08/25/2007 03:48
Getting started
I've been asked how to make a start with home exercise, so here are a few tips for you. I'm only talking about home exercise DVDs here, so I won't be covering running, team sports or any of that other stuff. This advice is based on my own personal experience and what has worked for me.
Getting Started
- Realize that your weight and fitness levels are a result of your food intake and your daily exercise. It's 80-85% food intake, 15-20% exercise. You have to understand that exercise alone will not get you the results you want. Exercising will not make up for food indiscretions or a poor diet in general. On the other hand, a clean diet alone will not get you the toned and trim look you're after, either. Dietary changes alone will leave you looking like a deflated balloon--you'll weigh less, but will you look better? You must exercise as well in order to get the look and the vibrant fitness level that you want.
- Determine that you are going to establish a fitness regime in your daily life. You are going to make it a priority in your week. Decide that when scheduling conflicts occur, you are not going to instantly jettison the workout. It will be like a rock sitting in the middle of a stream. Everything else will have to flow around it. Be resolute, particularly in the beginning.
- Sit down with a calendar and have a hard look at a month's worth of your daily schedule. Write it all down. What time do you get up? If you work, what hours do you work? What time do you go to bed? What unyielding commitments do you have during the average month? (ie, church on Sunday and Wednesday night, a late finish at work every other Monday, taking kids to piano lessons Thursday afternoons, etc). Look for pockets of opportunity in your schedule. As a beginning exerciser, you should plan for three days a week. This is the minimum amount of exercise required for general health. (As time passes, you will increase your workouts. For fitness--ie, a true training effect--you are going to work out a minimum of five days a week. But let's start off right.) Be honest with yourself. You've got 24 hours in a day--8 for sleeping, 8 for work, and 8 to yourself. Out of 56 hours of available free time in a week, you CAN find 3. Find them. (Example: Monday-Wednesday-Friday; Friday-Sunday-Tuesday; Saturday-Tuesday-Friday----it doesn't matter! Just try not to schedule them back to back). As to the time of day, it makes no difference whether you work out early in the morning or in the evening. Just make sure you haven't eaten a meal within an hour of working out and it isn't too close to bed time.
- Start researching a fitness instructor and training style that you are going to enjoy. Borrow DVDs from friends or the library. View clips online. Just watch, at first. Think about whether you will really like something. Ignore their health claims, which are usually exaggerated. Just think about whether or not doing what you're watching would be fun to you. I'm going to post more on various instructors later…
- Now, go shopping. You are starting a collection of fitness wear that makes you feel cute and attractive. I have found that good quality, attractive workout clothes will put me in the mood to exercise and motivate me very much. Go to the sports shops and check out the clearance racks--there's always something marked down. Start with two outfits--you'll need something to wear while the other one is in the wash. I suggest a pair of shorts and pair of trousers, a sports bra and a sports vest. The dry weave stuff is excellent as it wicks sweat and fits very close to the body to allow for freedom of movement. Don't be afraid of close-fitting clothing for working out. You're at home and no one else can see you. The close-fitting clothing will allow you to be honest in your assessment of yourself, and you will notice subtle changes to your body better. I have no chest to speak of, so the built-in bras are fine for me, but if you're well endowed, invest in a good sports bra to go under your tops. It is very important for your comfort. You will also want to get some good socks and a pair of cross trainers designed for aerobics. Cross trainers do not feel like walking shoes so don't be put off when you try them on for the first time. They are designed for moving side to side and have cushioning and padding in all the right places for the kind of work you are going to be doing. When you try them on, do some grapevines, squats, lunges and other moves you've seen or tried while previewing your workouts. If the shoes are not comfortable from the first time you lace them up, don't buy them! Keep trying on shoes. Do not worry about what color they are or how they look. Comfort and support are all you should care about. These shoes will only be used for your workouts. Keep them in the box when not working out--the soles of these shoes will never touch anything but the floors of your own home!) Part of the point of all this is the investment. Having spent the money, you are going to feel bad if you don't work out. And when you are working out, you are going to be very grateful that you bought proper equipment. No slouchy old T-shirts and five-year-old trainers that you also garden in!!! DO NOT DO THAT!
Well, that's enough for a start. I've got to shopping and when I get home I'm doing Kundalini Yoga Bliss Hips!
More tips in the next post!