Are you ready to get fit? Awesome! Starting a fitness routine is one of the best things you can do for your health. Physical activity can reduce your risk of many chronic diseases, improve your balance, coordination, stamina, strength and help you lose weight, improve your mood and self-esteem.
Don’t know where to start? Here a few steps to help begin a fitness program!
1) Assess your fitness level
- *try taking your heart rate before and after your exercise
- *measure how long it takes for you to walk a mile or bike a mile? or how many push-ups or modified push-ups can you do?
2) Design your fitness program
- It’s easy to say you will workout “X” number of day s a week, but you will need a plan
- Consider your fitness goals– are you trying to lose weight? Or improve your overall health? Or perhaps eventually run that 5k?
- Create a balanced routine– the Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week or a combination of the two. So for example try to get about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days of the week. Try to also incorporate strength training of the all major muscles groups into your fitness routine at least two days a week.
- Start low and progress slowly! especially if you are just starting a routine, be cautious and progress slowly. Assess your response to the activity and gradually increase your time, effort and resistance. If you have a medical condition or injury always consult your doctor or physical therapist first to determine if you have any precautions and/or restrictions. You can always consult an experienced personal trainer or exercise specialist to help you design a fitness program that can improve your motion, flexibility, strength and endurance
- Build activity into your daily routine– try to carve out a time daily to exercise, make it like an ”appointment”!
- Plan to include different activities that you enjoy– walking, biking, elliptical, swimming (which is great for less loading on joints), and strength training. Try to cross train to avoid using the same muscle groups to avoid overuse or injury.
- Allow time for recovery– especially when you are starting out, your muscles may become very sore, be sure to plan time between sessions for your body to rest and recover.
- Put it on paper– a written plan in the beginning may help you stay on track
3) Assemble your equipment– be sure you pick shoes designed for the activity you have in mind. If you are not sure you can go to your local sneaker store (Sneakerama, Marathon Sports, PR Running) where one of the associates can help you.
If you are thinking about investing in exercise equipment, you may want to try different types of equipment at a fitness center before you purchase your own. Fitness centers offer free or discounted personal training to better acclimate you to the equipment safely and help you design a routine. You may enjoy some of the group classes a gym offers and be sure to ask what classes suit your current fitness level.
4) Get Started !!!! but….. start slowly and gradually, give yourself time to warm and cool down with easy walking or gentle stretching. Then speed up to a pace you can continue for 5-10 minutes without getting overly tired. As your endurance improves, gradually increase your time and work your way up to 30-60 minutes most days of the week. Be flexible, some days you may not have time to do a 30 minute so break it up into shorter sessions in a day- try three 10-minute sessions. Be creative, switch up your routine- try walking around your neighborhood, hiking, biking, swimming, or even a Zumba or yoga class ! Be sure to listen to your body if you feel pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea- take a break, you may be overdoing it! Be flexible, if you don’t feel good, it’s okay to take a day or two off– listen to your body!!!
5) Monitor your progress –reassess your personal fitness routine every 6 weeks after you start your routine and then again in every 6-week increments. You may notice you need to increase the duration of exercise to continue improving or may be very pleased that you are exercising at the right level to meet your fitness goals. If you get bored or lose motivation, set new goals or try a new activity. Exercising with a friend or family member may help too!
Starting a fitness routine is one of the best things you can do for your health. It does not have to be overwhelming. Hopefully following these steps can help you establish a healthy habit that will last a lifetime !
– Elena Baressi, PT, MSPT (Flaherty Physical Therapy)