Even light exercise is good for you, so don’t get discouraged!
The most important thing to remember about exercise is that you should pick something you enjoy doing first, and then worry about whether or not it’s the best exercise for you later.
The biggest mistake that most people make when they start an exercise routine is the choice of exercise. Most people start out excited, and they pick a really hard exercise routine to start out. They also tend to pick the type of exercise that is recommended to them, instead of one that they enjoy.
The upshot of this approach is that people lose momentum, begin to hate their exercise routine and eventually quit altogether.
It is impossible to overstress how important it is to avoid doing this. An exercise routine you enjoy doing and completing is invaluable starting out. A little exercise can make a difference in your health and fitness, countless studies have shown that people who only get one hour walking a week have better health than those who get no exercise at all.
Once you get into the swing of your routine you will probably want to step up its intensity somewhat, but ensure you don’t fall into the old trap of stepping it up too much. Say you enjoy riding a bike and you cycle a short distance every second evening, once you become used to this you will find you are able to cycle further, quicker and for longer. At that point the best plan is to stretch your routine to encompass your greater abilites, retaining a challenge when you go cycling.
If you feel you are well settled into an exercise program, then to advance you should begin to expand it. If, for example, you walk a certain distance three times a week, aim to walk it four or even five times a week, or maybe increase the distance you walk so as to maintain the challenge.
Try to vary your exercise also, this will help avoid boredom. If you become bored doing your exercise then you will begin to get sick of it. So liven it up by doing different exercises.
An exercise routine which trains all of your body is obviously a good one, so maybe you should look into getting a membership in a local gym or perhaps buying a body workout machine for your home. By getting a total body workout your whole body will feel, and look, better.
Don’t allow yourself to get discouraged; you won’t always be in the mood to exercise. If you don’t feel like exercising, then just take that day off. There is no harm in missing a day’s exercise here and there, in fact it can help you prevent become burned out. Just try to ensure the day off doesn’t become a permanent break.
Even if you end up not exercising for so long that you get out of your routine, that is no reason to give up. Just start exercising again – no matter how much or how little exercise you do, it will always benefit you. Whether you’re looking to continue or change your current exercise routine, or you’re just starting to exercise again, good luck!
Peter Hilsper is webmaster and editor at ROAR Exercise [http://www.roarexercise.com] which is crammed with the best in health information, links and articles. Read more at: [http://www.roarexercise.com]
