify how we are feeling internally, if we can feel any current physical limitations and we can discern how our body is responding and performing whilst doing certain activities. The more we pay attention to our body and how it feels, the better we can identify what exercises we are comfortably able to execute and what we find challenging. This serves as an excellent marker on your fitness journey to look back on, as we will likely also be able to gradually feel ourselves getting stronger over time. Take some time to pause and listen to your body in the morning and before bed, as well as after a workout.
Diet is just as important as exercise when it comes to seeing progress and reaping the full benefits of improving our fitness. Whether it is your goal to lose weight or not, plays little part in the fact that maintaining a healthy lifestyle should include eating well and exercising. What we choose to put into our body plays a significant part in our ability to perform the exercise well and achieve our fitness goals. If you are not consuming enough protein, carbohydrates, fats or essential vitamins and minerals as well as water, this can impact how our body responds to exercise.
Think of your body as you would a car. For it to be running smoothly and at its best, you need to be putting the correct fuel in and ensure that it is ‘topped up’ enough to get you to where you want to go. Furthermore, think of all the other things necessary for that car to run efficiently such as oil, coolant, working brakes, brake lights etc. as extra things in our life that can impede upon our performance and motivation to engage in exercise. By understanding this concept, we can realize that our body has many essential needs and it is important to tend to those needs regularly to ensure that it is working at an optimal level and to get us to where we want. If we dismiss these things and choose not to ‘top-up’ our fuel, we will run poorly or likely not at all. We should endeavour to consume healthy foods at a reasonable quantity that is appropriate for our current needs and goals, including leafy green vegetables, fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, vitamin c and iron, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, lean proteins and a sufficient amount of liquid.
There we have it. Those are my 10 tips for embarking on a fitness journey. Hopefully these will help inform some healthy habits based off of what I have experienced from beginning my own fitness journey. I know that it can be quite challenging at the beginning, especially if it is something new to you or you have put your fitness on hold for quite some time, however, it is possible to push on and achieve your fitness goals. Practising consistency, patience and effort is incredibly important in keeping on track and seeing results. At times we may become disheartened at our ‘lack of’ progress or view our goals as being too far out of reach. Which is why it is important to celebrate all achievements no matter how small and break your goals up into smaller steps that eventually lead to bigger ones. And remember, don’t be too harsh on yourself! True strength is witnessed when we decide to get back up after falling down, and no matter how many times you fall, I believe that you will continue to get back up and conquer this part of your life, if it is something that you desire.
Stay happy and healthy,
~ Herwarcry
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