A Beginners Guide to Exercise

Exercising can be daunting, especially if you are new to it and haven’t exercised or played sport since you were a child. People often feel too intimidated to walk into a gym or join a local sports club because it’s been so long since they got their heart pumping and adrenaline flowing as part of a healthy exercise routine. One of the main mistakes people make when it comes to beginning a programmed of exercise after many years of avoiding it, is that they overextend themselves and push themselves too hard, too quickly – leading them to believe that fitness just isn’t for them. The truth is, all of us are exercising, all of the time. When we carry heavy shopping we are exercising our trapezoids and tricep muscles; when we go for a 20 minute stroll in thirty five degree heat we are actually getting a cardiovascular workout; and when we climb the stairs to our offices, we are exercising every muscle in our legs, in addition to our abdominal muscles. The trick to exercising is to realise that you are already doing it, and work out how to build upon your current routine.

If you already take a daily stroll, you’ll find that turning that 20-minute stroll into a 40-minute walk is a much more natural progression than turning up at a gym and lifting 20 kilo weights when your body is not accustomed to that sort of strain. Fitness works best when people build upon what’s already there – rather than trying to undertake complex forms of training that they won’t adapt to overnight, and could potentially cause damage to their bodies. As referenced, many people feel intimidated by exercise and fitness because it is often a highly social activity. Many sports are played as part of teams and gyms are often filled with people on their own fitness journeys. Teams and gyms are great and play an essential part in the exercise and fitness realm – however many people might feel more comfortable beginning their fitness journey in a safe, familiar space and in 2023 there are an abundance of fitness apps, videos and online guidance to help would-be athletes develop in their own space – and at their own pace. If you’ll forgive the cliché, exercise is a marathon, not a sprint. The best chance you have of succeeding and achieving your goals is through patience, perseverance and building upon your fitness accomplishments, no matter how small they might be.