People have been looking for the secret of youth since time began, but it's really no secret. Exercise can make you look better, feel better and live longer. By starting out safely and progressing wisely, you will be exercising and feeling great for a long time to come.
Your Fitness Level
Knowing how fit you already are is the first step in starting any exercise routine. Fitness tests assess your foot type, muscle imbalances, flexibility, general health, how much oxygen is reaching your exercising muscles and much more. These tests are important because without knowing where you are, it's difficult to know how to safely begin or what goal to shoot for.
The easiest way to have fitness testing done is to contact a local gym or YMCA, or search the yellow pages or internet for a fitness trainer near you. Many fitness trainers will come to your home; some even include free fitness testing as an introduction to their services. Be sure to ask for a fitness trainer's credentials. If the trainer is not nationally certified through a reputable service such as The American Council on Exercise (ACE), or The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), look elsewhere. You may find a listing of reputable certifying agencies at National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA).
Warm up Before Stretching
Many fitness experts recommend stretching before and after exercise, but never stretch until you have warmed up for at least five minutes. If your heart health permits it, warm-up should consist of walking outside or on a treadmill for five minutes. You may also ride an exercise bike, march in place or jump rope . Be sure to also move your arms and torso as you warm up if you are going to be lifting weights. After your workout, especially if you are doing aerobic work, cool down for five minutes and stretch out again.
Aerobic Exercise and Your Exercising Heart Rate Range
Your fitness tests should provide you with a safe exercising heart range. If your tests did not provide you with the range, you can easily assess it yourself. As a healthy beginner, your safest exercising heart rate range will probably be in the 65% to 75% range.
To start, take your resting heart rate for sixty seconds, first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. Jot down the result.
The formula for assessing your exercising heart rate range is: 220 minus age = result. Result minus resting heart = result. Result times .65 = result. Result plus resting heart rate = result. The final result gives you the low range. Repeat with .75 for high range. You should not go above the high range when you are exercising, especially aerobically. As your level of fitness improves, you will be able to raise the ranges. Again, consider working with a trainer who can best tell you when you are ready to progress.
Exercise Opposing Muscle Groups
Work the agonist and antagonist muscle groups--that is, the front and back. For instance, if you are working your quadriceps (the front thigh muscle) as the primary group, then next work the antagonist hamstrings (the back thigh muscles). Many gyms have charts on their exercise machines that inform you of the agonist and antagonist groups being worked. You may also purchase muscle charts online.
Don't Work With Weights Every Day
Working with weights every day can do more harm than good. A rule of thumb for weight lifting, especially if you are a beginner, is to do a total body workout only two times a week with at least 48 hours in between each session. For split routines, work a different section of the body every other day, three days a week. For instance, Mondays you might work your core, Wednesdays your legs, Fridays your arms. Working out with weights every day of the week does not give your body the rest it needs to recouperate and it will soon begin to break down rather than improve.
Get at Least 30 Minutes of Exercise Every Day
Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, even if it means walking to work or riding your bike. Leave your car at the far end of the mall parking lot and hike to the stores instead of parking right at the door. Take a walk at lunch, use the stairs instead of the elevator, walk around the perimeter of your office building if you can spare the time. There are many ways to exercise if you use your imagination. You don't have to do your 30 minutes all at once, either; you can break exercise up into ten minute segments.
Hire a Fitness Trainer
Fitness trainers take the mystery out of exercise. Certified Trainers have been educated to understand how the body functions during exercise and how to safely progress their clients from the earliest stages to the maintenance phase and beyond. At one time, only the elite could afford professional trainers, but trainer rates are now within range of nearly every budget. Contact your local YMCA if your budget is tight.
Make Exercise a Daily Habit
Exercise should be a part of your daily life, but knowing how to begin is important. By starting your exercise routine correctly, you will spare yourself injury and frustration. Be certain to be tested by a professional first, then follow the guidelines for staying safe. The instructions in this article offer a few tips for starting well, but a professional fitness expert can help you begin well and stay on track. If you feel that you cannot afford a professional trainer, ask your local YMCA for their rates or ask your physician or physical therapist for advice.
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