Preparing To Start An Exercise Regimen? Read This
Unlike everything else we try to accomplish in life, exercise programs are designed as a progressive strategy. This means whether the desired outcome is gaining the ability to run a mini-marathon, a triathlon, walking around the block, or just using a treadmill in your home, you should begin your workout regimen in small chunks. It is a natural inclination, however, for a person’s ego to get the best of them, which causes them to jump on their treadmill and do a thirty minute walk before the first time out. The result would be, at least within 72 hours, pain in their legs, back, and feet.
Pay close attention before, during, and after engaging in any type of exercise/workout program, to these areas. Before we visit this list, the warning about consulting your Doctor is made for a reason. This warning is usually found with those DVD/Bluray programs we see on TV. The reason is to protect yourself from your ego by learning your physical condition and to hold yourself in check at the beginning of the program you wish to start.
Let's begin with the first thing mentioned and that is being over zealous from the start. To begin with, our health changes as we age. In this light, then it is almost mandatory to check with a physician before the start of any exercise. This includes lower impact exercises such as Yoga and Tai Chi. If you are in your twenty’s this is not so much an issue however if you are in your forty’s or older then it is strongly suggested that you consult with your doctor first. Always start out slow and be methodical in planning how and when to advance through whatever program you choose. They are structured in this manner so it is best to follow on a guided path to reap the maximum benefits.
Workouts are fine. However, if your diet does not complement the program, than it is defeating the whole purpose. Granted, changing one’s diet is probably one of the most difficult things anybody can tackle. Common sense will dictate that if you want to run, then there is a specific diet to follow, where the same goes for a weight lifter. There are certain foods to consume that are germane to specific types of athletic pursuits. Planning a proper diet to fit with the exercise program you are entering into from the start will help in the later parts of the program.
The one thing that must always be part of a program is proper warm up. Consider this analogy; warm up is like the salad that comes before the main course of a meal. Even before a boxing match, the boxer goes through a warm up prior to entering the fighting ring. The injuries that can occur are numerous and can be avoided if proper stretching and calisthenics are performed as part of a workout. Runners, Martial Artists, Boxers, Football players, (both Soccer & American), stretch before a game.
In the midst of all of this is having the correct attitude. When we set our goals, no matter what they are, part of the process of attaining them is visualizing them as a finished product. Another part along with the visualization is motivation. These two factors are at the heart of everything we can possibly do in our lifetime. In the words of the late, great visionary, Napoleon Hill;
“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.
Even if you use a wellness software, it will not be of any good to you if you are not motivated to achieve the fitness goals you have set for yourself. Motivation and visualization are the main ingredients to any workout. If you want to become a marathon runner, you must picture yourself as a runner. If your desire is to become a world-class pianist then you must see this in your mind. The more you visualize, the more situations will manifest that fit into the path that lead to the fruition of your goal. To stay motivated, put a 'before' picture on your refrigerator, this should be a recent picture depicting the shape that you are in presently.
Therefore, a lack of motivation and visualization make up the last mistake that so many of us are guilty of when we experience discomfort, lack of progress, and even when we begin too fast and end up with an injury. If you want something bad enough, regardless of any setbacks you must never give up and never surrender to a lack of motivation on any level. It begins with the phrase, "I’ll work out tomorrow or I’m too tired today". This is the most dangerous of all phrases and attitudes to adopt when there are goals to be met or surpassed. In all actuality, this is the single biggest mistake anyone can make throughout his or her lifetime.
Procrastination is a dangerous attitude because you are always waiting for the right time to begin something. This is where you must ask yourself in simple terms, “When would NOW be a good time?” Always be aware of and avoid these mistakes.
Pay close attention before, during, and after engaging in any type of exercise/workout program, to these areas. Before we visit this list, the warning about consulting your Doctor is made for a reason. This warning is usually found with those DVD/Bluray programs we see on TV. The reason is to protect yourself from your ego by learning your physical condition and to hold yourself in check at the beginning of the program you wish to start.
Let's begin with the first thing mentioned and that is being over zealous from the start. To begin with, our health changes as we age. In this light, then it is almost mandatory to check with a physician before the start of any exercise. This includes lower impact exercises such as Yoga and Tai Chi. If you are in your twenty’s this is not so much an issue however if you are in your forty’s or older then it is strongly suggested that you consult with your doctor first. Always start out slow and be methodical in planning how and when to advance through whatever program you choose. They are structured in this manner so it is best to follow on a guided path to reap the maximum benefits.
Workouts are fine. However, if your diet does not complement the program, than it is defeating the whole purpose. Granted, changing one’s diet is probably one of the most difficult things anybody can tackle. Common sense will dictate that if you want to run, then there is a specific diet to follow, where the same goes for a weight lifter. There are certain foods to consume that are germane to specific types of athletic pursuits. Planning a proper diet to fit with the exercise program you are entering into from the start will help in the later parts of the program.
The one thing that must always be part of a program is proper warm up. Consider this analogy; warm up is like the salad that comes before the main course of a meal. Even before a boxing match, the boxer goes through a warm up prior to entering the fighting ring. The injuries that can occur are numerous and can be avoided if proper stretching and calisthenics are performed as part of a workout. Runners, Martial Artists, Boxers, Football players, (both Soccer & American), stretch before a game.
In the midst of all of this is having the correct attitude. When we set our goals, no matter what they are, part of the process of attaining them is visualizing them as a finished product. Another part along with the visualization is motivation. These two factors are at the heart of everything we can possibly do in our lifetime. In the words of the late, great visionary, Napoleon Hill;
“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.
Even if you use a wellness software, it will not be of any good to you if you are not motivated to achieve the fitness goals you have set for yourself. Motivation and visualization are the main ingredients to any workout. If you want to become a marathon runner, you must picture yourself as a runner. If your desire is to become a world-class pianist then you must see this in your mind. The more you visualize, the more situations will manifest that fit into the path that lead to the fruition of your goal. To stay motivated, put a 'before' picture on your refrigerator, this should be a recent picture depicting the shape that you are in presently.
Therefore, a lack of motivation and visualization make up the last mistake that so many of us are guilty of when we experience discomfort, lack of progress, and even when we begin too fast and end up with an injury. If you want something bad enough, regardless of any setbacks you must never give up and never surrender to a lack of motivation on any level. It begins with the phrase, "I’ll work out tomorrow or I’m too tired today". This is the most dangerous of all phrases and attitudes to adopt when there are goals to be met or surpassed. In all actuality, this is the single biggest mistake anyone can make throughout his or her lifetime.
Procrastination is a dangerous attitude because you are always waiting for the right time to begin something. This is where you must ask yourself in simple terms, “When would NOW be a good time?” Always be aware of and avoid these mistakes.
Culled and edited. Images: Google
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