If you're serious about starting a fitness program, but not sure where to begin, here's five tips for success;
1) Have a clear fitness aim
2) Be reasonable and kind to yourself
3) Choose the right exercise behaviour
4) Evaluate the right thing
5) Build biological adaption into your exercise goals
1) Have a clear fitness aim
2) Be reasonable and kind to yourself
3) Choose the right exercise behaviour
4) Evaluate the right thing
5) Build biological adaption into your exercise goals
1) HAVE A CLEAR FITNESS AIM
Getting fit is a vague term that means different things, for example;
• Building muscle bulk
• Improving cardiovascular fitness
• Fat loss and maintenance of fat loss
• Development of core strength
• Endurance stamina
• Balance and agility
• Strength for everyday tasks
• Looking better
Knowing exactly what you want helps you choose the right program to achieve it.
Getting fit is a vague term that means different things, for example;
• Building muscle bulk
• Improving cardiovascular fitness
• Fat loss and maintenance of fat loss
• Development of core strength
• Endurance stamina
• Balance and agility
• Strength for everyday tasks
• Looking better
Knowing exactly what you want helps you choose the right program to achieve it.
2) BE REASONABLE AND KIND TO YOURSELF
Being reasonable and kind to yourself is a way of acknowledging that fitness is about your body changing, and you can't possibly put an accurate time frame on how fast it will happen. What you want to avoid is feeling like a failure when you don't meet goals that may be unrealistic.
Think of progress toward your aim as being successful.
'I will manage my energy intake and exercise to weight until I reach my goal weight' is a better overall goal than saying 'I will lose ten pounds in three days.'
Being reasonable and kind to yourself is a way of acknowledging that fitness is about your body changing, and you can't possibly put an accurate time frame on how fast it will happen. What you want to avoid is feeling like a failure when you don't meet goals that may be unrealistic.
Think of progress toward your aim as being successful.
'I will manage my energy intake and exercise to weight until I reach my goal weight' is a better overall goal than saying 'I will lose ten pounds in three days.'
'I will work on increasing my running distance until I can easily run ten miles,' is better than saying 'I will run ten miles by the end of two weeks.'
'I will increase the number of push-ups I can do each session until I reach my goal of doing 50' is better than saying 'by the end of two weeks I will be doing 50 push-ups.'
'I will work on my cardiovascular fitness until I can swim twenty five laps of the pool non stop', is better than 'I will swim 25 laps of the pool within 4 weeks.'
You can always set a new overall goals as you achieve each milestone.
'I will increase the number of push-ups I can do each session until I reach my goal of doing 50' is better than saying 'by the end of two weeks I will be doing 50 push-ups.'
'I will work on my cardiovascular fitness until I can swim twenty five laps of the pool non stop', is better than 'I will swim 25 laps of the pool within 4 weeks.'
You can always set a new overall goals as you achieve each milestone.
3) CHOOSE THE RIGHT EXERCISE BEHAVIOUR
The human body has a wonderful capacity for fitness gains. Think of fitness as being your body adapting to meet a challenge which occurs frequently. It's not just 'use it or lose it' when it comes to fitness, but 'challenge it and build it.'
How do you know what kind of challenge will give you the changes you want?
Some exercise principles are:
• Increasing cardiovascular fitness requires a challenge to oxygen needs, via aerobic exercise even if for just short bursts of high intensity. You need a bit of huff and puff. Your heart rate needs to increase.
• Muscle bulking or toning requires a challenge to a muscle with varying amounts of weight depending on bulk required.
• Fat loss requires reduced energy intake primarily, with the addition of long duration aerobic exercise with bouts of high intensity, along with incidental exercise, and the building of muscle to help fat be metabolised and to prevent regaining lost weight.
• Strong bones need impact exercise and resistance training.
With a clear fitness aim in mind you can then source the right kinds of exercise either from a physiotherapist, gym trainer, or via online sources, or publications. Ensure the information you get is provided by someone qualified to give it - particularly if you have special considerations.
The point is don't waste your time doing the wrong type of exercise. There are often many ways to do the same kind of exercises, for example, resistance training doesn't have to mean going to a gym, there are body weight programs you can do outside in the fresh air at no cost. Explore what's around, do your research and enjoy doing things your way.
The human body has a wonderful capacity for fitness gains. Think of fitness as being your body adapting to meet a challenge which occurs frequently. It's not just 'use it or lose it' when it comes to fitness, but 'challenge it and build it.'
How do you know what kind of challenge will give you the changes you want?
Some exercise principles are:
• Increasing cardiovascular fitness requires a challenge to oxygen needs, via aerobic exercise even if for just short bursts of high intensity. You need a bit of huff and puff. Your heart rate needs to increase.
• Muscle bulking or toning requires a challenge to a muscle with varying amounts of weight depending on bulk required.
• Fat loss requires reduced energy intake primarily, with the addition of long duration aerobic exercise with bouts of high intensity, along with incidental exercise, and the building of muscle to help fat be metabolised and to prevent regaining lost weight.
• Strong bones need impact exercise and resistance training.
With a clear fitness aim in mind you can then source the right kinds of exercise either from a physiotherapist, gym trainer, or via online sources, or publications. Ensure the information you get is provided by someone qualified to give it - particularly if you have special considerations.
The point is don't waste your time doing the wrong type of exercise. There are often many ways to do the same kind of exercises, for example, resistance training doesn't have to mean going to a gym, there are body weight programs you can do outside in the fresh air at no cost. Explore what's around, do your research and enjoy doing things your way.
4) EVALUATE THE RIGHT THING
How do you know if your exercise program is working? Don't make the mistake of measuring exercise behaviour rather than the exercise outcome you desire. Sometimes, fitness behaviour and the fitness aim are the same, such as running to train for a running event. Sometimes they are different, such as doing a gym circuit program to get strong and toned.
If you want muscle bulk or strength, for example, you measure muscle bulk or strength development when you evaluate how you are going. You don't give yourself a tick for going to the gym and then not measure the results.
You don't measure a successful diet by the energy consumed, but by the reduction in weight or body fat measures.
Measuring progress toward your fitness aim every six weeks enables you to adjust, retain or change your exercise behaviour, and stay on track to achieve the changes you want.
How do you know if your exercise program is working? Don't make the mistake of measuring exercise behaviour rather than the exercise outcome you desire. Sometimes, fitness behaviour and the fitness aim are the same, such as running to train for a running event. Sometimes they are different, such as doing a gym circuit program to get strong and toned.
If you want muscle bulk or strength, for example, you measure muscle bulk or strength development when you evaluate how you are going. You don't give yourself a tick for going to the gym and then not measure the results.
You don't measure a successful diet by the energy consumed, but by the reduction in weight or body fat measures.
Measuring progress toward your fitness aim every six weeks enables you to adjust, retain or change your exercise behaviour, and stay on track to achieve the changes you want.
5 - BUILD BIOLOGIAL ADAPTION INTO YOUR EXERCISE GOALS
There are two ways to approach your exercise session. You can follow a set routine, or you can keep challenging yourself, allowing for gains in fitness to continue within your capacity.
Consider the following exercise goal;
'I will swim four laps of the indoor pool three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, for 12 weeks starting on June 1'
It sounds great. But this person wanted improved cardiovascular function but all they are doing is maintaining a very small gain in fitness that would occur quite quickly.
Therefore, a better goal would be; 'I will swim three times a week for twelve weeks, during each half hour swimming session I will do as many laps or sets of 2+1 (2 medium intensity laps and 1 high intensity lap), as I can.'
There are two ways to approach your exercise session. You can follow a set routine, or you can keep challenging yourself, allowing for gains in fitness to continue within your capacity.
Consider the following exercise goal;
'I will swim four laps of the indoor pool three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, for 12 weeks starting on June 1'
It sounds great. But this person wanted improved cardiovascular function but all they are doing is maintaining a very small gain in fitness that would occur quite quickly.
Therefore, a better goal would be; 'I will swim three times a week for twelve weeks, during each half hour swimming session I will do as many laps or sets of 2+1 (2 medium intensity laps and 1 high intensity lap), as I can.'
Save the set routines for maintaining the gain, otherwise continue to challenge yourself by having clever fitness goals that build in the fitness gains.
Consideration of these five tips will help you get the most out of your time and effort as you work toward achieving better fitness. Seek professional advice for your personal circumstances.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michiko_Parnell
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