5 Keys to Start Exercising
Start exercising regularly is a really hard thing to do. The inertia of the first day – or of the first weeks – can make you not get into the habit of working out. You end up scrapping the idea quickly.
Because of this, we decided to share some ways to start exercising in order to get stronger willpower and enjoy the benefits that regular exercise can provide.
1. Define what exercise is to you
The idea of “exercising” isn’t usually well-defined. Some of the different ways of working out are: playing soccer, dancing, running, walking, doing yoga, going to the gym, swimming, etc. Because of that, in order to start exercising and turn it into a habit, it’s essential that you determine what kind of exercise you want to get involved in. It should be something that you like, that you can include easily into your routine, and that will bring you the benefits you want.
So, if one of your primary objectives is to increase your muscle mass, you can join a gym in order to exercise with weights. If you want to get thinner, you can go jogging frequently. If you want to socialize and meet new people while you exercise, you can opt for a team sport.
Aside from that, defining the type of exercise will mean having a clear objective in mind. Because of this, you shouldn’t think of going out for a jog. Instead, set the goal of jogging every morning in the neighborhood park for 20 minutes. This way, a clearer and visible objective will help you to focus better on the activity and undertake it more frequently.
“Starting to exercise will be easier if you pick an activity you like. If you do this, it’ll be easier to include in your routine.”
2. Start off with exercise that’s easy to do
If you’re not used to working out, really intense exercise can wear you out and make you hate the idea of doing it frequently. Since that is the case, the best thing to do is start with easy exercises that don’t demand much. They can help you start making it into a habit without feeling laziness when you do them. Little by little, you can increase the intensity of the exercise as your body starts getting used to the activity.
3. Choose another activity as a reminder
This step is very important so you don’t forget to exercise when you have to. Reminders can help you be aware of when you have to exercise, so you don’t unconsciously skip it. The reminder should be another activity that you have already made a habit of. This activity should be so internalized that you wouldn’t forget it.
As an example, you can exercise just before brushing your teeth, after drinking your morning coffee, or after making your bed. Once you choose the reminder, you can go back to tip number one: choosing a type of exercise for yourself at a specific time and in a planned location.
4. Find a healthy reward
A good way to incentivize yourself to exercise is to find a reward that you can enjoy after doing it. With this, you can conquer initial laziness and feel good when you finish the activity. You’ll also feel good due to the mental well-being exercise itself provides.
Even so, it’s very important that the reward be a healthy one. You could choose a relaxing bath, using soap with an especially pleasant fragrance, drinking tea, or spending some time listening to music. On the other hand, choosing rewards like smoking cigarettes or eating a piece of chocolate would be highly counterproductive.
5. Keep track of your progress
In order to better see the results you get with exercise, and for this to help you continue the habit, you can use methods like taking photos every few weeks. You could also just take measurements of the sizes of your muscles, such as the biceps, the gut, or the thighs.
Seeing yourself lose weight and gaining muscle will help you be more aware of the good results of your physical activity. This will motivate you to continue. In order to put this measure into practice, you can also use mobile applications that allow you to keep track of your exercise routine and activity.
As you can see, starting to exercise isn’t easy, because you have to make it into a habit. However, it has numerous benefits. Following a healthy lifestyle gives you energy and, most importantly, improves your emotional state.