Exercise is the foundation of good health. Exercise will help you lose weight, but it will also raise your metabolism, build muscle, cut stress and help your immune system. Here are some tips to help you build an exercise program to keep you fit and healthy.
Consult your doctor first. Your physician should be the first step when you think about getting fit. You need to find out if you have vitamin deficiencies or other health concerns which might affect your weight and your overall health. That way, you might find pointers on how to proceed. Your doctor will be able to tell you whether certain exercises are safe, and to tell you which you should stay away from.
Start slowly. You may feel discouraged at the gym to be surrounded by ripped muscles and people who seem like they should be in a magazine, but remember this: they all started somewhere. If you try to do too much at once, you will end up injuring yourself so much so that you are unable to get back in the gym for days. Take it slowly and let the people in the gym serve as inspiration. You can be where they are, if you keep going.
Do some cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise, or cardio, is pretty popular with people; since it can help you lose weight. However, it can also strengthen your heart and help to get your blood circulating. Good examples of cardio include power walking, running, bicycling, swimming and anything that gets your rate up and pumping.
Do some weight lifting exercises. As you get older, you start to lose muscle mass. Strengthening your muscles and building more will keep you stronger and less likely to end up in a nursing home. Some may say that lifting weights makes you bulky, especially if you're a woman, but that isn't necessarily the case.
Don't stop exercising when something happens in your life. Deciding you want to get fit is great, until something happens and you just "don't have time" for the gym. While life events can be upsetting, you owe it to yourself to keep moving forward. Make a commitment to continue with your exercise, even when you think you "don't have time" for it. Try exercising in the morning before your day even gets underway.
Make sure that you monitor your progress. If you find that you aren't doing as well as you were, take a look around and really take stock of what is going on in your life. Make changes if you need to, and come back stronger.
To keep going on your fitness journey, you will have to stick with it. You can use the guidelines in this article, you will be more likely to form a program that you like and can stick with. Use the information laid out here to do something you will be really proud of: getting fit. You will feel better and look better, if you can just keep it up.