Beginner Workout: How To Start Exercising, As A Complete Beginner

So you’ve decided to start exercising. That’s awesome! As a complete beginner, exercising can seem pretty intimidating. Here’s the great news. You don’t need 2 hours at the gym, or sweating on the treadmill at home every day. Keep reading for tips on how to start exercising as a complete beginner, as well as a beginner workout sample. Welcome to the fit side!

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Benefits Of Exercise/Working Out

Regular exercise offers a wide range of benefits.

Primarily, regular exercise helps you maintain healthy body weight, as well as aid with weight loss and/or maintenance.

Additionally, it can help combat health conditions and diseases, since it can reduce pain, help maintain muscle strength in affected joints and reduce joint stiffness.

Regular exercise has a major impact on your mental health.

It boosts your self-esteem and confidence, lifts your mood and helps improve your sex life. It can even help you sleep better!

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How Should A Beginner Start Working Out?

First of all, congratulations on taking this step towards a healthier you. I think you have already accomplished what a lot of people struggle with!

If you are a complete workout beginner, you should consider these things:

• Set short term goals. Short term goals are easier to achieve and complete. This will give you confidence and motivation to actually stick to this “new you”.

• Take it slow. Make sure you warm-up and cool down before any type of exercise. As a complete beginner, you need to give your body time to adapt to the increased activity.

• Listen to your body. One of my favorite things about exercising is this incredible relationship you start to develop with your body. Pay attention to what feels good and what doesn’t. Just because your favorite fitness girl on Instagram can do the splits in a heartbeat, doesn’t mean you should too. This brings me to my next point.

• Find what makes you feel good. You are in this unique position, where you get to try multiple styles of exercise until you find what best suits you. For me, there’s a couple, such as weight lifting, HIITs and core slider workouts. For you, it might be yoga or running or walking, or even weight lifting! After all, working out should NOT feel like a chore. Have fun with it!

As A Beginner, How Long Should I Exercise/Workout?

As a beginner, you should ease into exercising.

By doing so, you allow your body to become familiar with the increased level of activity, as well as build strength.

Generally, it’s best to keep your beginner workout 30 minutes or less, about twice a week. As you build strength and endurance, you may increase your total time.

What Are Some Common Types Of Exercise?

There are so many types of exercise out there. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Aerobic. You probably know this as “cardio”. This is a type of cardiovascular activity. Common aerobic activities include walking, running, swimming, dancing, etc.
• Strength training. this type of exercises focuses on muscle strength and power. Common types include weight lifting, resistance training, etc.
• HIITs. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It is a powerful form of cardio, where you perform an exercise for a short amount of time at full speed and effort, followed by a shorter rest time. This type of exercise has a major impact on your metabolism. Its benefits continue to take effect 24 hours post workout.
• Flexibility and Core stability. These types of exercise focus on balancing and strengthening your core muscles. They also focus on increasing flexibility and stretching muscles. Common types include pilates, yoga, etc.

How To Start Working Out At Home Without Equipment?

You don’t need any equipment when you are just starting out. All you need is willpower and a water bottle!

Here are some amazing exercises you can start with, that don’t require any equipment.

Muscle Strengthening

• Squats
• Push-ups
• Tricep dips
• Lunges
• Sit-ups

Cardiovascular

• Jumping jacks
• Jump squats
• High knees
• Butt kicks
• Mountain climbers
• Burpees
• Jogging in place

Equipment I used as a beginner

Once you start to advance, you will need to add more resistance so you can keep pushing past your comfort zone. You start exercising for longer periods of time, add resistance bands or weights, etc.

Here is the equipment I used as a beginner:

• Resistance Bands

• Jump Rope

• Non-slip Exercise Mat

How do I stay motivated?

Taking the first step towards a healthier lifestyle is pretty difficult for many.

Staying motivated can be impossible for most.

Here are a few ways you can stay motivated:

Set short-term goals. As mentioned above, short-term goals are easier to accomplish. The reward will motivate you to keep going.

Keep track of your progress. Keeping a daily or weekly journal on your progress can be a major motivation booster. Seeing the hard work you’ve done, on paper, will be all the proof you need that you can do this.

Tell your loved ones. Having a support group during this time of change is an amazing motivation booster. Tell your boyfriend, tell your family and friends. Let the world know you have taken on a journey of transformation and you need all their support.

Make it fun. You don’t have to do HIITs or cardio or strength training everyday. Choose what makes you feel good and just do it. As a beginner, your goal is to just start moving more. Dance, walk, run. The world is your oyster!

Reward yourself. At the end of every week, reward yourself. Maybe go get a massage or get a manicure. Maybe have a little cheat meal. Once a week, do something that will make you feel like all the work you have been doing, is being rewarded.

Love yourself. You will start to develop a unique relationship with yourself. This is the best part about exercise, for me. Your body is your home. It is the one place where you can always turn to when you need to. Start to love and nourish every single part of it. Hug yourself.

Look in the mirror and say “I love you for everything that you are right here, right now. I can’t wait to grow healthier and stronger with you!”

Sample Beginner Workout Week 1

Here is a sample workout plan for complete beginners, that is designed to just get you familiarized with exercise.

• Monday: 30-45 minute medium pace walk.
• Tuesday: Bodyweight Strengthening Workout.

Warm-Up, Squats, Push-ups, Tricep dips, Sit-ups, Lunges, Cool Down, Stretch.

Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

• Wednesday: 10 minute Yoga Stretch Routine.
• Thursday: 30 minute brisk walk.
• Friday: Cardio. (jog, bike, home cardio workout etc.)
• Saturday: 10 minute stretch routine.
• Sunday: Rest day.

If you enjoyed this post, check these ones out!

• The Affordable Home Exercise Starter Kit For Beginners
• 7 Advanced Core Exercises At Home That Will Challenge You
• The Best HIIT Workout Guide For Total Beginners At Home

Final Thoughts

Exercise might seem very intimidating for a beginner. Remember that even the fittest people on Earth were once like you.

Total exercise beginners.

Make exercise a fun part of your life. Try different types of exercise until you find what makes you feel the best.

Take your time with proper warm-ups and proper cooldowns. Learn proper form and find a pace that’s comfortable for you, until you are ready to surpass it.

Remember to love yourself every single step of the way. Some days you might feel like you are doing phenomenal, while others you might feel like you are failing.

Remember, it’s called bodybuilding, not bodybuilt.

Now let’s get fit!

Thank you so much for reading.

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