Fitness… Just Get Started

Life is tough and competitive, paying attention to Fitness is simply not easy.  We have to work hard in order to stay on top.  Unfortunately, with this hectic work routine, we often don’t have time for Fitness.  We’ve all heard that we should live a healthy life style but have you ever truly thought what actually a healthy life style is?  There are many factors, but a great place to start is to focus on Fitness. Once you begin, you start thinking about other things like diet and rest.

If you do not exercise and your eating habits are not good, it is often a good idea to start slowly.  You just need to make some slight adjustments in your daily life style and these changes will help get you on track to a more fit life.  I often recommend speaking with your doctor to ensure you can build a specific plan just for you.

Lack of Physical Activity

One of the biggest drawbacks of office life is the lack of physical activity.  Many of us sit in chairs throughout the day and after a tiring day, there is no energy or motivation to do any physical activity.  As you can imagine, this is not going to help you achieve your Fitness goals.  Neither is being too worried about soreness, injuries, the amount of time it will take, or any other <insert excuse here> that stops you from moving forward.  When planning a Fitness routine, you should also consider when you can fit it into your schedule.  Accept that no time is a good time in the beginning, but set the time and commit to it.  For example, you can get up 20-30 minutes earlier than normal and go out for a short walk.

Getting Started

For many people the hardest part of any Fitness program is getting started.  Sometimes we place too much pressure on ourselves and rather than doing something, no matter how small that might be, we end up doing nothing at all.

Here are some steps to help you get started.

• The first thing to do is to not place any great expectations on what you want to achieve.  As mentioned previously, a scheduled morning walk or simply walking to the local shops will improve your Fitness and this might be all that you need to do for a while just to get into the mood to take your Fitness to the next level.
• Find a friend who also wants to get fitter and ask them to walk with you.
• Step up the pace after a while (challenge yourself) and maybe even record the time it takes to complete your walks, so you have something to “beat” next time.
• All these small changes can eventually lead to bigger and better things, but make sure to take it slow.  We can often get eager and push too hard, which can lead to injury, so listen to your body.
• Stretching is something that can be done almost anywhere and at any time and it is good to get into the habit of stretching, particularly before and after exercise.  Stretching increases your flexibility and reduces the chance of injury.  It prepares your body to train and helps you recover more quickly, so it’s highly recommended.
• Join a gym and encourage your training friends to join with you or get a home gym and invite them to train with you at home (you can also do this with your family).  You can workout at your own pace and having a training partner will be good for both safety (helping to control weights) and encouragement to train better.
• Adjust your diet by reducing your bad diet days.  Start by reducing your bad diet days to 5 days per week and work to reduce it to 3 bad diet days within 8 weeks.
• Make sure to get plenty of rest and drink lots of water as the recovery process and hydration is very important.
• Get inspirational Fitness magazines and videos that will give you something to strive for, and last but certainly not least, eat the right food so you have the energy to perform well at all times.

Whatever you do, get started on your Fitness journey… you will be so happy you did!