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Starting a Healthy Fitness Routine Okay, your doctor has given you the green light to start an exercise program, and mentally, you’re ready. What next? Ask yourself some questions and be brutally honest. Do I need to be surrounded by a peer group to make this work? Do I need expert instruction? Am I too embarrassed by my weight to feel comfortable around others? These are important questions because they will help you determine the setting and style of your workouts. Workout partners can share your goals and encourage you to keep at it. On the flip side, partners can be tardy for scheduled workouts and drag you down when their own attitude starts to turn sour. Also, If you have never been an athlete, you may lack the knowledge to properly design a good, safe workout. You may not be willing to exercise around others because you are simply too self-conscious. Fitness Clubs If you are unfamiliar with the basic elements of a good workout, such as warm-up, stretching and good breathing technique, consider a trial membership at a fitness club. Many clubs have extended hours that can accommodate your busy schedule. Some even have babysitters. The club management will usually give new members a tour of the facilities and show them how to use the equipment. If you have the money, you can also hire an in house personal trainer to tailor a workout just for you. The better clubs will have weights, resistance machines, stationery bicycles, treadmills, aerobic classes and sometimes, lap pools. Fitness clubs are very social, but if you stay focused, you can complete a good workout in a short period of time. At the end of the trial period, you may want to stay on and extend your membership. It’s a great place for those who like to be around others when they exercise. Even if you don’t like the environment or find it too time consuming to get there, you should walk away with some knowledge of how to exercise properly. Planning your own fitness routine Many of us have had athletic training and are pretty sure that we know what it takes to be fit. The sidewalks are littered with our broken bodies. We forget that we no longer have the strength and energy of a teenager. We impatiently push ourselves too hard to gain what was once ours. We get injured and the workouts stop. All we really need to do is to start with something a little harder than what we do now and learn to like it. Walking 30 minutes four or five times a week will give our legs and cardiovascular system enough work to add strength and increased lung capacity. You can accomplish the same thing riding a bicycle, mobile or stationery. Swimming is a great way to avoid too much stress to the knee joints and feet. Make your workouts enjoyable. When the routine starts to become too easy, then consider adding some intensity. You can include some hills in the walking route or maybe you would rather start running instead. By slowly but steadily increasing the workload on your body, you can improve your fitness and avoid the burnout that comes from pushing too hard. At some point, you will realize that your day is incomplete if you don’t get in your exercise. Team Sports Avoid team sports until you are fit enough to participate. Don’t start playing to get into shape; get into shape to start playing. Even highly trained athletes get injured playing against other highly trained athletes. Amateur sports can have a lot of size, weight, age and ability discrepancies that put the weaker athletes at risk. Remember that your long term goal is to be healthy and fit, not to settle for a few moments of glory and then head to the hospital. Whether you head to the gym, hit the road or set-up some fitness equipment at home, there are many ways to get started. If one way doesn’t seem right for you, try something else. Read what the experts have to say or talk to some professionals. Just get started. Chances are you will evolve over time, anyway, and will find yourself doing good things that weren’t part of your original plan. Discover your inner athlete. Choosing an exercise program that fits your disposition and current state of health increases the likelihood that you will stick with it.
Del Vogel For more information, visit www.healthandfitnessforyou.org
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