HOW TO START WORKING OUT : A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

Working out and exercising daily or frequently is addictive. Addictive physically, mentally and emotionally. You feel good, look good after consistently working out. You want to run or lift or go for a swim when you feel anxious or depressed too, since physical activity is a precursor to releasing happy hormones in our brains. But is it that easy? Not everyone finds the will and want to workout. Its hard for people not used to it and that is quite understandable.

Pushing yourself to do something that you are not accustomed to in general is a difficult task in itself, especially with working out, you do not see results on day 1 or even on day 10. Doing something that is hard and out of your comfort zone especially when there is no instant reward could be a hard and is easy to procrastinate and leave it be.

Let’s address this and go through few basic things and important points that you might want to hear before you decide to start living healthy and put yourself out there on the running track, gym, pool or whatever your niche is.

1. Find your ‘WHY?

Asking yourself and important question ‘WHY?’ Is vital to any goal setting or doing something new and productive. When you put yourself through this process you discover yourself a little more.

Why do you want to write a book? Why do you want to start a business?
Why do you want to start working out ?

The answer could be as simple as “ I want to workout to loose weight”. That is all you need. When you find your why, You have a clear reason to do it for yourself as compared to you simply starting to workout because its what your spouse or friends do.

Your WHY is going to be the key motivating factor for the rest of your fitness journey.

2. Make a structured plan/routine

This simply can not be over looked. Having a set schedule for yourself is freedom. Knowing when you will wake up, what time do you workout or when do you have breakfast etc makes life easier and exciting in the long run.

When it comes to making a workout plan, you usually take into consideration your goals, where you are now, how long it might take to reach your goals, what are you gonna do on specific days, all of these things will give you purpose and keep the whole approach more interesting and you will actually start looking for the next workout cause you already know what’s coming as opposed to not having a plan, just going through how you feel or just by intuition.

3. Find a workout partner/coach

Having someone who you workout with is a win for both of you. Not only you get motivation since you need to keep up with someone but this also has a healthy competitive side to it that will push both of you to perform better, not skip or miss workouts or not quit in between since the other person is watching you, you will feel entitled to not let him/her and even yourself down.

If finding someone with the similar mindset or similar workout timings and ease of locality, hire yourself a personal trainer. Not only they will understand your physique goals, build appropriate workout plans and help you push in the gym but also is a key factor for beginners to help correct any mistakes in the technique and even prevent injuries. Coaches usually have been doing this for years now and have a lot of experience in not just understanding your Body but also your psyche.

4. Watch/Follow good fitness/lifestyle influencers

It’s the modern era and there is literally a whole world of information, knowledge and guidance out there on the internet. Needless to say 70-80% of it is useless and is actually very dangerous if you seek knowledge from the wrong places. Having said that, there are some amazing influencers who show you their lifestyle/Phsyique updates/meal plans/share informative videos etc.

This gives you a different perception of someone who’s been doing something you only dream of or find very hard to do on a daily basis, with ease and have love towards it. You might pick somethings up, learn new things and actually find your life more interesting when you tend to relate to that person.

5. It’s a marathon not a race!

Although it would be great to see that fat drop instantly and see yourself wearing your old & fit clothes, that’s not how good things usually work. Like any product of work and productivity, progress in the gym takes time. You need to understand that that 10kgs of fat loss starts at 1kg.

Having a longer vision, plan since day 1 will help you not only set realistic expectations but also give you a will to come back to be better than you were yesterday. This will not only help you stick to the plan and habituate yourself to the lifestyle but also keep you away from giving up too soon cause that “30 day belly burner program” didn’t work.

Summary:

Seek purpose as to why do you want to workout and stay true to it everyday. When you feel like quitting, remind yourself of your ‘WHY’ you started this journey.
Make yourself a schedule or a plan for workout as this will keep you excited for the next day and the day after that.
Find a training partner or a coach because we as humans are social beings and perform and thrive well in company.
Seek inspiration and look up to people who have been doing this for a while which will help you relate to and helps you try new things or copy someone’s good habits.
Remember, its a slow but sure process. The goal here is not just to loose 10kgs but also teach yourself new things, perceptions and enjoy the progress not just the destination.