How to Start Practicing

Posted on May 14, 2020 by resourcefulman

Reading about exercise when you aren’t doing it is like watching a train speeding by on a flyover. You think that I would be fine if I were up there , but I am here and I have no momentum.

Today we’re going to talk about how to get started exercising, whether you are not exercising at all or not doing as much as you want.

If you have fitness experience but it was a long time ago

It can be difficult to get back to training, if only because you realize how far you are from where you were before. You can run, but your old light running pace now feels like a sprint. You would like to set new personal records or pursue your old goals, but you can’t do that until you’ve spent months, if not years, trying to get back to where you were before.

Getting back to things requires a change in attitude . You can do the same exercises as before, but your old mindset is not necessarily the one you should be using now. Be kind to yourself and be honest about where you are right now. You will have to walk at a slower pace or use lighter weights than before. Stay in the moment and just focus on being a little better today than yesterday.

If you are new to exercise

It’s never too late to start. You will need to learn something, habits and skills to develop. Accept that you are on the road and things won’t be easy at first. You also won’t see results instantly. Remember that you are in this for a long time and that consistency matters more than the specifics of what you do. Use the best advice you can find, but don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Nobody is perfect at first. You can survive any problems you face.

Start very very small

When you start reading exercise programs and talking with friends about what they are doing, you will quickly make a mental list of things you “should” do. There is nothing wrong with that if you remember one thing: do not try to change everything at once .

Pick one thing, just one. Lightweight . Maybe you can do a few push-ups (even if it’s just wall push-ups) every day, or maybe you can start going for walks.

If you want to shoot workout videos, choose the ones that you can actually follow, rather than the ones that tire you in the first five minutes and make you sad that you are not on time. Never, ever, blame yourself for being too out of shape to keep up with a particular program or workout. When this happens, it means the workout just isn’t right for your level.

I like to think about progress in 2 week blocks. Pick something small that you can add to your life within two weeks. Not “I’m going to do this awesome workout today,” but rather, “I’m going to do this medium workout three times a week.”

After two weeks, you can add something else. You may want to go for a walk or go for a run on non-home workout days so you can have something to do every day. Or maybe you change your diet. Or maybe you replace the workout you were doing with a more challenging one. Whatever you choose, make one small change and give it another two weeks. Then repeat.

Find a guide

There’s a reason the Couch to 5K is so popular: because it gives you a complete blueprint . You can follow it for nine weeks (or longer if you repeat some weeks), and you will always know what to do today and what you will do next week.

The two-week structure I suggest above is sort of a plan. You decide what you do at each stage. If you like this sound, great! Stick to. But if you have specific goals, you’ll want to find a plan that will achieve them.

Initial Strength is a popular program for aspiring powerlifters because it provides a structure for weekly workouts and promises progress if you stick to it. Stronglifts 5×5 does the same and has a very easy to use app. Neither is really for super beginners – you need someone to help you learn the exercises – but the structure and simplicity make them easy to do.

From a list of workout programs targeting different goals, I like this one put together by the r / fitness subreddit . In the beginning, does not really matter which program you choose, if you are doing something, and it allows you to be consistent in how to become more active. As you get more athletic, you will have a better understanding of what you like and what you don’t, and you will have a basic physical form that will allow you to get started right away, no matter what exercise program you are. try next time.

Carry out investigations

You may not immediately find an exercise regimen that you really like . There are two approaches to this.

One is to see exercise as worthwhile, even if it’s boring. Some people really enjoy doing the same thing every day. It doesn’t turn them on, but it grounded them.

The opposite approach is to keep trying different things until you find something that captures your heart. Try eating for 5 km and see if you love to run. Not? Maybe it’s time to dust off your old bike and see if cycling is right for you. Not? Grab a pair of dumbbells and try to lift. You get the idea.

Here are a few things to try:

Stick to

When you start exercising, you are asking your body to do something it has never done before. It’s okay to get sick. (You’re also probably asking your brain to do something new, like choosing the right sports bra or folding weights on a barbell. Relax a bit.)

But let’s talk about pain . You will feel the worst when you try something new, and this is another reason to start with the simplest workouts. If you constantly change your daily routine, each change can annoy you. Consistency will help.

Soreness is often perceived by beginners as a problem: a thing that needs to be dealt with vigorously, as if it could be cured with some kind of stretching or treatment. But the truth is, soreness just happens, and as you get stronger, there will be less soreness. Anything you are encouraged to do to relieve pain distracts you more from the pain in the moment. My best advice is to just accept that soreness sometimes happens and that it will go away.

Sometimes beginners ask me, an avid athlete, you have all the time just hurts? And the answer is: I don’t know? May be? I often feel a little soreness here or there, but it doesn’t hurt. With rare exceptions – for example, right after a competition or a particularly tough week in the gym – I hardly notice it. And once you get used to your new workout routine, you won’t stop either.

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