New To Exercising? How to Set Yourself Up For Success

by | Feb 11, 2019 | Personal Development

Two people in athletic wear are setting themselves up for success by running up a set of outdoor stairs. They are dressed in gray tops and black pants or shorts, with the person on the right sporting bright green accents. The sky is clear, and the urban environment features concrete structures.

Exercise is good for the body and the heart in particular. Good news is that it doesn’t have to be a vigorous activity. An exercise as simple as walking, aerobic dancing, swimming or cycling will do the job of keeping your health in check. If you are just starting out, it might be hard at first to stick to a schedule. Chances are you might drop along the way. For this reason, here are a few tips that will see you fair on and remain motivated:

Dress in the right attire

Believe it or not but the attire you dress in may make or break your exercise regimen. For this reason, look for well-fitting sneakers that are comfortable or simply laced flat shoes if you are walking or jogging in the morning. Additionally, on the clothing, don loose-fitting clothes that you are comfortable in and that will cover you depending on the weather as well as the activity you choose to take part in.

Block out some time

There’s no need resolving to start an exercise regimen if you can’t find the time to do it. As such, you need to set aside some time daily or almost daily to do it. Don’t go all in. Start slowly and gradually build it up. You could start with half an hour every day. Furthermore, it pays to exercise on the same time every day so that it is ingrained in your lifestyle. So you could set the period from 6 to 6:30 in the morning to be for walking. After settling on a convenient time, look for the ideal place to carry out your activity. Make it into a habit if you are to succeed. In case you don’t make to exercise during your appointed time, work some activity into the day in some other way.

Set reasonable goals

Don’t expect too much from yourself when starting out. You can exercise more by looking for more ways to add activity during the day. You could, say, opt to take the stairs and pass on using the escalator. Avoid exercising vigorously right after eating, when the temperatures are harsh or when you don’t feel like doing it.

Keep track

Get a logbook or calendar which you will use to note down your activities. Include details like the miles you covered and the time you clocked while taking part in the activity. Set some specific milestones and reward yourself (non-food items) when you achieve them.

Exercising can be boring so you can incorporate some music or podcasts to keep it interesting. You can also spice it up with a variety of exercises and in the long run, you will start to see the benefits.