10 Fitness Tips to Get You Started on Your Health Journey

Introduction

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to get myself back in shape. It’s not that I’m out of shape—I actually run and go to the gym regularly

but I want to make sure that my fitness routine doesn’t plateau too soon.I also want to make sure that I’m doing everything humanly possible to keep myself healthy and injury free as long as possible.

It can be overwhelming knowing where to start, though: there are so many workout routines out there for different people with different goals! But if you have the right attitude, support system (which may include friends or family members) and drive, then these 10 tips will help get you started on your journey towards total health and wellness.

Get a physical exam.

It’s important to get a complete physical exam before starting a fitness program. This will help ensure that your body is working properly and that you can safely participate in the activities you want to do. When choosing a doctor for your physical, look for someone who is knowledgeable about fitness and overall health. At your first appointment, ask questions like:

How often should I be evaluated?
What are the benefits of an annual physical exam?
How do I keep myself safe during exercise?

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The answers you receive will depend on what type of routine they recommend for you as an individual. In general though, it’s wise to ask questions at every visit so that if anything changes in your health or lifestyle habits—for example, if someone close becomes ill—you’ll know what steps need taking right away (and when).

Start with a realistic goal.

The best way to get started on your health journey is to start small and build from there. If you want to run a marathon, don’t expect yourself to do it overnight. Start by walking around the block first and then build up the mileage over time until you’re ready for something more intensive like running or even full on sprinting! Don’t be afraid of taking baby steps towards reaching your ultimate fitness goals—you’ll get there in no time!

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Keep it simple.

If you’re like me, you probably have a tendency to overcomplicate things. I love discovering new ways to be healthy and fit, but sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the weeds of fad diets and exercise trends. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the hype! Instead of trying out every new health trend that comes along, focus on building your foundation with exercise basics: strength training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

It’s also important not to try to do too much at once. For example, if you’ve never gone running before but want to start running for fitness this week, don’t decide that tomorrow will be your first day—set a realistic goal for what you think is achievable within two weeks or so (and then reward yourself when you reach that goal).

Celebrate small successes.

Small victories are the building blocks of success, so don’t forget to celebrate them. Keep a journal to track your progress and celebrate each small victory. If you don’t celebrate your victories, you won’t be motivated to keep going.

I recommend using something like Fitocracy or My Fitness Pal (this one is great if you want more mobile access) as they have easy-to-use apps that allow you to make progress while on the go!

Find a workout routine that you enjoy doing.

Finding a workout routine that you enjoy is one of the most important things you can do to stay consistent in your fitness journey. There are so many different types of workouts out there and it’s important to find a style that suits you. If you don’t enjoy doing it, chances are good that you will never stick with it for long enough for the health benefits to kick in.

For example, step aerobics is a great way to get into shape if you have joint issues but running isn’t your thing because it hurts your feet too much or makes them sweat too much (and who wants their feet sweating?). Swimming is nice on hot days or if there’s snow outside but not everyone loves swimming (but some people do). So make sure that whatever workout routine or exercise program works best for YOU!

It’s also important to know what YOUR goals are before starting any type of exercise program so that when something gets tough or boring (or both), knowing why we’re doing this will help us keep going until we reach our goal(s).

For example: My goal is not just losing weight but also getting healthier overall–so my current focus should be on eating better food and increasing my strength rather than just focusing on burning more calories through running faster and longer distances each week–which might burn more calories but won’t necessarily help me achieve all those other things like becoming stronger over time.”

Be active throughout your day.

This is a good way to get in touch with your body and become more mindful of your surroundings. You’ll be able to see things that you wouldn’t normally notice when you’re focused on watching the road or looking at your phone screen.

Start by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking or riding a bike to work, taking a walk around the office during your lunch break and parking further away from stores so that you can walk up those extra blocks. If possible, try walking up and down the stairs in your house instead of taking the elevator (or even better yet: purchase some dumbbells!).

If these activities feel too difficult for you right now then start small; take one step at a time until reaching higher ground!

Track your progress, even in small ways.

Tracking your progress is an important step in staying motivated and seeing the results of your hard work. If you’re trying to lose weight, that means tracking your body fat percentage and weight loss over time. If you’re working on building muscle mass, it’s helpful to track how many times you go to the gym each week, so that it can be compared with previous weeks’ efforts.

This doesn’t have to be a complicated process at all—you can use a simple spreadsheet or a journal. Even if you just write down one thing each day (e.g., “I went for a walk today”) or even just one thing per week (e.g., “I went for two walks this week”), writing things down will help cement them into your memory more than just thinking about them or remembering them would do alone!”

Eat a healthy diet and stay hydrated.

If you are trying to lose weight, eat smaller portions at meals and do not skip meals. A balanced diet will help keep you feeling full for longer periods of time.

Try drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated. Avoid sugary drinks as much as possible because they can contribute to weight gain by adding extra calories into your daily intake.

Eating breakfast is also important in order to give your body energy throughout the day, so try having oatmeal or eggs with fruit before work or school if possible! Eating a variety of foods will also ensure that your body is getting all of its nutritional needs met properly!

Get adequate sleep each night.

Getting adequate sleep is crucial to your health. Not only does it help you feel energized and refreshed, but it also helps regulate your metabolism, improve your memory and concentration, and keep you focused on the tasks at hand.

A lack of adequate sleep can negatively affect your mood, along with the way that you process information. As such, getting adequate rest each night can help ensure that you have better focus throughout the day to increase productivity.

According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), these are some ways to improve your sleep hygiene:

Avoid alcohol before bedtime as it tends to make people restless when trying to fall asleep; instead try reading a book or listening/watching something soothing like nature sounds or meditative music
Consider avoiding caffeine if possible from late afternoon onwards as this overstimulates nerves in the brain making it more difficult for us to drift off into peaceful slumber
If possible eliminate nicotine use within 6 hours prior to going under because cigarettes contain stimulants which will interfere with melatonin production (the hormone which makes us sleepy)

Don’t let one bad day derail you from reaching your goals.

It is easy to get discouraged when you have a bad day. A bad day can make you feel like you’ve failed, and that you are never going to reach your goals.

But remember: one bad day isn’t the end of your journey! You don’t need to completely give up or give in because of one off day or moment. Instead, focus on what went wrong with your workout, and keep working towards your goals.

With the right attitude, support and drive, you can achieve any fitness goal you set for yourself!

Here are some tips to help you get started on your health journey:

Set realistic goals. Don’t be too hard on yourself if your progress isn’t coming as quickly as you’d like—it takes time to build a healthy lifestyle. One of the best ways to stay motivated is by setting small goals along the way that will keep you excited about working out every day and seeing results in no time. Celebrate each step towards achieving your big picture goal with small successes along the way!
Find a workout routine that makes sense for your schedule and lifestyle. It’s important to enjoy what you’re doing when exercising because this helps keep up motivation levels high over time (and hopefully prevents burnout!). If there aren’t many options available locally then online resources like YouTube videos or apps could provide some inspiration until something better emerges nearby 🙂
Be active throughout your day whenever possible outside of exercise sessions — walk instead of driving everywhere; take stairs instead escalators/elevators etcetera…don’t let yourself become sedentary unless absolutely necessary; even if it means standing up occasionally during meetings at work/school try not sit down too long because repetitive motions over long periods cause bad posture which leads back pain later on down road so keep moving around whenever possible 🙂

Conclusion

Remember that you should always be positive and supportive of yourself. You can do it! The key is to keep focused on your goals and stay motivated so that workouts are fun instead of torturous. It’s important to remember that even if you slip up once in a while, it’s not the end of the world—just get back on track as soon as possible!