Missy A Newbie’s Guide
So you have decided to start working out… Yaas! You got this! Go & Crush it! Soooo…. WTF does that even mean. I am going to skip over all the wonderful health benefits of moving, like lowering stress, sleeping better, mood enhancer weight loss, etc. You know all of that stuff because you decided to move. You want to start moving, so where do you start?
First things first, I know its completely exciting to want to make a dramatic change and get to it. Remember, it’s always a good idea to get checked out by your doctor first. If you are over 55 years old. It’s been a while since you tied up those sneakers. Then it’s especially important you get a ‘thumbs up’ from your physician. You never know!
Types of Fitness
You made the decision that this year you will move more. Possibly, you are struggling with low energy or you would like to lose a few pounds. Whatever the reason, you need to decide on what you would like to consistently do. There are three main components of fitness that you can pick from, but pick something you will enjoy doing or at the very least don’t pick something you hate.
- Flexibility & Mobility~ here is the unsexy truth. If it’s been a while since you’ve worked out, it is a good idea to make flexibility and mobility a priority. Or at least an equal partner to your preferred workout. Especially as we age, we develop imbalances. In order to run or lift weights, we need to have joint stability and mobility. If you don’t, then injury is soon to follow. Think stability and mobility as a foundation of a house. If the foundation is weak, you can still build on it and may have a beautiful structure, but one earthquake or storm, cracks will form or things start to dissolve. Yoga and Pilates practices are perfect for helping to strengthen and stretch.
- Cardio or cardiorespitory~ this get your heart pumping. When people think of cardio, they think of running, swimming, biking, or walking. You can’t help but think of those steady state or one level effort. If that sounds boring or long, try interval training or HIIT. A short burst of energy then recover. Repeat until the workout is done. HIIT is usually no longer than 20 minutes which is perfect for you super busy ladies with careers/kids/animals/social life. The key is to give an all-out effort for the HIGH-intensity part. Interval is common with ellipticals, running, etc. In this case, you would go at a fast tempo for a designated amount of time, then recover. Repeat.
- Strength Training, This builds muscles, which boost metabolism. The more lean muscle you build, the more calories you burn when not working out. So essentially, it burns fat during and after you exercise.
It is recommended that you have all three components into your workout plan. Since you are just starting to make exercise a habit, pick one thing and do it consistently. You will start to see changes and crave more. This is when you should consider incorporating the other two modalities into your week.
Final note, consistency is key. So if are unsure what type of workout you would enjoy doing, you can schedule a different workout each time to find your groove. Walk one day, yoga after, then Zumba for your third workout. Just be consistent on showing up to the committed amount of time you decided.
How much should I exercise?
The Mayo Clinic suggests 150 minutes of moderate to intense activity per week. What does that look like… it could be (5) 30 minute walks each week. It could be (2) 60-minute cycling class. Or a mixture of all three activities that add up to 150 minutes.
Noticed the recommendation says, moderate, not leisure. If you were to rate your effort it should hover around 5-6 out of scale from 1-10. Again, since you have just committed to moving more, it’s important you focus on moving consistently over focusing on the goal of 150 minutes. This is where you need to be completely honest with yourself. What can you commit to the first week?
Schedule it in!
First, decide what date you will start working out. Then, schedule it in your calendar, even if that is not your thing. Schedule it. Put it up on a sticky note & place it on your bathroom mirror. Write it on a piece of paper and stick it on your refrigerator door. Write what you are going to do when you will do it, and for how long. Keep this at the forefront of your mind. If this is important to you that you are not tired walking up one flight of stairs, make this a priority. If you don’t write/type it in, there is no intention and it will easily be shuffle aside for other tasks.
That being said, life happens. Don’t beat yourself up if you have to reschedule. Just reschedule and move on. If this happens repeatedly, for example, you keep missing your 6 am gym time because the night before you went to bed too late because of work/kids/social, then it’s time to rethink when you can commit to going to the gym.
I am going to say this again. Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. In order to achieve anything you want to accomplish, you have to take action consistently. The hardest part is starting. So get that first workout in. Then schedule the next one. There will be bumps and setbacks. Always go back to why you’re waking up early to go to the gym. Why you are passing on happy hours with co-workers so you can make it to your Bootcamp class. I will end this with one of the best tag-lines of all time… JUST DO IT!
