By Mike John
Your last visit with the doctor was not a pleasant experience. Along with gaining a few more pounds, the physician is concerned about your higher bad cholesterol levels and the lower good cholesterol reading. The advice is simple and straightforward: make better food choices and get some exercise.
Here are some ideas on how to start exercising again and improve the odds of looking forward to it.
Start Out With a Basic Routine
One of the reasons many people find it hard to exercise is they set unreasonable expectations. A better approach is to come up with a routine that provides some degree of challenge but can be completed without leaving a lot of room for failure.
During those first days and weeks, keep things simple. For example, you can build your exercise plan around taking a walk in the evening. While you may not be ready to take on a half-hour excursion around the neighborhood, 15 minutes may be enough to break a sweat.
You can also invest in smaller weights to work out with at home. After you buy dumbbells, put them to good use while you watch television or listen to music. There are all sorts of exercises you can do that will help work your arm, chest, and leg muscles. Start with a few repetitions of each and gradually build up to more repetitions.
Build on the Foundation
After a week or so, you’ll find that the basic routine doesn’t offer much of a challenge any longer. That’s your cue to kick things up a notch. While retaining the elements of your original workout, add some new things to the mix.
Consider checking into mats for fitness exercises you can do at home. From aerobics to yoga and all the way to simple stretching routines, these will add some spice to your workout and keep things interesting. They will also provide more tone for different muscle groups and help you begin to shed those extra pounds.
Work Out With a Friend
In the early stages, you may feel self-conscious working out with other people around. It’s fine to start off by yourself but things don’t have to stay that way. Even if you aren’t interested in working out at a gym, invite a friend to work out with you. Go on walks together and use some of the home equipment you’ve purchased.
Working out with someone you know helps the time pass and provides some of the back and forth support both of you need to keep exercising.
Exercising does not have to be one more thing you have to do each day. With the right approach, it can become something that you look forward to enjoying several times a week. Start with the basics and work your way on to more intensive routines.
You’ll feel better, like the way you look more, and have something on hand that makes it easier to deal with the stress of everyday living.