So you’ve finally decided to buckle down and start your fitness journey. Congratulations!
Doctors have long labeled exercise as the “magic pill”: it’s the single biggest factor in preventing major health conditions like obesity, diabetes, dementia, and cardiac arrest. On the flip side of this coin, it can also be a huge mood booster and stress reliever, improving your day-to-day mental health.
All of these may sound like amazing benefits—but they won’t help you on day one when you’re struggling to decide where to start! If you’re new to the world of exercise, here’s what you should do to develop a fitness mindset that will keep you going for longer.
Brainstorm Specific Goals
General workouts for the sake of exercising are fine, but narrowing down specific goals can help motivate and inspire you to stick to the habit. In addition, having a goal in mind makes it easier for you to consider the steps you’ll need to get there, offering you a natural progression to follow as you start your fitness journey.
Keep a few simple tips in mind. First, make sure to have a specific and realistic goal—ideally a SMART goal—to keep you grounded. In addition, consider writing your goal down and posting it somewhere you’ll see it every day to maintain commitment.
Take Small Steps
One of the most common mistakes people make when starting their fitness journey is to bite off more than they can chew with their workouts. When you’re just starting to exercise, you may not be as in tune with what your body is telling you—which can make it easy to miss red flags that you’re taking things too far.
Don’t try to push yourself as hard as you possibly can from day one. Instead, ease into the workouts step by step, or consider following a tried-and-tested beginner’s exercise plan specific to your goal.
Accept the Process
If there’s one thing to remember about getting fit, it’s that you have to accept not seeing a considerable change overnight. Developing a healthy lifestyle takes time, and though it can feel disheartening to look in the mirror after a few intense workouts and see no change, trust that you’ll get there eventually.
Being patient and consistent is key here. In the moments early on when you feel like your workouts are going nowhere, find ways to accept and enjoy the grind.
Find New Workouts
Grinding through gym workouts can be great, but it’s not ideal for everyone all the time. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to slip a workout into your busy schedule, as long as you’re creative about it.
To work out at home, check out YouTube’s extensive library of exercise videos to learn a new type of workout, like Zumba or Pilates. Alternatively, you can find ways to work out at home with weight-control gadgets, like the fitness enthusiasts in the BionicGym Reviews.
If you’d like to get out of the house instead, try joining your local roller derby or recreational baseball team. Whatever you decide, new ways of working out can make fitness more fun!
Start Your Fitness Journey Today
Starting your fitness journey allows you to reap a wide spectrum of benefits—and beyond that, it simply feels good. If you’re ready to get healthy, the tips above can help you stay on the right track to improve your health. Get started today to begin seeing those long-term benefits!
Looking for more health and fitness tips to guide your way forward? Check out our other posts for additional insights.
