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Embarking upon a fitness journey will change your life for the better.
After all, this can help you to overcome a wide range of physical and emotional challenges, while also giving your confidence a boost. However, for those who have not worked out in some time, it can be hard to know where to begin.
With that in mind, here are some expert tips you may find useful at the start of your fitness journey.
Start by increasing your daily step count. Jumping straight into a vigorous exercise routine may seem like a great way to transition to a healthy lifestyle as quickly as possible. However, pushing yourself too far early on is much more likely to lead to being overwhelmed, burnt out, and even injured than it is to lead to long-term success. As such, don’t be afraid to start small and work your way up to more intense workouts over time.
For example, the best place to start when it comes to moving your body more is increasing your daily step count. While there’s a lot of conflicting information out ther about how many steps a day will help you to lose weight, or what your target should be, aim to hit a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, treating anything else a bonus.
Find an activity you love. One of the easiest ways to develop a fitness habit that sticks is to make sure you actually enjoy what you are doing. This way, you’ll feel much more motivated to work out, as opposed to viewing it as a chore. For the most part, this also means you’ll work harder, too! As such, try out a few different kinds of workouts, from instructor-led classes to weightlifting, until you find something that feels like a good fit.
Find an accountability buddy. Accountability is incredibly important, especially when you are at the very start of your fitness journey. After all, it often means the difference between continuing to push forward and giving up entirely. If this is something that you have struggled with in the past, finding an ‘accountability buddy’ could be a real game changer. This way, you’ve got someone in your corner encouraging you to keep going.
On a similar note, you should always make sure that you ask for help when you need it. For example, if you want to try out a new peice of equipment at the gym, there are plenty of people who will be able to show you the basics, whether that’s an employee or another gym-goer. Asking for some support could also be a great way to make friends!
Final thoughts. There’s no denying that the first few steps of your fitness journey are the hardest. This is because you’ve still got your entire journey laid out ahead of you, and it can take a little while to really find your stride. However, following the advice above and ensuring that you have a positive mindset will help you get started on the right track.
