Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. However, working it into your routine and sticking with it can take some determination and discipline. Certain strategies can help you keep it up.
If you exercise regularly, you’ll begin to see and feel the benefits it can have on your body and well-being quickly.
If you’re considering starting to exercise but don’t know where to begin, this article is for you. Here’s all you need to know about starting a routine and sticking to it.
Why exercise?
Regular exercise has been shown to improve your health significantly (1Trusted Source).
Its primary benefits include helping you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight and muscle mass and reducing your risk for chronic diseases (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 4, 5Trusted Source).
Additionally, research has shown that exercise can lift your mood, boost your mental health, help you sleep better, and even enhance your sex life (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8).
And that’s not all. It can also help you maintain good energy levels (9Trusted Source).
In short, exercise is powerful and can help improve your life.
There are various types of exercise, including:
- Aerobic. The core of any fitness program should include some form of continuous movement. Examples include swimming, running, and dancing.
- Strength. These exercises help increase muscle power and strength. Examples include resistance training, plyometrics, weightlifting, and sprinting.
- Calisthenics. These moves are usually performed without gym equipment using large muscle groups. They’re done at a medium aerobic pace. Examples include lunges, situps, pushups, and pullups.
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT). This type of exercise includes repetitions of short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by low-intensity exercises or rest periods.
- Boot camps. These are timed-based, high-intensity circuits that combine aerobic and resistance exercises.
- Balance or stability. These exercises are designed to strengthen muscles and improves body coordination. Examples include Pilates, tai chi poses, and core-strengthening exercises.
- Flexibility. These types of exercises help muscle recovery, maintain range of motion, and prevent injuries. Examples include yoga or individual muscle-stretch movements.
The activities above can be done individually or combined. The important thing is to do what works best for you and to have fun with it.
SUMMARYCommon types of exercise include aerobic, strength, calisthenics, HIIT, boot camps, flexibility, and stability. You can do them individually or combined.
It’s essential to consider a few things before starting a new workout routine.
1. Check your health
It’s important to consult your healthcare provider and get a physical medical examination before starting an exercise routine.
This is particularly important for those new to strenuous and vigorous physical activities.
An early checkup can detect any health problems or conditions that could put you at risk for an injury during exercise.
It can also help you optimize your workout, making it easier for you and your personal trainer, if you choose to work with one, to understand your limitations and create an exercise plan tailored to your particular needs.
2. Make a plan and set realistic goals
Once you decide to start exercising regularly, try to create a plan that includes attainable steps and goals.
One way to do this is to start with a plan of easy steps to follow. Then you can continue building on it as your fitness level improves.
For example, if your goal is to finish a 5-kilometer run, you can start by building a plan that includes shorter runs.
Once you can finish those short runs, increase the distance until you can run the whole 5 kilometers in one session.
Starting with small achievable goals will increase your chances of success and keep you motivated every step of the way.