Increasingly these days, large numbers of people are taking it upon themselves to devise their own fitness plan based around the peculiarities of their life and the time that they have available. While we applaud any attempt to improve their fitness levels and general health, there are some things that you need to consider before you start your new health kick!
Outlined below are ten things that you need to check out before you start your health kick, ranging from the blindingly obvious, to those that perhaps are easy to forget about. Remember, part of getting fitter is doing it safely and healthily and you do not want to jeopardise either by making a mistake that could have been easily avoided with a bit more thought at the planning stage.
So before you make that mistake, take a look at these ten things that you need to check before embarking upon your own fitness drive!
It is vital that any training program you come up with is suited to your current physical condition and abilities. Therefore before you embark on any training program that is going to be radically different to what you do normally, we strongly advise you to seek the advice of a doctor or a suitably qualified person to advise you.
By measuring your general health and what you are capable of doing, the doctor or other professional can advise you on whether your plans are too ambitious, nor not ambitious enough and suggest a whole range of activities that you may want to consider for inclusion as part of your training program. Plus at the end of your consultation, you'll get the peace of mind knowing that what you have planned should, in the long term, give you plenty of health benefits, with no major risks.
A health kick is great but it is so much better when it is completed alongside a healthy diet. Try and get out of the mindset (if you have it) that exercise allows you to have more of the naughty things. It is those naughty things that often make the exercise so hard in the first place!
Help your body by eating the things that will nourish and nuture it and you'll see a huge improvement in not just how you can perform in exercise, but in how quickly you recover and indeed almost all aspects of your daily life. Remember a healthy diet encourages and promotes a healthy lifestyle!
If you have any weak areas in your body, such as arthritis in the knee for example, or a weaker ankle or wrist caused by a previous sporting injury, then it is important that this is taken into consideration when planning your activities. You do not want to run the risk of causing yourself serious injury and losing the positive impetus you have starting on the program, by asking a weak joint to do something it cannot. Again, the advice of a medical or fitness professional can be of invaluable help in this situation.
Remember, your program should stretch you but only to the point just beyond your current level of fitness. Exercise should be intense enough to leave you out of breath and sweating but by the same token, you do not want to overload your body too early and risk injury and aching muscles for days after by doing too much, too soon.
Pumping iron may be great for power and strength, but are you helping your stamina or flexibility? A good training regime should encourage and improve all aspects of your fitness, not just one or two. Build a program which encourages this, by ensuring you complete exercises each time that encourage flexibility, strength, power, stamina, speed and more. Keep yourself mentally stimulated too while exercising. Stephen Fry earned his new leaner figure by walking vigorously, while listening to books on his iPod!
You may enjoy a certain activity but doing it repeatedly every day or two can quickly become tiresome. Build a program which has an element of diversity. Head to your local sport centre and try out some of the classes they hold of an evening (some can be attended for no charge if you meet certain criteria). If you run a great deal, head down for an evening of swimming once a week, or enjoy a game of squash or tennis. A varied training plan keeps you mentally stimulated and motivated for longer.
There's no point devising a plan for fitness that involves you having an hour a night free, if you know that three days in, you are going to quit on the plan because work or home life is taking over. If you are serious about your fitness, then build a rigid and inflexible time into your schedule for it. The sacrifice over time will be worth it!
If you are going to take your fitness kick seriously, you will probably need some kit. So head off to the local sports store and get yourself some nifty new gear. Not only will you look and feel better about yourself, you'll look stylish too!
When you hit the wall, it can be hard to find the motivation to carry on. A great idea is to write down all the reasons why you want to get fitter and healthier. Whether it is to lose weight for a wedding or holiday, to try and reduce your risk of life threatening illnesses, or just get slimmer and more toned, write down all the benefits and place them on your desk, so when you feel that cream cake temptation creeping in, you can glance at the reasons why you want to stay healthy and douse those naughty feelings.
Having the support of your family and friends as you attempt a new fitness regime is vital for its long term success. Why not encourage them to join you, the more people you get involved, then the more social your fitness training will become and the more you will enjoy it and you'll also be doing your friends and family a favour too!
