How To Start Exercising: Tips & Advice

Whoever said that ‘the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step’ wasn’t wrong. What they forgot to add was that the first step is usually the most difficult.

Of course, you don’t need to walk a thousand miles to improve your fitness levels. But whatever your exercise goals are, it can be an intimidating prospect to begin achieving them.

If you are wondering how to start exercising, the following tips, snippets and advice are for you. They are designed to help prepare you for starting on your own road to fitness…

1. List the reasons why fitness is important to you

We all know that exercise is beneficial for our overall health. Yet while that can be a key reason to get and keep fit, there are often other elements at play.

To help focus the mind on upcoming fitness goals, it makes sense to make a list of motivating factors that really resonate with you. Ask yourself: ‘why am I doing this?’

Consider:

• Weight loss¹
• A boost to energy levels²
• Reduced risk of serious disease³
• Improved mental function⁴
• A better night’s sleep⁵
• Help reduce stress and anxiety⁶
• To strengthen bones and muscles⁷

Make a strong mental note of your top two or three motivating factors and keep them clear in your mind. Goals are important. They are particularly crucial when working out how to start exercising when you’re out of shape.

2. Make an assessment of your current fitness level

If you’ve not exercised much recently, you’ll know that your fitness levels won’t be particularly high. It’s still a good idea to assess a baseline anyway. This way, you can chart a steady improvement.

There are lots of metrics you can use for this. Consider recording and monitoring your weight, your waistline or your body mass index (BMI). Perhaps you could chart how many push-ups or sit-ups you can do. Or how long it takes you to walk or jog a kilometre.

3. Work out which kind of exercise you want to take up

There are lots of different types of exercise out there. The key is to find the one that works best for you. Not only does it need to be effective, but it should be fun and suit your ability and lifestyle. If you pick an unsuitable way of getting fit, you might lose motivation.

Here are some of the main forms of exercise you might like to consider:

• Aerobic – Continuous movements such as running or swimming
• Flexibility – Incorporating a range of movements through yoga or stretches
• Callisthenics – Using your body’s weight to train via pull-ups, squats, sit-ups, etc.
• Balance – Coordination improvement with disciplines such as pilates and tai chi
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT) – alternating short bursts of intense exercise, such as cycling or squats, with brief rest periods
• Strength – Working to increase muscle and core strength via weights and resistance training

4. Consider consulting a health professional

If you enjoy relatively good health and are injury-free, you can begin to get fit right away. If, however, you or your family have a history of health issues or you’re nursing an injury of some kind, it’s a good idea to speak to a health professional before you start exercising.⁸

This can be your local GP or a doctor. It may also be a sports therapist or physiotherapist. You don’t need to seek a full medical examination or a tailored exercise regime from them, but some advice or guidance may help prevent any negative impact of exercise on your body.

5. Set realistic goals

In time, you may well become extremely physically fit and capable. When you’re starting out, though, it makes sense to start slowly. Targets can be very helpful – just ensure they’re not too lofty.

Create a plan that has attainable benchmarks and achievements. You want your goals to be challenging but feasible. In time, as your fitness improves, you can set milestones that are a little harder each time.

Let’s say that you’d like to be able to jog 10 km without stopping. It’s not practical to hit that target immediately, so start with a goal of half a kilometre. Then a full one. And keep nudging the distance target, and you could reach 10 km soon enough. All that’s needed is patience, planning and positivity.

6. Ensure you’re eating healthily and keeping hydrated

Any good weight loss or health plan ensures that exercise and diet are intertwined.

Eating healthily not only aids weight loss, but it’ll give you the energy boost you’ll need to keep exercising. Factor in nutrients, such as:

• Carbohydrates – For replacing stores of glycogen after exercise⁹
• Healthy fats – For making energy levels last longer and burning body fat¹⁰
• Protein – For helping gain muscle and repairing damaged tissue¹¹

It’s also vital that you keep hydrated before, during and after any form of exercise. This will assist your performance levels and help with recovery.¹²

7. Plan a sustainable schedule

The ideal exercise regime would include a little light exercise – such as walking – every day, with three or four spells of gym or home-based sessions. If that’s realistic, go for it. If not, scale down to what you can fit in.

If you can avoid planning a fitness routine that’s unsustainable, you’ll avoid disappointment and a potential dip in motivation.

There’s also a danger of exercising too much at the beginning and getting injured. Start slowly and with a low intensity. Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint.

8. Think about how you’ll track your progress

If you’ve made an assessment of your current physical status, that will help with tracking how you’re getting on. You can go old school and write all the figures and stats down. Or you can chart your progress using a fitness app. It’s up to you.

9. Always warm up and cool down

Injuries can seriously derail a fitness programme. The way to avoid this is by warming up before you begin and cooling down once you’ve finished any exercise.¹³

Nothing complicated is required, just some free and easy movements that engage the major muscles that you’ll be working on. Kick your legs, swing your arms, and do a few lunges – that kind of thing.

Not only will you decrease the likelihood of injury, but you’ll find that you can reduce slight muscle soreness that is often experienced post-exercise.¹⁴

10. Focus on yourself

Getting fit and losing weight are all about you. It can be unhelpful to compare yourself to other people, all of whom will be at different stages of their fitness or weight loss process.

Whether it’s friends, family, colleagues, celebrities, social media influencers or other gym users, comparisons are rarely useful. It can be a great idea to speak to others about exercise and diet, and exchange tips and opinions. Just try to avoid potentially confidence-bashing physical comparisons.

11. Incorporate real recovery time into the week

An effective exercise regime can be as much about what you don’t do. The movement, stretching, cardio and fitness are the basis of getting fit, but recovery helps support it all.

You may be resting, but your body isn’t. You’re not being idle by taking it easy; you’re giving the body a chance to rest, recuperate and – above all – repair.¹⁵

So factor in rest days. These don’t need to be spent in bed or on the sofa; you can still take a stroll or a leisurely cycle somewhere. Just take it easy.

If you’re ever unsure of whether or not to take a rest day, just listen to your system. Your body will guide you. It’s for a reason if you’re tired and aching after exercise. Put your feet up and relax. Do it guilt-free too. This is all part of the overall plan.

Closing thoughts on how to start

It’s not essential to follow every single piece of advice here. Some tips may resonate with you more than others. Whether you are figuring out how to start exercising again or for the first time, allow at least some of these pointers to guide you, and you’ll be off on your thousand-mile (or hopefully slightly shorter) journey in no time. If you are looking for other ways to supplement your exercise regime, we recommend our guide on how to speed up metabolism.