If you’re new to my blog, Welcome! I’m so glad you are here. Thanks for stopping by. After you read this post, check out my other blogs for the health-conscious woman.
Ready to start exercising and have no idea where to start?
If you haven’t exercised in a while, starting your fitness routine can be confusing. Where do you start? No worries, I’ve got your back.
Here are some easy steps for starting your fitness routine.
OK, let’s do this!
Step 1 for starting your fitness routine
Determine your fitness goal
What would you like to accomplish? There is no right or wrong goal.
This is YOUR goal.
Some ideas to get you thinking are:
- Lose weight
- Build muscle
- Increase endurance
- Improve flexibility or balance
- Have more energy
- Fewer colds
- Feel more confident when you look in the mirror
- Feel more joy and happiness
If you’re interested in losing weight, grab Your Key to Unlocking Weight Loss Secrets!
Step 2 for starting your fitness routine
Consult your doctor
Always discuss your plans to start a fitness routine with your physician first. If you have any pre-existing health concerns, your doctor can advise whether it is appropriate for you to include or avoid specific exercises.
Step 3 for starting your fitness routine
Assess your current fitness level
Ok, you’ve been cleared by your doctor. One last thing before getting started.
You’ll want to take photos and measurements. OK, well, maybe you won’t “want” to take them, but trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
As you work toward your fitness goal, you will be amazed at how motivating it is to look back at where you started. The photos and measurements will come in handy.
There may be times when you think you’re not making any progress; HOWEVER, when you compare measurements you may find you’ve lost inches around your waist, thighs etc.
Step 4 for starting your fitness routine
What type of exercise should you do?
Most importantly – one you enjoy and can stick to.
I, personally, like having a variety of forms of exercise in my routine. This helps keep me from getting bored AND different types of exercise offer different physical benefits.
Some forms of exercise to consider:
- Cardio – Do you enjoy walking, running, dancing, HIIT (high intensity interval training, or biking? These are all great cardio exercises that will get your heart rate up. If you’re just getting started, take it slow. You can increase intensity, speed etc as you build endurance.
- Strength training – my favorite. This is about building muscle and functional strength (ability to lift groceries, children, suitcase, open a jar, etc).
- Yoga – This is great for improving your flexibility, reducing stress, and can your increase strength as well.
- Stretching – This is probably the most important of all and the one most often ignored. As you start exercising, your muscles will get tight. Stretching will help keep you limber, which aids in reducing the risk of injuries.
Step 5 for starting your fitness routine
Create a plan
OK, so now we are starting to get into the nitty gritty (is that actually a word?)
You’ve picked out the forms of exercise you’re going to do, right?
Next, you need to decide:
- How many days a week will you workout
- What time of day will you workout.
- How long will you workout
- Where will you workout
- Do you need any equipment
Sample plan for walking
You decided to start your fitness routine with walking. Here’s how your plan might look:
- Let’s say you’re going to walk 3 days a week for 30 minutes at a pace that gets your heart rate up.
- And, you’ve decided Mon, Wed and Sat will work best.
- You prefer walking outside as long as the weather allows. You have the treadmill at the gym as your back-up plan.
- You’ll want to get a good pair of walking shoes, if you don’t already have a pair.
Sample plan that includes strength training
You’re ready to jump all in with a fitness routine that includes strength training, cardio, yoga and stretching.
If you’re just getting started , I would not recommend doing all of this on day 1. You can gradually work up to this.
- Let’s say you’ll do strength training intermixed with HIIT (high intensity interval training) 4 days a week on Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri
- You want to work on your flexibility so you plan to do 30 minutes of yoga or stretching on Wed and Sat
- Are you wondering if you get a rest day? OK, if you insist (ha ha). Sundays will be your rest day.
- You plan to workout at home on most days, so you’ll need some equipment. I would recommend getting a couple sets of light to medium weight dumbbells, a workout mat and a good pair of shoes.
My recommendation
If you’re just getting started, remember to take it slow. I would recommend starting with 2 – 3 days a week and sticking to walking. Once you’ve created consistency of 3 days a week, think about adding in some strength training.
Step 6 for starting your fitness routine
Grab a friend
Do you worry about being able to stick to your fitness routine? Here’s the secret…
Grab a friend and keep it fun!! Agree to hold each other accountable.
This is how I started out and it worked so well. If I didn’t feel like working out, my friend would convince me to join her. On the days she didn’t feel like it, I would encourage her to join me.
We probably worked out 2 – 3 times more often than we would have on our own.
You’ve got this! Need some help starting your fitness routine?
Be sure to grab your FREE 7-day workout plan.