Fall is in the air and the kids are back in school, so now is the perfect time to start taking care of your health! That means a new fitness routine, but all the information (and misinformation) out there could have you feeling overwhelmed. Don’t be! Creating a fitness routine that works for you can be quite simple. You’ll have yourself on the way to better health in no time.
Start with these three fundamentals:
Cardio
Find a cardio routine that’s easy to fit into your daily schedule, and one that you enjoy. Do you have a dog? Dogs are always ready for a long walk (or even a jog) around the neighborhood. Let your four-legged friend be your fitness companion and motivator! Like to swim? Local clubs and town associations usually have a pool for you to use, so take advantage of it! Tennis, golf, biking, hiking... the list continues. Go solo or bring a friend for support, but the key is finding an enjoyable activity that gets you moving every day!
Resistance training
The idea of lifting weights can be a little intimidating to anyone who hasn’t done it before. However, resistance training is a vital component of health. Not only does it keep your muscles strong and healthy but it helps to prevent many degenerative diseases, like osteoporosis. Also, you’ll find that adding this type of training will amp up your weight loss and make your overall fitness routine more effective.
The key to starting resistance training is to begin slowly. Use weights that you can lift 15 times - but only lift them 10 times. You should feel like you can do a few more after #10 (but don’t). Many people jump in too hard and heavy, and since their muscles aren’t used to the stress, they spend the next week sore and miserable. This cycle causes many to give up on this type of training right away. Slow and steady wins the race with this one. If you start with reasonable resistance, you’ll find yourself steadily progressing and getting stronger without all the soreness that cuts short many weight training programs. ‘No pain, no gain’ is definitely not something you should live by if you want to have a long-lasting and consistent fitness routine.
Eating habits/lifestyle
As we’ve often said in past blogs, sustainable health and fitness can only be achieved through lifestyle changes. You’d be surprised at how simple these changes are and what a big difference they’ll make in your life. To get started with some simple adjustments in your diet and overall lifestyle, try checking out our previous blogs. You’ll learn more about simple ways to stay healthy throughout the day, like what to eat for breakfast, how to get more daily activity... even the importance of simple things like sleep and water. We’re always posting more great information so be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
By focusing on these three major components, anyone can build a fitness routine that will feel simple and easy to maintain. Long-term constancy is crucial for maintaining health and happiness throughout your life; it’s more than just stringing together a few weeks of success. Keeping your routine simple and adding small goals one at a time will ensure that you get started on the right foot. So, stop worrying about ‘how’ and ‘when’ to start your fitness routine! Why not now?