How Do I Start Exercising?

Making the personal decision to begin exercise is the first step. Committing to make it a priority in your life is the next.

Often, the biggest challenge you will face is changing your lifestyle. Many of us have created bad habits over a the years and changing these requires a committed effort to consciously recognize and alter some of these patterns. Ultimately you need to change both your internal beliefs and your external environment to step you up for success.

It takes time to develop new habits, so a positive, forgiving attitude is essential. You will not become an athlete overnight, but by slowly changing your internal dialog and external situation, you will find a new lifestyle that encourages fitness.

Begin by checking with you doctor to ensure that you can safely exercise without restrictions. Once you have the ok, surround yourself with supportive people and role models. Having a support system is crucial in starting a workout program. Accountability and motivation are very important to success. Ask those who are active how they’ve set up their lifestyle to support activity. You will learn a lot from those who are doing what you want to do.

You might also consider several sessions with a qualified personal trainer to learn what to do to reach your fitness goals. Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to stay active. Find something that works for you whether it’s bike commuting to work, walking after dinner, joining a sports league, exercise while watching tv, or training for a marathon. There are so many options and sometimes we don’t realize how life provides many opportunities to be active – we just have to recognize them.

Physical health is often the last item on the daily agenda in trying to balance, school, jobs, relationships and all of the other demands of your daily life. However, if you make physical fitness and healthy lifestyle a priority, you will find more energy and enthusiasm for the other areas of your life.
Ideally, your exercise routine should be goal oriented, especially for new exercisers. Your goal must be realistic relative to your starting point, and measurable in a way that you will see your progress.

What Are the Specific Benefits of Exercise?

Psychological and Emotional Benefits
Personal Fitness Trainer

Aerobic exercise is linked with improved mental vigor, including reaction time, acuity, and math skills. Exercising may even enhance creativity and imagination. According to one study, older people who are physically fit respond to mental challenges just as quickly as unfit young adults. (Stretching and weight training appear to have no such effects.) Both aerobic and non aerobic workouts have been shown to reduce depression. According to one study, exercise was as effective for improving mood in people with clinical depression as some common forms of psychotherapy. Either brief periods of intense training or prolonged aerobic workouts can raise levels of important chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins, adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine, that produce feelings of pleasure, causing the so-called runner's high. One study found that teenagers who were active in sports have a much better sense of well being than their sedentary peers; the more vigorously they exercised, the better was their emotional health. In one study, regular brisk walking cut in half the incidence of sleep disturbances in people who suffer from them. It should be noted that exercise in the evening, however, can cause sleep disturbances. Rhythmic aerobic and yoga exercises may be particularly helpful for combating stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness.