Started a New Exercise Routine? Some Things To Consider

Firstly, well done for getting started, for most people the hardest part!

Some things to keep in your mind

• No one feels motivated every day! Not even me as a PT BUT I know how much better I feel when it's done, so the habit is what keeps you motivated, it becomes a part of who you are. I'm Anita and I go to the gym, run and swim outside and sometimes ride my bike outside too!
  
• Do what you enjoy. If you don't know what you enjoy, try lots of things to see if there is anything you really love. Need sociability, go to classes, need to be in your own head, get our for a walk/run or headphones in and go to the gym. Love being in water, try a new pool or join the many types of water aerobics classes.
• Find your minimal effective dose. If doing structured exercise is going to be incredibly hard to fit into your life then find an amount you can do. If you can do one or two workouts a week as well as having a healthy step count, that's going to make a huge impact on your overall health. You do not have to go to the gym/exercise 6 days a week to get all the incredible benefits of exercise. Find what works for you.
• You do not have to spend hours exercising, if you have a busy life then 30 minutes might be the magic number. Trust me if you work hard during that time it will be incredibly effective! I've certainly done 30 minute workouts that have been very beneficial and tough!
• Do not underestimate the power of daily activity, i.e. steps. If structured exercise freaks you out right now then try increasing your step count weekly average. If you are starting at 3,000 steps per day, next week try to build that up to a weekly average of 3,500. Aiming for 8,000 is a brilliant health goal and there is research that proves this can dramatically improve many health markers.
• If you are at the gym and not sure which exercises to do? Remember that your body doesn't know if you are doing a bench press with a barbell or using the machines. Your muscles and brain respond to how you move, they aren't quite so sophisticated to know exactly what exercise you are doing, so it really doesn't matter as long as you are using your body. Do exercises that feel somewhat familiar and I think machines are a great place to start.
• Avoid thinking of the wonderful exercise you do as just "calories burned". Exercise is about WAY more than that, plus, unless you are doing hours of it, it's the smallest caloric expenditure in your day. Use your nutrition and daily steps to focus on energy intake and expenditure, both of these contribute much more to your daily energy balance.
• Take recovery days!  Your body needs to recharge and repair after exercise, more is not always better, especially at the beginning. If your goal is to improve the muscle composition of your body then it's essential to allow time for your muscles to repair and grow, that can only happen at rest
• You do not need to spend huge amounts of your hard earned money on supplements. Getting the basics right like sleep, stress, good nutrition and some regular exercise will keep most bodies in extremely good health. The only supplements I suggest are Vitamin D (if you live in the UK) fish oils (if you don't eat any oily fish) vegans may need to take Vitamin B12 (because it's only found in animal products) protein supplements (if you need a convenient protein source) Iron, sometimes (for menstruating women, especially long distance runners).

If you have any questions or you are unsure about starting or what to do next, please just get in touch. I'm always happy to answer questions x