4 Essential Workout Tips for Beginners that Will Have You Safely Traveling Down the Road to Fitness
Whether you have been beating yourself up over not following through on another New Year’s resolution, or you really need to start taking better care of your body, there are workout tips for beginners that everyone should know. Regardless the type of workout routine you are going to begin, pacing yourself will not only lessen the chance of injury, it will also keep you excited about the process each day. It’s important to remember that your journey towards a healthier life is more than simply slipping on those running shoes and sprinting to the other side of town. Starting a workout program is not about making up for lost time. Instead, it’s about creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
Here is a list of 4 essential workout tips for beginners that will have you safely traveling down the road to fitness:
1. Knowing When to Stretch
One of the most common mistakes beginners make while working out is stretching before they begin. Since the muscles in your body are not warmed up yet, you could actually pull or strain those muscles and risk serious injury. Now instead of spending their evenings working out, they spend them hurt, icing injuries, and eventually go back to doing nothing. In order to avoid this mistake, you should spend the first 5 minutes performing a walk or light jog on the treadmill to get the blood flowing. Once you have warmed up your body, then stretch the muscles and hold for 15 seconds. Doing this will make your muscles more receptive to stretching.
2. Starting the Workout Slowly
If you can’t remember the last time you have worked out it is a must to resist the urge to workout every single day. ?Since you do not know how the body will respond yet, start as slowly as possible until the body becomes acclimated to the new movements. Instead of working out five or six days during the first week, start with two or three. ?You can always ramp things up as your body responds in a positive way. Another workout tip for beginners is to workout for only 30 minutes or so at the beginning. If you’re truly creating a lifestyle change there will be plenty of time to increase the length of your workout in the future.
3. Time to Take a Break
Don’t make the mistake of rushing back to the gym the next day because you had a good workout and feel overzealous about getting in shape fast. The body needs to recover after each workout, so spread out the trips to the gym. If you are sore, that’s great; a little soreness and pain means you got those muscles moving. Let them recover naturally before you go back to the gym, or you could cause serious damage to your body. Because fruits contain natural sugars and nutrients, eating fruits after your workout can actually help aid your recovery.?
4. Mixing Up Your Workout Routine
Mixing up your workout routine is advised for two reasons: 1) you get the body you want and 2) you don’t get bored about the process. A mix of strength training and aerobics will help you get that body you crave. Not only is running every day boring, but you also may not be targeting all of your muscles. Try the elliptical one day, the bike the next, and finish the week on the treadmill. Once your body is responding positively, move between yoga, strength training, aerobics, and then balance training. If you are having trouble getting started, these tips could help!