Exercise - How to Start

Exercise! This article is written from the perspective that you do little exercise today, and by the fact you are at least reading this, you would like to start exercising and want to know how to start running. At this stage we're not going to tell you what to do, but we want you to get your mind into the zone that says 'I need to exercise', and now you are taking the first steps to understand why and what you need to think about. We'll discuss in a further article how to get started.

To exercise, you need mental strength. For someone who has exercised all their life, it's part of their daily routine and they don't think to much about it, as it's normal! But if it's not normal for you, you need to shift your thinking.

Questions you need to ask are:

What are my goals - how fit do I want to get? How will I measure my fitness?

Why do I need to exercise? Well from a medical perspective, that's easy. Probably the most important reason is to improve your cardiovascular fitness - that's the fitness level of your heart, lungs, veins and arteries. As your fitness improves, your heart will become more efficient and won't need to work so hard. Exercise will also help you either lose weight, or maintain the weight that you lost. There is no point going on a diet and then putting the weight back on. For the duration of the exercise you do and the calories you burn, you need to figure out the calories you should eat to compensate for the exercise. In addition, there's a reduced risk of heart disease, lowers blood pressure if it's high, improves your strength and stamina and should also reduce stress.

Should I consult a doctor first - if you are someone who hasn't exercised, suffered heart disease, has high blood pressure, are pregnant then absolutely.

How am I going to remain motivated? That's a tough one, but as you see yourself 'feeling' fitter, you should be hungry to want to keep doing it. Just make sure you find the time. If you have a friend who is at a similar fitness level, see if they want to join in.

Have I agreed to eat properly going forward - if you haven't then why not?

Will I keep a diary - you should as you can then watch your progress. Also make sure your life fits into your new exercise regime.

Where will I do my exercise - that's a personal choice. Me I love to run on the street (just watch out for the traffic). Others prefer the gym.

Will I enjoy it - you bet! But lets be honest it may be a struggle to start with. But don't give up.

When am I going to start - great question. Set a date so you are mentally prepared.

How often? - As a guide for every adult, 30 minutes exercise, 5 days a week should be the norm. As we get older, our metabolism slows. If you don't exercise or eat less and/or healthily, you will most likely put on weight.

They are just a few questions for you to think about before you even put your trainers on!

Do not consider negatives that stop you from wanting to start. You must remain positive.

Some basics you should do regardless:
When presented with an escalator, walk up it
Get off the bus a stop early
Take the stairs instead of a lift

OK, so now you are at least thinking about it. Create lots of posivitivity wanting to get fit. In the next article we'll assume, you've decided to go for it, you've thought through the questions, probably come up with some more and you want to start.

So help me. Give me some comments. Let me know how I can help, what you would like to understand next. Ask!

Lana Soko is passionate about health and writes for http://www.lose-weight-with-us.com



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