How to start a new fitness program
If you are looking to start a fitness program. Remember to start slowly. No need to jump in and drown. Wade in the shallows, get a feel for the temperature, and soon you'll be turning a dog paddle into a free-style lap. But remember ANY change that you make like this takes time and is a journey.
Here are 4 big mistakes to avoid for your fitness program.
DOING THE SAME THING AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS. If you're not seeing or feeling changes and you've been doing the same thing for more than 12 weeks, it's time to try something new or make a few adjustments. Many people get into the habit of sitting on an exercise bike or walking on the same treadmill at the gym. Do something different and see better results.
DON'T EXPECT CHANGE UNLESS YOU'RE FATIGUED. Face it! If you're not tired at the end of your workout, then you won't see results quickly. This doesn't mean to push yourself so you can't walk the next day but at least a few times in your workout, you should "feel the burn". That burn of muscles that are working hard or feeling yourself breathing heavy. This physical indicators help you know if you're working hard enough to see and feel changes.
ONLY DOING ONE COMPONENT OF FITNESS. There are 3 components of fitness: your heart, your muscles and your joints. You work your heart with cardio, your muscles with strength training, your joints with flexibility training. Opt for a well-rounded program and don't think that stretching 2-3 minutes after your bootcamp class is enough. Add yoga or a pilates style class into your regiment to get those joints moving fluidly and eliminating tight muscles.
THINKING STRETCHING IS GOING TO LENGTHEN YOUR MUSCLES. It doesn't matter how much you stretch. If you don't improve the strength of the "tight" muscle then you will never see changes in your range of motion or flexibility. This is why Yoga and Pilates classes are so important - they work on both sides of the joint and help lengthen the muscles.
