Excercise

Five steps to exercise success: 

1. Start slowly and build up gradually. Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down with easy walking or gentle stretching. Speed up to a pace you can keep for 5-10 minutes without getting overly tired. As your stamina improves, gradually increase the time you exercise. Work your way up to 30-60 minutes of exercise most days of the week 

2. Divide and conquer. You don't have to do all your exercise at one time. Shorter but more-frequent sessions still deliver meaningful aerobic benefits. Exercising in short sessions a few times a day may fit into your schedule better than a single 30-minute session.  

3. Exercise doesn’t need to be an expensive habit. You can power walk, run, perform body-weight exercises, dance, stretch, and whatever else your imagination can create. Just be sure to move, raise your heart rate, and activate your muscles. 

4. Get creative. Make sure your workout routine includes various activities, such as walking, cycling, and yoga, and don't stop there. Take a weekend hike with your friends or family, go dancing, kayaking, or paddle boarding.  

5. Listen to your body. If you feel pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or nausea, it’s time to take a break. You may be pushing yourself too hard. You’re probably not training for the Olympics, so it’s time to back-off, rest, and recover. 

6. Be flexible in your mindset. If you're not feeling good, if you have a cough or a cold, or the flu, give yourself permission to take a few days off. Whilst every session counts, no one session matters most.  

2. Assemble your Equipment 

Most people starting out on a fitness journey will buy a new pair of athletic shoes. The key is to invest in equipment that fulfils the task. Think practical, enjoyable, and easy to use. Think of the long-term, consider what type of exercise you would like to do in six-months, a year, and invest in equipment that will support and empower the journey. 

Wearable tech or fitness apps can provide you with some useful insights and data such as distance covered, calories burned, and heart rate.. Some external changes can take longer to realise than internal ones (i.e. improving your resting heart rate and exercise heart rate can happen within a couple of weeks, losing a few inches off your waist might take a month or two).  

3. Design a fitness program! 

It's easy to exercise every day if you have a well-considered a plan. When designing your fitness program, keep these ten points in mind: 

1. Consider your fitness goals. Are you starting a fitness program to help lose weight? Or do you have another motivation, such as preparing for a triathlon? A clear goal will help you stay motivated. 

2. Create a balance. For most healthy adults, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, per-week. 

3. Exercise snacks. Larger amounts of exercise will provide even greater health benefits, but even small amounts of exercise activity are helpful. Being active for short periods of time throughout the day can add up to provide health benefits. We call this ‘exercise snacks,’ in which you include ten-minutes of increased activity like taking a brisk walk, performing some simple stretches, or yoga. 

4. Strength is the key to physical independence. Perform strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least twice per-week. Aim to do a single set of each exercise, using a weight or resistance band/ level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12-15 repetitions. 

5. Start low and progress slowly. If you have an injury or a medical condition, consult your doctor or an exercise specialist for help designing your fitness program. Make sure that the exercises you select gradually improve your range of motion, strength, and endurance. 

6. Make the time. Finding time to exercise can be a challenge. To make it easier, schedule time to exercise as you would any other appointment. Plan to watch your favourite show while walking on the treadmill or read while riding a stationary bike. 

7. Plenty of variety. Different activities keep boredom at bay. Cross-training, using low-impact forms of activity, such as biking or water exercise (swimming, aqua-aerobics), also reduces your chances of injuring or overusing muscles or joints. Alternate activities that emphasize different parts of your body. 

8. HIIT it up! Give high-interval intensity training a go. You perform short bursts of high-intensity activity separated by recovery periods of low-intensity activity. This can bring great health and fitness outcomes but use it sparingly. 

9. Embrace the power of rest. Many people start exercising with frantic enthusiasm, often working-out for too long or too intensely, and then have to give up when their muscles and joints become sore or injured.  

10. Put it on paper. A goal without a plan is just a dream. A written plan will encourage you to stay on track, make you accountable, and help you keep to track of your success. 

4. Measure your fitness level!

Noting your baseline fitness scores and set benchmarks against which progress can be measured. It is best to assess your aerobic and muscular fitness, flexibility, and body composition. 

1. Record your pulse rate before and immediately after walking 1 kilometre. 

2. Time how long it takes to walk 1 mile, or how long it takes to run 3 kilometres. 

3. Count how many standard or modified push-ups you can do at a time. 

4. Measure how far you can reach forward while seated with your legs in front of you. 

5. Measure your waist circumference (just above your hipbones). 

6. Determine your body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres squared). 

5. Re-test to measure progress

As with all things in life, aim for improvement not perfection. By repeating your initial personal fitness assessment you will see what changes are taking place, or if you need to increase the time you exercise to continue improving. 

If you lose motivation, set new goals, or try a brand-new activity. The crucial thing is that you keep active, keep exercising, and keep engaging physically with the world.  

1. Will it add positively to my day? 

2. Will it make my heart rate increase? 

3. Will it require me to move my body dynamically? 

4. Will it provide a good challenge? 

So long as your choice of activity fulfils these four questions, you’re on to a winner. The only rule is that you must swap, not stop. Change the exercise or activity for a new one. Making exercise a social activity delivers much more than a physical response, it offers a sense of community and like-minded interaction. Go find your tribe!