Nervous to start an exercise program but want to get some thing positive for your health? It doesn’t have to be complicated, You just have to be consistent. We see it all the time where people think they need to spend an hour or more, every single day training to see results and health benefits. Although, getting as much movement in throughout the day is a great thing, especially if you have a sedentary job or current lifestyle. Sometimes just doing a little more than you are currently doing will have huge benefits. If right now you commute to work, sit in an office all day, commute home just to sit on the couch or at your kids sporting event; then adding in a 30 minute walk on your lunch break 3 days a week could give you amazing health benefits. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it just has to be something that you will actually do long enough to see the benefits.
If you are ready to start a strength training routine, my suggestion would be to start with 2 days a week. You need more than one day to build adaptation and routine that turns into a habit. Stick to 2 days a week for a few weeks until you see how your body responds to the activity and how you recover. Once you feel like 2 days isn’t enough, try adding in a third day. Once that becomes a habit, and you feel recovered, try adding in a fourth day. If a fourth day becomes daunting or a stress to make it consistently, go back to 3 days week. Remember, our goal is to make this routine a consistent habit, so if you are not going to stick with it, scale back to what you will actually do. It is way better to get to the gym consistently 8 times spread out over a month than to go 8 days in a row for the first week than not again for 3-4 weeks. We are playing the long game here. Not a sprint.
The next piece to the puzzle is also progressively doing more than you are currently doing. We hit plateaus when we do the same thing, at the same weight or duration, without ever making it harder. This is true for walking, running, lifting weights, or life in general. Start with lighter weights or a 30 minute walk and as that gets easy, slowly build. This could mean using heavier weights, doing more reps at the same weight, or adding a hill into your walking route. Again- this does not have to be crazy, just challenge yourself and don't get too comfortable with any given exercise. Don't use muscle soreness as a gauge of how hard you are working. You do not need to be sore or push for soreness after a workout for it to be effective. Often times, muscle soreness is a result of not enough sleep or food to aid in your recovery but that is a topic for another day!
If you need help getting started, or you have tried it on your own and can’t stick with it, that is where working with trained coaches and joining a gym community help in a tremendous way. Surround yourself with people with similar goals and who want to see you succeed. Booking your free consultation is a great place to get started! Click ‘Start today’ to book!
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