5 Ways To Start Exercising

Starting exercise is very difficult. The sluggishness of the first day — or even the first few weeks — can keep you from exercising. You then quickly let go of the idea and forget it. That’s why we decided to share a few ways to get started exercising. This way you can strengthen your willpower and experience  the benefits of regular exercise for  yourself.

1. Describe what exercise is for you

It is not always clear what exactly ‘exercise’ means. There is a whole range of ways to get exercise. Just think of football, dancing, running, walking, yoga, fitness, swimming, and so on. Hence, it is important that you decide what kind of exercise you want to do before you get into it and make it a habit. It should be something that you enjoy, that you can easily integrate into your daily or weekly routine, and that will give you the benefits you are looking for.

So if one of your primary goals is to increase your muscle mass, you could take out a subscription to a gym. Then you can use the equipment there to lift weights. If you want to lose weight, you can go jogging regularly. If you want to make new contacts and build bonds, you can go for a team sport.

Furthermore, determining what you want to do ensures that you have a clear goal in mind. This also helps to start exercising. So don’t just think you want to go jogging. Instead, set a goal of  jogging in the park for  20 minutes each morning . In this way it is a clear and measurable objective. That helps you focus on the activity and do it more regularly.

2. Try to start exercising by choosing something easy

If you’re not used to exercising, very intense exercise can quickly wear you out and make the idea of ​​doing it more often not to your liking. That’s why  it’s best to start with easy, undemanding exercises. This way you can make it a habit without feeling lazy or tired when you get started. Little by little, you can increase the intensity of the exercise as your body gets used to the activity.

3. Choose another activity as a reminder

This step is very important to remember when to exercise. Reminders can make you aware of when to exercise so you don’t accidentally forget it. The mnemonic should be an activity that is already part of your routine. It must be internalized in such a way that you can hardly forget it under any circumstances.

For example, you can exercise  just before you brush your teeth, after you’ve had your morning cup of coffee, or after you’ve made your bed. Once you’ve chosen the mnemonic, you can look back at tip number 1: choosing a type of sport for yourself, at a specific time of day and in a location of your choice.

4. Find a healthy reward

A good way to encourage yourself to exercise is  to find a reward to enjoy afterwards. This will help you overcome the laziness at the beginning and feel good once you have completed the activity. In addition, you will get a boost of energy because of the benefits of exercise for your mental well-being.

It is important to make this a  healthy reward. For example, opt for a relaxing bath where you use special soap with a nice scent. Drink tea or spend some time alone listening to your favorite music. Rewards such as smoking a cigarette or eating a piece of chocolate would counteract the goal of your healthy behavior.

5. Track your progress

For example, to chart your results, which in turn encourages you to continue, you can take photos every week or two. You can also have yourself measured, for example the size of your muscles, your waist and your hip size.

Watching yourself lose weight and gain muscle will make you aware of the good results of your physical activity. This will then motivate you to continue. To properly implement this tool, you can also use mobile apps. There you can record your sports routines and your achieved results.

As you can see it is not easy to start exercising because you have to make it a habit. However, this has all kinds of advantages that are definitely worth it! Following a healthy lifestyle gives you energy and more importantly improves your emotional well-being.