There Is a Common Scenario Shared by All Couch-Potatoes and It Goes Like This.
You are sitting at work and suddenly, out of nowhere, you feel inspired to change your life and improve your health and fitness levels.
On your lunch break, you go and buy a new fitness outfit to show off to the world.
When you get home from work, you say no to sitting on the couch in favor or running around the park as many times as you can until you can barely walk.
You make your way home and sit on the couch, feeling impressed with yourself and proclaiming that this is going to be the start of a new and healthy life for you.
It is all going pretty well until the next-day pain and discomfort are felt when you wake up and suddenly you have changed your mind and decided that you will never exercise again, throwing your new outfit into the closet where it will never see the light of day again.
Until next time.
If this sounds like a cycle that you are in and you want to break, below are some tips which can help.
Start out Slow
Unless there has been a zombie apocalypse and you need to run away as fast you can, there is no reason to go from doing nothing to doing everything.
In fact, if your regular routine involves simply sitting on the couch all day, then you should consider a walk around the block a few times after dinner each night of the week an achievement! Too many people focus on reaching their fitness goals as fast as they can that they forget about their poor body.
Instead, take it slow and gauge your fitness levels as you go. If you notice that the walks are becoming easier, either increase their intensity or duration, just make sure that it’s balanced.
Wear the Right Stuff
If there was one thing that the person in the example above did correctly, it was to buy a new exercise outfit. You don’t have to wear the latest and the greatest, but you do need appropriate attire.
For example, if you will be doing a lot of jumping around and cardio based exercises then pick up some loose fitting clothes from the Groupon Coupons page for Express. Similarly, if you will be taking up running, be sure to head to your nearest sports store and pick up some purpose designed shoes which can absorb the impact from running and prevent foot, ankle, and serious knee injuries.
Whole Body Stretches
Stretching is for wimps and does nothing to help!
That is the biggest misperception held by people getting into exercise and is often the cause of their downfall.
Stretching before your workouts are the best way to release muscles which have become tense from an entire day of sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen. By giving your muscles a stretch before your workout, you are waking them up and helping them to release so that they tackle the workout ahead.
Stretching your body after exercise is the best way to start the repair and recovery process and minimize the pain and discomfort you will feel the next day. Stretching your muscles after a workout promotes the flow of oxygen and blood, helping your muscles to repair and minimizing the amount of lactic acid which will build up overnight.
Improving your fitness levels is a great goal to have, however, it’s important that you do it safely so that you don’t injure yourself or lose motivation.
Jorge is a health blog author who has been writing about nutrition, fitness and healthy living for over 10 years. He also loves to run, hike and bike with her wife.
