3 tips for starting a new exercise routine

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, regardless of age. Not only does it help you to maintain a certain level of physical fitness in order to enjoy daily living but it plays a role in disease prevention. Studies have shown that regular exercise helps improve the body's immunity and resilience to a number of different chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and some cancers.

However, if you’ve never had a regular exercise routine it’s not always easy knowing where to start. There are many different forms of exercise; which one is going to be the most suitable for your needs and preferences?

Here are three tips to help you embrace a new exercise routine.

Consider your daily activities

You’re probably more active than you think.  For example, during your day-to-day life you are exercising when you walk, clean or garden. Although you may not have considered these activities to be “workouts” they are still forms of exercise that contribute to your physical fitness and are a great stepping stone to a more active lifestyle.

Next, consider all the ways you can add more movement into your life: take the stairs when possible, park further away, try increasing your pace when walking. An exercise routine doesn’t just mean working out at a gym for a couple of hours each week. An exercise routine can also be embracing an active lifestyle where you build movement and strength training into your daily life.

Try short workouts

Long workouts are not the only way to experience the benefits of exercise. Shorter workouts are also effective for improving your physical fitness and building muscle and they can be much easier to incorporate into your week when you are building a new exercise routine.

Short daily workouts can elicit lots of positive benefits on your body without making you feel too fatigued as a beginner to exercise. Plus, shorter workouts will make you feel less overwhelmed when you’re just starting out with a new training regime, making your new routine easier to stick to and ultimately more successful.

Choose activities you enjoy

Choosing activities that you enjoy is important whether you’re a beginner or an advanced exerciser. However, it’s particularly important when you’re new to working out.

Consider what forms of exercise you enjoy the most and whether you’d prefer to work out alone or with other people. Do you think you’ll enjoy running? Would you prefer to lift weights? How do group HIIT classes at the gym sound? You might want to try a variety of activities to determine which ones are right for you, right now.

Finding exercise that you genuinely enjoy will increase your motivation to continue exercising and makes it fun and exciting. Remember to consult with your healthcare provider when beginning a new exercise routine.