We all know the importance of keeping fit and healthy. Doing regular exercise has been shown to lower the risks of heart disease, strokes, cancer, depression/anxiety, and a whole host of other unpleasant health conditions that can negatively impact and even reduce your lifespan. Despite it being drummed into us that exercise is a must, more than a few of us are guilty of not doing any.
If you’re a beginner looking to start working out, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to go quite as hard as your fitness fanatic friends. This shouldn’t put you off, though. Everyone needs to start somewhere! That being said, there are some things to keep in mind as a beginner. To help you, we’ve put together some top tips that should provide you with a bit more insight and make you feel more prepared as you start your fitness journey.
1. Invest in Proper Activewear
First thing’s first, you need to invest in proper activewear. You might think a basic pair of pumps, a t-shirt, and some shorts will be sufficient, but this isn’t the case. A good pair of trainers will provide your feet and ankles with the support they need, lessening your chances of incurring an injury.
In addition, proper tops and bottoms will allow you to better regulate your body temperature as you work out, ensuring you don’t overheat or end up being able to wring out your clothes after just 10 minutes. For women, sports bras will also help to prevent discomfort and provide adequate support to your back and chest.
You don’t necessarily need the most expensive, branded activewear, but something more stringent than basic cotton items will serve you well. Your requirements may determine the best site to buy sportswear online. While there are numerous possibilities for purchasing sportswear online, cost, convenience, and quality are all key considerations. Bodcraft.com now has a large selection of sportswear for both men and women. T-shirts, shorts, leggings, and other athletic apparel may now be purchased for the lowest possible prices on the internet.
2. Think About Supplements
You might think that supplements are for long-standing fitness fanatics only, but this isn’t true. There’s no reason why as a beginner you can’t reap the benefits of a pre-workout or an immune-boosting supplement. Provided you use established, trusted brands like Alpha Lion, and you know what you’re trying to get out of your workout, supplements can give you the energy boost you need to kickstart your workout journey.
3. Start Slowly
Our next tip is to start slowly. You might want to go right in and do a 5km run as a warm up, followed by an intense strength session, but as a beginner, you likely won’t be able to. If you push yourself too hard, you could incur an injury. You need to give your body and your time to adjust. Even if you can only do a 20-minute gentle workout to begin with followed by two rest days, this is fine. One of the most important parts of working out is listening to your body.
4. Keep Track of Progress
Tip number four is to keep track of your progress. This will be useful to see how far you’ve come, especially on those days where you’re not really feeling it. Things like noting down how long it takes you to run a lap or swim a length, and taking photos of your physique to see how it has changed, could provide you with an extra boost of motivation to keep going.
5. Choose Exercises You Enjoy
Our final tip is to choose exercises you enjoy. If you’re not into running, don’t force yourself to do it. If you don’t like weight training, avoid it. If you force yourself to do workouts you don’t enjoy, you won’t want to do them. If you like dancing or swimming, do that! Any physical exercise is better than none, so bear that in mind and don’t feel pressured to do something just because everyone else likes it.
We hope you find these tips useful when beginning your workout journey!
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*Photos by Ketut Subiyanto
