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So you’ve gotten out of the habit of regular exercise and you’re feeling like you need to make a change. Just knowing that you need to make a change is a huge step in the right direction, and you’re on your way to leading a more happy, healthy and balanced life. Making too many changes all at once can seem overwhelming, so think about your lifestyle changes in small steps.
A good first step is to decide what your fitness goals are. Is your primary goal to lose weight, gain muscle tone, and improve your overall health, or do you have other goals, such as recuperation from an injury or medical condition?
Next, ask yourself basic questions prior to turning over a new leaf. Have received approval from your doctor to start an exercise program? Are there limitations on what you should or can do?
Most importantly, what kind of activities do you enjoy? Do you like the peace of solitary activities, such as walking, jogging or swimming? Perhaps you like the camaraderie of working out with others in group fitness classes such as dance, yoga, spinning and step. Maybe you want the satisfaction of pushing weights around in the gym. Some people prefer a combination of different types of activities. It is critical to your success that you find something that fits your personality and that you enjoy doing.
Once you’ve decided what type of exercise to try, start off slowly. Go too fast and you’re likely to end up with sore muscles, which could potentially discourage you from wanting to continue. Try to incorporate more daily activity, such as parking your car a few spots further from the entrance to the store, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or going for a walk around the neighborhood.
Once you’ve adapted to a more physical lifestyle, you’ll probably start feeling great and may have even caught “the exercise bug.” If you have access to gym equipment, get on the treadmill and go for a brisk walk. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to work out with weights but don’t know how to get started: now is the time to consider hiring a personal trainer to help. A trainer can coach you on how much cardio exercise you should be doing, how often you should be doing strength training, and how to understand the many aspects of the calories in/calories out equation for weight loss.
No matter what type of exercise you do, make sure you follow your workouts with 5 to 10 minutes of basic stretching moves. These will help prevent muscle and joint injury and allow your body to go through a cool-down at the end of your workout.
That’s when you need to start putting your workouts into your weekly calendar. Make it as much of a priority as grocery shopping, laundry, or even paying the bills.
On a final note, develop a support system of friends, family and co-workers that share the same belief that increased activity will lead you to a healthier and happier lifestyle. Having an exercise buddy helps keep you motivated.
Cheryl Frank is a NFPT certified personal trainer with the Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA on Route 40.
So you’ve gotten out of the habit of regular exercise and you’re feeling like you need to make a change. Just knowing that you need to make a change is a huge step in the right direction, and you’re on your way to leading a more happy, healthy and balanced life. Making too many changes all at once can seem overwhelming, so think about your lifestyle changes in small steps.
A good first step is to decide what your fitness goals are. Is your primary goal to lose weight, gain muscle tone, and improve your overall health, or do you have other goals, such as recuperation from an injury or medical condition?
Next, ask yourself basic questions prior to turning over a new leaf. Have received approval from your doctor to start an exercise program? Are there limitations on what you should or can do?
Most importantly, what kind of activities do you enjoy? Do you like the peace of solitary activities, such as walking, jogging or swimming? Perhaps you like the camaraderie of working out with others in group fitness classes such as dance, yoga, spinning and step. Maybe you want the satisfaction of pushing weights around in the gym. Some people prefer a combination of different types of activities. It is critical to your success that you find something that fits your personality and that you enjoy doing.
Once you’ve decided what type of exercise to try, start off slowly. Go too fast and you’re likely to end up with sore muscles, which could potentially discourage you from wanting to continue. Try to incorporate more daily activity, such as parking your car a few spots further from the entrance to the store, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or going for a walk around the neighborhood.
Once you’ve adapted to a more physical lifestyle, you’ll probably start feeling great and may have even caught “the exercise bug.” If you have access to gym equipment, get on the treadmill and go for a brisk walk. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to work out with weights but don’t know how to get started: now is the time to consider hiring a personal trainer to help. A trainer can coach you on how much cardio exercise you should be doing, how often you should be doing strength training, and how to understand the many aspects of the calories in/calories out equation for weight loss.
No matter what type of exercise you do, make sure you follow your workouts with 5 to 10 minutes of basic stretching moves. These will help prevent muscle and joint injury and allow your body to go through a cool-down at the end of your workout.
That’s when you need to start putting your workouts into your weekly calendar. Make it as much of a priority as grocery shopping, laundry, or even paying the bills.
On a final note, develop a support system of friends, family and co-workers that share the same belief that increased activity will lead you to a healthier and happier lifestyle. Having an exercise buddy helps keep you motivated.
Cheryl Frank is a NFPT certified personal trainer with the Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA on Route 40.
