7 steps to healthy lifestyle – how to start doing fitness

This article will help those who have decided to start a new life – from Monday or any other day of the week, and join the wonderful world of sports. Here are tips for beginners on how to embark on the path of healthy lifestyle. Take just 7 simple steps to a beautiful body, good health and a good mood, and then the main thing is not to stray from the course.

Step 1 – Define your goals

Fitness translates as “being in good shape.” This is our strategic goal. But this formulation is too vague and does not allow you to track the results. To make your workouts effective, use the SMART goal setting system. According to her, the goal should be:

• Specific. “Twice a week I work out in the gym for an hour and swim in the pool for 30 minutes” sounds more convincing than “I want to go to the gym 2-3 times a week.”
• Measurable. “Lose 5 kg by January” or just “I want to lose weight”? Feel the difference.
• Achievable. Set real goals for yourself. If you have gained 30 kg of excess weight in 2 years, it is naive to hope that you will get rid of them in 3 months. Such a goal is doomed to failure in advance. Failure can discourage you from doing fitness for a long time.
• Appropriate. Is it really important for you to lose weight, or are you comfortable in your body, but do you feel pressure from your loved ones? Are you objectively overweight, or do you just want to “climb” from size M to XS to look like a catwalk model?
• Limited in time. Not “remove” the spare tire”at the waist”, but “reduce the waist coverage by 5 cm in 4 months.”

Step 2 – Evaluate the resources

By resources we mean:

• Health. Any chronic diseases require a special approach to the choice of training. For example, cardio loads are contraindicated in cardiovascular pathologies. Problems with the spine put restrictions on strength exercises. Ideally, a professional trainer should make a program for beginners. It will take into account your health indicators and initial physical data and suggest exercises relevant to your goal. If it is not possible to use such a service, do not be lazy and go to a therapist or general practitioner to identify the presence of contraindications for certain sports.
• Time. Analyze your work schedule. Choose the hours that are most convenient for classes. Make a list of other tasks that you have to do on a daily basis, and think about which ones you can delegate and which ones you can refuse. Even in the tightest schedule, there is always a “window” for exercise. If your family eats ready-made dumplings or scrambled eggs a couple of times a week so that mom can go to the pool, the world will not collapse.
• Finance. Sports require investments, including monetary ones. Fortunately, they can be reduced to a minimum. Home fitness is the most affordable option. Gym memberships without a pool are inexpensive, especially if you “hunt” for promotions. In many sports centers there are various packages for family or couple visits. It is both more profitable and more effective – you will support each other.

Step 3 – Choose a workout

Where to start? Decide what suits you best – classes at home or in the gym. 2 factors will be decisive:

• Logistics. Sometimes it is more difficult to get to the training place than to work out intensively for 40 minutes, especially after work. Ideally, the fitness club should be located a maximum of 10-15 minutes walk from point A. If it is far from the nearest gym, it may be more rational to study at home.
• Your personal characteristics. It’s easier for someone to train at home, because people around are tiring. Someone, on the contrary, works more effectively in the company. Some have lame self-discipline, they need a coach to accompany them. Others do just fine without outside help.
• Now decide on the sport. It is important to be in good shape not only physically, but also emotionally. The results will be worse if you force yourself to “pull iron”, although yoga or Pilates is much closer to you. The concept of “fitness” includes many directions.
• You will definitely be able to find the optimal fitness training program for yourself, which will allow you to go to the goal with pleasure.

Step 4 – Choose clothes

You can study at home in the simplest sports trousers and a T-shirt. The main thing is that you feel comfortable.

If you plan regular trips to the gym, your “gym kit” should include sportswear:

• Trousers, leggings, shorts or breeches.
• T-shirts and tops. 2-3 pcs will be enough .
• For girls – sports bras.
• Shoes – sneakers or sneakers. For some sports – for example, yoga, shoes are not needed.
• Sports bag – optional, but desirable.

We do not recommend choosing too revealing clothes – ultrashort shorts or tops. It’s not about modesty, but hygiene. A gym is a public place with a fairly high passability. Reduce the areas of skin that come into contact with sports equipment.

Comfort is the determining criterion when choosing clothes – both for home workouts and for the gym. However, it will certainly be more pleasant for you to practice in a beautiful sports uniform.

A small towel made of natural fabric to wipe off during workouts in the gym.
Shower and sauna accessories.

Step 5 – Purchase inventory

You will not have to buy any additional devices for training in the gym. At home you will need to equip an individual gym. In principle, you can do with a gym mat, a pair of dumbbells and an elastic band. Fitball, skipping rope, barbell, weights will help to make home workouts for beginners more effective. It’s great if the area and finances allow you to put a treadmill or exercise bike at home.

Step 6 – Adjust your lifestyle

• Eat right. You will not be able to lose weight and build up muscles, no matter how intensively you train, if after each session in the gym you “reward” yourself with a good portion of French fries with fried chicken or a cake. Vegetables, fruits, fish, dairy products and lean meat are now your best friends. Try to eat at the same time – every 4 hours. This way you are less likely to get very hungry and overeat.
• Drink more. It is necessary to drink both during training and during the day. Water envelops the joints and serves to prevent injuries.
• In addition, you will feel its deficiency very soon – headaches will begin, fatigue and lethargy will come. It is better to consult with a trainer or a doctor about the drinking regime, because water consumption rates depend on gender, age, lifestyle and other individual factors. Only pure water or green/herbal tea without sugar are considered.
• Coffee, tea with sugar and even more soda do not replenish the body’s water supply.
• Say no to bad habits. Alcohol and smoking do not fit into a healthy lifestyle.
• Get enough sleep! After all, overworked muscles need a full rest.

Step 7 – Motivation

It is important that sports really become a part of your lifestyle. If you don’t know how to start doing fitness, and the prospect of going to the gym for the next year or two makes you sad, the 21-day rule will help you. Psychologists say that after 21 days, a systematically repeated action turns into a habit. Set yourself a mini-task – to go to sports 21 times. After that, you will probably notice that you go to fitness with pleasure, without overpowering yourself.

Use all available methods of motivation. Promise yourself a trip to the cinema or a nice purchase after a week of regular training. Visualize your future image – a slim and fit figure, an even back, a healthy complexion. Communicate with people who inspire and support you.

And of course, nothing motivates like results. Celebrate each of your successes and rejoice.

Classic beginner mistakes

• A sharp start and a rapid decline. Many, barely having time to start training, are gaining a frenzied pace and soon run out of steam. You need to start small, gradually increasing the load.
• Unsystematic. We went to the gym 2 times, then abandoned sports for 2 weeks, then one visit – and again abandoned. And so on in a circle. Regularity is the main condition for the effectiveness of training.
• Waiting for quick results. In order not to wait for miracles and avoid breakdowns, go back to step 1 and check the goal for realism. And enjoy the process, instead of hypnotizing the arrow of the scales several times a day.
• Self-reflection. You begin to involuntarily compare yourself with other gym-goers and indulge in sad thoughts about your own imperfection. Put everything out of your mind and focus on training. Don’t be complacent, but praise yourself! You are working on making your body beautiful and healthy. This alone is worthy of respect.

Fitness classes promote the production of endorphins. Therefore, soon you will feel completely different – both physically and psychologically. Be patient – you will succeed!