When you’re first starting to workout, the amount of Exercises that you have to choose from can be overwhelming. You also may not know much about which exercises work which muscles and if you’re a woman, you could be afraid of becoming too bulky from lifting weights. The world of fitness can be downright confusing for most people and this guide will give you the resources you’ll need to navigate through it. If you want a fitness routine that fits your lifestyle you need to have a goal with a realistic timeframe, knowledge of basic anatomy, and knowledge of nutrition.
Have a Goal with a Realistic Timeframe
The first step to creating a Fitness routine that works for you is to have an overall goal and a time that you want to accomplish it in. For example, let’s say that you want to lose 20 pounds in the next 6 months. That’s a very realistic goal and the timeframe is manageable. This means that every week for 24 weeks (roughly 6 months) you would need to lose 1.2 pounds. The math: (24 weeks ÷ 20 pounds = 1.2 pounds per week). For someone who has a busy schedule like a nurse, student, or parent, this formula will work very well.
Know Your Body
Knowing a little anatomy can be very helpful when trying to figure out which muscles you’d like to Strengthen. For those of you who never took anatomy, trying to remember the scientific names for parts of the body can seem like too much work. The best advice I can give in this situation is that if fitness is important to you, you’ll make time to learn about it so you can do it properly. If knowing the proper terms of which parts of the body you want to exercise isn’t important to you, fitness may not be as important to you as you think. This doesn’t mean you need to enroll in a college course, unless you’d like to, but you should look for resources that will benefit you. Try looking for anatomy apps or fitness apps include anatomy terms for your tablet or smartphone. This is a great way to learn more about your body and what exercises will help you achieve the body you’ve been dreaming of. Plus, most apps make learning feel like a game, so you may not feel that you’re learning at all, but you’ll come away with a plethora of knowledge.
You Are What You Eat
Nutrition is important and half the journey to achieving the idea body. If you’re exercising, but not properly fueling your body, you’ll run out of energy and not reach your full potential during your workouts. The best advice I can give about nutrition is to learn as much as you can about what you put into your body. You may find that the lifestyle you’ve been leading, doesn’t match up with your goals and be motivated to make some changes. When your body is properly fueled you not only feel more energized, but you can focus better and make more sound decisions. Learning about nutrition is easy with so many resources online. A quick Google search will turn up lots of results to any of your burning questions. My favorite resources for nutritional information are college textbooks. You can rent them online, borrow them at the library, or even buy them from a broke college student! They are accurate and up to date because they’re used in college classrooms to aid in studying for national certifications or licenses. You can also look for free apps from trusted sources for your tablet or smartphone to learn about nutrition.
Finding a fitness routine that works for you can seem difficult. If you have a fitness goal with a realistic timeframe and knowledge of both anatomy and nutrition, you will be able to achieve any goals that you set that are possible for your body type.
