With the new year rapidly approaching, a lot of people might have already put “Working out” or “Be more active” on their New Years-resolutions list. And those of us, that are already going to the gym regularly, know that the first two to three months of every new year are absolutely crazy, when it comes to the masses of people making a pilgrimage to the gym. But just as magically as they appeared, most of the newbies quit coming as soon as spring rolls around. If that is you, here are my top five tips on how to start working out and sticking to it:
1. Find something you actually enjoy
The first thing I tell all of my patients and clients (I’m a sports scientist in a cardiac rehab centre), is to find something they like, or even better love, doing. The reason for this is pretty obvious: if you’re going to spend a considerable amount of time each week working out, you don’t want to have to force yourself to do it each and every time. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of endurance training every week. (Check out all of the official recommendations here.) Imagine yourself running 2 1/2 hours every week without even liking it. How long do you think you are going to keep up with that? Instead, find something that you enjoy doing. It could be anything from swimming or cycling, to dancing or doing group fitness classes. I honestly can’t stress it enough: find something you like. Try different things. Don’t be afraid to “fail”. Don’t be afraid to not like something everybody else is doing. Working out should be about you and you only. No need to impress or please anybody else.
2. Start slowly
Remember how the WHO recommends 150 minutes of cardio training each week? Even for somebody like me, that loves working out and being active, that is a lot of time and it isn’t always easy to fit it into my busy schedule. That’s why I tell my patients to start slowly. Aim for 1-2 endurance sessions of 30-40 minutes a week. If possible, add in a strength training session of 30-60 minutes. Now do that for four, five or even six weeks and see how you’re getting on. Allow yourself enough time to get used to your new routine. After that, try bumping it up to 2-3 endurance and 2 strength training sessions and do that for another 4-6 weeks. Slowly but surely, try to increase the amount or duration of your training sessions. Just don’t stress yourself. If you find that you can easily do 1-2 sessions each week, but struggle to do more, than stick with those 1-2. I think we all agree that it is a lot better to even just a little bit of exercise, than none at all.
So once again: allow yourself enough time to adjust. Truly stick to your new routine for a few weeks. Before you know it, grabbing your gym bag right after work every Monday is going to be second nature. Never underestimate the power of habits.
3. Don’t do the chores
Ugh, how I wish I could just leave it at that. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t filthy rich and can’t afford a maid to do it all. And what I mean by that is this: don’t do chores until after your workout. Let’s pretend, once again, it has been a crazy busy day for you at work. You get home, you’re already pretty tired, and you see the laundry needs folding. So you start doing that. By the time you’re done, the dishwasher is beeping, so you empty that one. While you’re doing that, you think to yourself, “These cupboards haven’t been cleaned in years, why don’t I quickly wipe them down.”. And by the time you’re done, it’s 8 pm, and now you’re way too tired to go to the gym.
This might be a bit exaggerated, but I think you understand where I’m coming from. Go to the gym or for your run right after work, or at least before starting any big home cleaning projects. You can still fold the laundry afterwards, and unfortunately the dishes aren’t going to magically sort themselves into the cupboards, so you can do that afterwards, too. Point is: you’re still going to do it. But most people won’t do it the other way round.
4. Plan ahead
If you work a 40(+) hour week, you know how fast time flys. Add responsibilities – even the lovely ones like spending time for family & friends – and you could easily accumulate another 10-20 hours. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to workout, right? Wrong. I mean I get it. I don’t even have kids and yet I often find myself overwhelmed with chores. And that is exactly why it is so important to plan ahead. Pick a day of the week, let’s say Sunday, to sit down with your diary and put in what you’re going to do, when, and where. The days don’t have to be the same every week, it obviously depends on your schedule. However, especially in the beginning, it can help to have 1-2 set days every week, to help build the habit of going. And if one week you can’t make that happen: don’t stress! The year has 51 more weeks for you to do it perfectly.
5. Take time off
Now this one is a bit tricky. To make this tip work, you have to be brutally honest to yourself and actually listen to your body (rather than your brain). If your body is telling you to rest, rest. There is going to be a reason for it. However, make sure it is your body asking for a break, not your brain. Ask yourself, did I have a tough/physically straining (few) day(s)? Or do I just don’t want to go because it’s wet and cold outside? If it’s the latter, go. I promise you, you won’t regret it. There’s no bad weather, just bad clothing (Germans are so very funny). But seriously, you’re going to get wet anyways. Either because you’re going to sweat or at least when you take a shower afterwards. And if that still doesn’t convince you to go, find something that you can do at home instead.
Now if it’s actually your body telling you to take a step back, I highly encourage you to do so. It could be because you have been overdoing it, it could be because your nutrition isn’t up to par, or because you caught a cold and don’t know it yet. The last thing you want to do is force yourself through the workout and build resentment towards it. Take a few days off, recharge and then get back at it.
Bonus: Add physical activity into your day-to-day life
Leading an active lifestyle is super important and helpful to your overall health. However, it doesn’t replace targeted exercise. Walking your dog likely doesn’t count into your endurance training. Because to “qualify” as such, you have to meet certain parameters. In this case a certain heart rate. By simply walking your dog, maybe stopping every 10 meters, you’re not going to reach that heart rate. Same goes for taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Or doing chores. Yes it can be exhausting to clean your entire house, but it doesn’t have the same effect as an hour of strength training or 30 minutes of running.
Then why did I add this tip? Because there are health benefits to doing all of those things. Just keep in mind they don’t replace working out. (Sorry.)
So there you have it, my topf five tips on how to start working out. If you have any other tips, please share them with me! I’m forever eager to learn.
Lots of Love,
Lena