Skip to main content

Starting Your Fitness Journey

Many questions come into our minds before we can even take our first step toward fitness.


Physical exercise might be the simplest yet one of the most efficient and consistent way to improve mental health, productivity, creativity and prevent illnesses. You might have been told several times about how good it is, and you’ve finally started out. Or you have been exercising for quite a while already. Wherever you are on your journey, I think it's always a great idea to cover the foundation, take a look back and reflect, if need be.

The Why

First and foremost, you must be aware of the why. Why is it that you are working out? Is there a goal? It can be very specific (eg. to have a body fat percentage below 15), or vague and abstract (eg. to become stronger). There is no golden formula, so pick what speaks personally to you. Having this covered would help you move forward consistently, and we can focus on more technical things from here on.
Learning basic movement patterns and mastering techniques will determine what your path ahead will hold for you. It might seem very simple at first glance, but if done incorrectly an exercise can do more harm than good. Practice bodyweight movements, use very light resistance (weights, bands, etc.), record yourself performing and exercising, and lastly, don’t shy away from asking for help! You might have to work on the last part if you’re not comfortable with letting others in on your weaknesses. Trust me, some people will judge whether you approach them or not. The benefits however will always outweigh the initial awkwardness.

Lifestyle

Fix all of your lifestyle habits. Particularly sitting posture, eating habits, screen time limitations, and bedtime routines. I don’t think I need to emphasize on nutrition as being an important factor determining your progress. Working on an obvious red flag is true here as well. Make a list of all the habits that you need to kick out and all those that you want to add on.

Adequate Recovery

Recovery is extremely important. The amount and quality of sleep, the foods you eat, the amount of water you consume, the rest you take between two consecutive workouts, and how you manage the intensity of exercise, along with actively stretching and foam rolling will all determine your recovery status. Basically, if your body hasn’t recovered from the previous exercise session, you won’t be able to perform during the successive workouts which will negatively affect your progress. I’ve written a few articles that explain in depth about all the science and logic behind it. Please don’t be the guy that doesn’t warm up or cool down.
Track your progress, either by writing it down or by recording videos of yourself at regular intervals. Not only does it tell you if you’re going in the right direction, it also motivates you, by showing you that your work is actually paying off.

Let Others Help With the Complicated Stuff

Last but not least, listen to your body and ask for professional help when you feel confused or lost at any point in your journey. Our healthcare professionals are eager to guide everyone along the right path. We are more than happy when one is curious to know more about their bodies and what is right for them. Remember to keep these things in perspective, and most of all, stay woke!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Toe vs Heel strike: Injury Risk in Runners

When we observe runners, there are just so many variations in running technique and patterns. The length of the stride, body lean, amount of bending at each joint, the first point of foot contact and the arm swing are just a few of the places where we can notice the differences. Heel striking is one of the most criticised biomechanical variations in running. It is said that a heel to toe pattern impedes the forward motion of the runner and wastes more energy than landing on the forefoot. The first thing to get out of the way is that it’s not necessary that everyone who lands on their heel places it ahead of the body and that everyone who lands on the forefoot does so right under the body, which makes it invalid to connect the two factors. Forefoot Strike Technically there are three types of foot strike patterns: forefoot, rearfoot, and midfoot strike. The mechanics of the midfoot strike have more common features to the rearfoot strike and hence both of them will be considered under the...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Causes Muscle Cramps and How to Deal With Them?

Almost everyone involved in physical exercise has experienced muscle cramps at some point in time. It can be explained as a painful and involuntary muscle contraction that locks the joint in place. They occur mostly in longer muscles that span two or more joints. Once experienced, athletes may continue to cramp unless adequate rest is provided. There are many theories as to how muscle cramps occur and what can be the possible solutions to relieving them. They are sometimes inaccurately termed as heat cramps. Exercise-associated muscle cramps do not have a relation with body temperature and do not recover with an external cooling modality, like an ice pack. If the theories of muscle cramps do not interest you, skip to the last part where you can learn how to deal with muscle cramps. One of the oldest theories is based on dehydration and electrolyte imbalance that occurs during exercise. It states that sweating alters the chemical balance of the fluids present in the body, which affects...
Post a Comment
Read more

Can You Lose Weight Through Diet Alone?

There are people who believe that exercise alone can help you lose weight as long as you don’t ‘overeat’. This view is evident by the sheer number of people who purchase gym memberships specifically for weight loss. Whilst physical activity is beneficial, there are a myriad of risks involved when people follow the advice of gurus who aren’t educated about the anatomy and physiology of the human body. At the other end of the spectrum, there are believers in nutrition who could swear by its effectiveness in weight loss. It’s easy to blame a particular macro, be it fats or carbohydrates. It’s much harder to back that claim with evidence. Does that mean we leave everything to chance and do whatever we feel is right? Absolutely not. Looking at the basics of nutrition content, a low carbohydrate diet has been shown to help with maintaining a low energy uptake, which in turn will reduce your weight (As carbohydrates and sugars are well known to be empty calories). Although fat was given a bad...
Post a Comment
Read more