Making Exercise Easy When You’re Far From Fit

 

When you’re in your teens and twenties, people who exercise are fanatics. They’re gym bunnies or health freaks (or the crossfit junkies), and you judge them without worry. You certainly wouldn’t be caught dead getting sweaty for fun. No THANK you!

But, as you get older, something strange happens. Those friends who used to laugh at young gym goers with you start going to the gym. Your supple body begins to sag and struggle, joints begin to ache. And, one dark day, you find yourself looking into gym memberships. What is happening to you?!

Sadly, this is a little thing called age. It catches us all eventually. And, far from being fanatical, exercise in your thirties and above is an essential part of daily life. Without it, you’ll struggle to maintain even basic levels of fitness and health. Aches and pains will crop up where you never knew it possible. You may even start to struggle mentally. After all, a healthy mind and body go hand in hand.

There’s just one issue; you’ve never actually done heavy exercise before. In school, it was cool to goof around in gym class. In fact, running down the stairs is the closest you’ve come to exercise in years. It should come as no surprise, then, that your first gym session makes you feel like absolute death. Hence why many of us let our memberships go to waste after the taster session.

Sadly, I’m not here with a magic fix. Exercise is hard, and that’s all there is to it. The good news is, there are a few ways to make your hobby easier. And, lucky for you, we’re going to look at the main ones here. So, book up another session already, then sit back and consider the following.

Build yourself up slowly

Chances are that you’ve heard the saying ‘slow and steady wins the race’. It’s a sentiment you can apply to most walks of life, and exercise is no different. When it comes to getting fit, most of us make the mistake of going too hard too soon, risking burnout and injury. We push ourselves to keep up with others in the gym, or embark on insane workout sessions we aren’t ready for. In truth, though, there’s no need for it. The secret to success here is to build yourself slowly. Something as simple as two minutes running around the house would be a good starting point. When you find that easy, build it to three, then four. Keep increasing until your next gym session. As easy as that, you’ll find yourself much more able to keep on top. And, if you don’t end your exercise on death’s door, you may find that you enjoy yourself. What’s more, you’ll find yourself much more willing to get stuck in when you only have two minutes on the clock. This can also help you to avoid any unpleasant injuries which set you back even further. In short; slow definitely wins this race in every way.

 

Consider your life outside of exercise

 

 

Many of us also make the mistake of keeping exercise separate from the rest of our lives. We only worry about our bodies during that one session a week. The rest of the time, we do what we want and fail to think about the consequences. In truth, though, this is not an issue you can segment. Everything you do in your life outside exercise has an impact. If you eat junk every day, for instance, your energy levels are sure to suffer. Stodgy foods which are high in saturated fats are sure to leave you low on energy. And, that’s not going to help with your efforts. In fact, it won’t even give your body what it needs to face exercise sessions. In the same way bodybuilders have strict diets, you need to make sure your body gets what it needs before and after exercise. That means focusing on things like protein and fiber. You should also make sure to consume plenty of fresh foods with low levels of unhealthy fat. This will increase your energy, and thus make your exercise motivation easier to find.

The impact of your outside life doesn’t stop there, either. Bad habits like drinking and smoking can also do real damage to your efforts here. In many ways, this is an obvious issue. We all know that smoking reduces lung capacity, for instance. That will then leave you struggling to breathe after even small exertions. And, you don’t need us to tell you that’s going to make any exercise more difficult. Instead, take this excuse to finally cut those habits. Invest in vapor kits to help you get off the cigarettes. Straight away, these will help your lungs to heal. Equally, get into the habit of saying no to alcohol, especially in the lead up to a session. Dehydration is not what you want when hitting the gym. Even small changes here should go a long way towards making exercise that bit easier for you.

Get the support you need

 

via GIPHY

It’s also crucial to get a support network behind you. That could be someone like a partner who encourages and praises your efforts here. Or, you may want to go all out and find a group with which you can exercise. Most gyms offer group sessions like these for those who need extra motivation. You could even ask around friends and arrange sessions together. Either way, having a support network can make your life a lot easier. Though it doesn’t make a physical difference like our other points, this is actually most crucial of all. Without anyone behind you, there’s less chance you’ll keep going. You’ll slip into bad habits of skipping sessions, and exercise will become more of a challenge as a result. By comparison, your support network can hold you accountable. If you don’t turn up when you should, you’ll let them down. As a result, you’ll find the exercise hurdle much easier to jump. And, the more you turn up, the easier your sessions will be.