If you’ve never exercised before, trying to take on this physical and mental challenge can be intimidating. But luckily, you don’t have to start out running marathons or powerlifting in order to start being more active and seeing some positive changes in your body.
For those who are wanting to get more exercise but aren’t sure where to begin, here are three tips for starting an exercise regimen for the first time.
Consider Speaking With Your Doctor First
When you go from being inactive to starting to incorporate more activity into your life, this can be a shock to your body. Especially if you have certain physical ailments or are taking different kinds of medications, there could be some exercises that you should try to avoid. But for many, the only way you can know this is by speaking with your doctor.
To be as safe as possible, you should consider discussing your proposed new exercise regimen with your doctor before you get started. This is particularly important for those who might have physical injuries, chronic pain, or are older and living in assisted living facilities. By speaking with your doctor, you’ll ensure that you know how this proposed exercise plan could be beneficial as well as discovering anything potentially hazardous that you should be on the lookout for.
Start With Small Fitness Goals
As you begin exercising for the first time with this new exercise regimen, it’s important that you don’t try to do too much, too soon.
For bodies that aren’t used to working out, it can take time to build muscle and endurance. You will also likely experience soreness as you push your body to new limits. So to ensure that these things don’t wind up causing harm to your body, you’ll want to start small and begin with small fitness goals. For example, shoot for exercising just twice a week at first. Then, as you get used to this, you can add another day onto your routine.
Invest In The Right Gear Over Time
While there are so many ways you can exercise using just your body and items that you already have around your home, once you start getting into an exercise routine, you might want to start adding some equipment to your repertoire. This is something you should do after you’ve already created a habit of exercising so that you don’t waste your money on things you won’t end up using.
Some of the best gear you can invest in over time include comfortable workout shoes, pads to put down on the floor for comfort as you do ground work, and any weights or resistance bands that might be applicable to the type of exercising you’re doing.
If you’re about to start working out for the first time, or even just for the first time in a while, consider using the tips mentioned above to help set you up for success.