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It’s never too late to embark on a fitness journey. Taking up some kind of exercise is something you have undoubtedly been advised several times throughout your whole life. However, this final decision lies within yourself. You and only you can decide that now is the right time to start doing some physical exercises.
People usually mention the physical advantages of being physically active such as physical transformation, endurance and gaining strength and they fail to mention the mental benefits such as improvements in emotional and mental health as well.
Nevertheless, there are some things you need to take into consideration before starting out with a fitness program.
How to start?
The decision to live a healthier and more active lifestyle is something you need to think about. It is not easy to make this kind of cardinal change but you are the person that ultimately makes this internal resolution.
Reasons to start
The first step is to think about all the reasons why you need to start living your life more actively. Is it because you want to be fit, to have more confidence, to keep up with your child in the park, to make your heart stronger or to genuinely feel satisfied at the end of the day?
It is important to list all the reasons because they will help you keep going during hard times (and all of us experience them now and then) when you’re on the verge of quitting. It’s also important to start slow.
Take small steps and introduce to your regular daily plan a 20-minute walk. Slowly, add up the minutes and other activities you feel comfortable with.
Group or personal training
After you have set straight the reasons for starting and keeping on, you need to think about the type of training that best suits your needs. As a beginner, do you prefer a group or personal training? If you have some confidence issues, or if you’re a shy, introverted person then maybe a few personal pieces of training would be a good idea for you.
On the other hand, if you’re an extroverted, sociable person, not afraid of new and unfamiliar people and settings, then group training is a better option for you.
The type of exercise
The next thing you have to figure out is the type of sport or exercise you’re interested in. You need to choose something you’ll enjoy going to and something you won’t come up with excuses not to go to. If you’re not sure what your thing is, be prepared and open-minded to try different activities.
The world today offers so many sports and combinations of exercises that there simply isn’t any chance you won’t find something you like. You can choose among some water sports such as water aerobics, swimming or water polo.
You can choose some intense sports such as kickboxing, CrossFit or powerlifting. If you prefer, you can go to the local gym, you can cycle, rollerblade, walk or run as well. The sky is the limit.
Things you need to know
There are some things you need to understand clearly, so you would be able to get all the best out of a fitness program.
What is fat?
Food consists of units of energy and fat is essentially stored energy in your body. Therefore, if you eat too much food resulting in a large number of calories that you cannot burn through your daily activities, those calories end up as fat in your body. In order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in.
To maintain weight, you need to take in as many calories as you can burn. And to gain weight you must consume more calories than you can burn.
The conclusion is that along with your exercise plan it is a good idea to have a meal plan as well. In that way, you will always keep track of your calories intake and keep them in balance.
Health issues
If you have some health issues such as medical conditions or physical injuries, it is best that you consult with your doctor first and then with an expert in the field of sport or physical exercise you are interested in. They will give you a recommendation in terms of types of exercises and their frequency that best suit your needs.
If you are a person diagnosed with morbid obesity it is not recommended to start some intensive physical training. You can start very slowly to try to lose weight. And if you fail to make any progress in the area of weight loss and you’re in danger of developing life-threatening health conditions, then a properly performed bariatric surgery procedure might be the solution for you. This procedure is used to permanently reduce your stomach size, thus restricting the amount of food you can take in. After recovering from surgery, you’ll be able to start exercising and eating healthy which will lead to a full, confident and satisfying life.
Fitness at home
If you’re a very busy person and don’t have too much time searching for an adequate sport or physical activity, don’t worry, there’s a solution for you too! You don’t need to go to the gym or to a sports facility in order to exercise. You can do it at home and start your own personal home fitness journey. In that way, you’ll save travel time, money and you’ll be able to exercise any time you want and best works for you.
As a beginner, you can search for some videos on beginner exercises and play them on YouTube to guide you through the process. There are many fitness programs available on TV as well. And when you gain some experience in the area, you may as well be your own exercise creator.
Fitness at the gym
You can start your fitness journey to the local gym and see whether you are a ‘gym person’. What’s important is not to be afraid to ask about the equipment and the proper use. You can use Google to search for the benefits of each piece of equipment and get familiar with it. Don’t expect to master all of it in one day. It takes time. And if you decide you like it there, you can easily become a member and a regular visitor.
Being able to incorporate physical activity into your regular daily routine will result in you being healthier, happier, in better shape, shining with confidence and bursting with energy. When you start making positive changes such as becoming physically active, they are likely to have a domino effect and attract other changes connected to our diet, sleep and work as well. You’ll end up a wholesome person in every aspect of your life.
