Whether you’re thinking of joining a local gym, or working out in your home, the hardest step to working out is that first step – where do you begin? Here’s some fitness tips for beginners to help you start on the road to better health and fitness.
Tip #1 – Start Slow!
The adage that you should “learn to walk before you run” makes quite a bit of sense. Don’t just jump on that treadmill and start running. Your muscles and connective tissues need to build up a bit and get used to what you’re tasking them to do – so start out slow and build up your strength and stamina. This will help you avoid both soreness and injury that could keep you from maintaining a healthy workout habit.
Tip #2 – Create a Workout Plan
“Fail to Plan and you Plan to Fail”. Without a structure to your workouts, you’ll never progress. There are plenty of plans online that you can search for to find a plan that fits your fitness level, schedule, and interests.
Tip #3 – Chart your Progress
“You Can’t Expect What You Don’t Inspect” – once you have your plan, and start your workouts – at the end of your workout, write down what you did. If you’re doing cardio, note your time, speed, and heart rate. If you’re doing strength training, note what exercises you did, the weight you used, how many sets you did, and how many reps per set. With this, you can not only see your improvement, but you’ll see where you start to plateau as your body gets used to that exercise – with this information, you can then make decisions as to how best to change up your routine.
Tip #4 – Plan To Change Your Routine Regularly
Your body, over time will get used to what you’re doing, and you’ll plateau (in other words, you’ll stop progressing). This is normal – and is actually a good sign! It means you’ve increased your strength and endurance. But to keep your progress moving upward, you’ll need to have a plan for once you do plateau, how you can change up your workout so that your body is forced to adapt again to something different. (And, changing up your workouts keeps them from getting boring as well!)
Tip #5 – Warm Up Before Your Workouts – And Cool Down After Them
Warming up with stretching exercises before your workouts moves blood to your muscles, and streches both your muscles and connective tissues, helping you to avoid injury. And, post workout stretching can help move lactic acid out of your muscles, helping to minimize post-workout soreness as well!
And, if you’re looking for equipment for your home workouts, stop by any of Fitness 4 Home Superstore’s 3 Phoenix area locations. We carry a full range of cardio & strength equipment that is perfect for your home gym.
