Starting an Exercise Program

You know that when it comes to health, prevention is far better than cure. You realise you need to start an exercise program as a key element of a balanced, healthy lifestyle and a longer, less stressed and more active life. You know that exercising regularly will improve your circulatory system, lower your blood pressure and heart rate, reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke, enhance your immune system, improve your sleep habits, manage stress, help to control your weight, improve your self-image and allow you to participate in a broader range of physical fun. Exercise will also provide a great incentive for adopting a healthier lifestyle. Eating well, getting quality rest, and cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol will all follow naturally after starting an exercise program, because exercise makes life easier and more pleasant.

So why don't you do it?

It isn't that difficult - just a question of changing your habits, adjusting priorities, and getting on with it. You owe it to yourself! The majority of people can start a new exercise program without the worry of bringing about a medical disaster. Some people, however, should consult a doctor before starting any fitness regime. One way to find out if you should consult a doctor before going any further is to take a physical activity readiness questionnaire. You can find the one I use to screen my clients here. If you want to be safe, check with a professional first.

Once you're cleared and confident to start exercising there are three principles to guide you. Adopting these rules will not mean that you never get injured or wake up after a hard workout feeling a little sore. But they will help ease you to a higher level of fitness without putting undue stress on your body.

Rule 1: Moderation

Start slowly, and train gradually, to give your body time to adapt. Even if you feel that you are quite physically capable, there are specific musculoskeletal stresses unique to each exercise, and it is vital that you take care not to overstress yourself. The 'too much too soon' syndrome keeps most physiotherapists in business. The majority of the time it's down to people feeling ready to go faster and harder, when their cardiovascular and muscle improves within weeks. But their bones, ligaments, and tendons take months to adapt and there can be a mismatch. Don't be tempted to overdo things. Think about where you'll be in six months, a year, by gradually increasing the work. You're not competing against anybody but yourself!

Rule 2: Consistency

Inconsistent training is not training at all. Instead, you're more likely to overstress your body, get nowhere, or worse, injure yourself. Deciding to get in shape, heading to the gym and pushing yourself for as hard and long as you possibly can only results in one thing… Injury at worst, at best spending the next week sore, stiff and walking funny. By the time you can sit down pain free, you hit the gym hard again to make up for lost time, treating yourself to another week of shuffling around like Egors demented younger brother! This kind of sporadic training does your body more harm than good, makes you feel worse than better, (putting your commitment to the test) and gets you no closer to your fitness goals.

Training consistently and effectively is not overrated: 'a little and often' means your body has more time to adapt. Think in terms of at least three sessions of exercise spaced through a week rather than all at once. If you get into a consistent routine with your exercise, you are more likely to enjoy it and keep it up. Also, the longer you spend building a base of fitness, the more secure it is, meaning that taking a break every now and then wont send you straight back to square one.

Rule 3: Rest

I think it was Arnold Schwarzenegger that said 'Muscles grow outside of the gym.' Actually, this is true of all physiological adaptations. It's not the actual act of running three times a week that will make you a better runner. Running, or any effective exercise, stimulates subtle physiological changes to occur, making your body stronger and more efficient, therefore enabling you to run further and faster than before. The act of exercise itself stimulates your body to change, and resting gives your body time to adapt and get fitter. Giving your body time to recover and make these changes is vital. Build rest for the parts you've exercised into your exercise routine, space your workouts out, or work different parts of your body on different days.

Plan your program

Clear, realistic aims and a clear plan are essential.

Where do you want to go?

If you don't know where your going, how will you know when you get there? Consider your health and fitness goals. Do you want to walk up the stairs without getting out of breath? Or have you always wanted to run a marathon? No matter what the end goal, having one is very important. It's the foundation upon which you can build your program. When thinking of your goals, be S.M.A.R.T…

SPECIFIC

Your goals need to be clear, focused, concise, and well-defined. Avoid general terms and be as detailed as you can.

MEASUREABLE

You need to have a gauge like time frames, weight, or distance so you can measure your success.

ACTION ORIENTED

achieving your goal will require you to take action! A example of a Non-Action oriented goal would be: I want to get fit someday. Action oriented goal would be: I will go jogging 2 times a week, cut back on alcohol and sweets, and lose a stone by the summer!

REALISTIC

Your goals need to be manageable, attainable, believable and your own! A sense of ownership allows you to take pride in the challenge and accomplishment of any fitness goals. Letting others set your goals for you leads to low motivation and high anxiety.

TIME-DRIVEN/TIMELY

Your goals need to have a starting point, a timeline and an ending point. Goals can also be broken down into smaller objectives, or short and medium term goals, e.g. Run 1k in the short term, 5k in the medium, 10k long term!

Your goals should be written down in positive terms. Posting them in a prominent place can help you stay focused. Remember to be flexible, your situations and goals can and will change as life circumstances change. In other words, if your deadline becomes unrealistic, change it!

Where are you now?

You probably have an idea about how fit you are, but assessing through fitness tests and putting a baseline down on paper gives you a benchmark from which you can measure your progress in the future. It can also act as motivation to see on paper your waist measurement shrinking, times improving, number of press ups growing and so on. Make sure that your assessments relate to your goals; so if your goal is to lose weight, weigh yourself. Take a measurement of your BMI or better yet, body fat percentage. If you want a stronger upper body, count how many press ups you can complete in one minute…just make sure the tests you perform are simple and reproducible.

Plan your route…

Now you know where you are and where you want to be, how will you get there? Its important that your goals are realistic, and your progression logical. It's easy to say that you will exercise 4 - 5 times a week, go T-total, and go from sedentary to superhero in a matter of weeks. But it won't happen. It's always a good idea to get some advice with your plan, either from someone experienced, or an exercise professional. They will be able to give you a realistic time frame, and an idea of what you should be doing to efficiently achieve your goals. They should also work some cross-training into your program. Even if you have a really specific goal such as running a 5K race, including different activities in your regime reduces the chances of overtraining or injuring joints specific to one activity, as well as keeping away boredom! Plan to alternate among different activities that put emphasis on different parts of your body: walking, swimming, strength training etc…

Also, think about how your training will fit into your daily routine. Exercise takes time. Time that has to come from somewhere else, and finding this time can be a challenge. To make it easier, schedule time to exercise as you would any other any appointment. Give it some priority. Plan it in your diary, and keep it!

Get Started!

Start slowly and build up gradually, giving yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down with gentle stretching. Again this is where a professional can help you: in the structure, safety and effectiveness of your sessions. If you're planning to invest in some exercise equipment, choose things that are practical and effective. Try it out before buying, find out if it's enjoyable and easy to use, or if indeed you will use it! Just because you're raising your activity levels doesn't mean you need to start splashing your cash about; start with a decent pair of trainers, and be patient. You may find you don't need much else!

Stay on Track…

You may also find that as you progress further down the road, your motivation starts to waver, excuses creep in, and sessions are missed. But stick at it! Keep a training diary, so you can see how far you have come, and remember how satisfying it was to fill in after a hard session. Record what you did, when you did it and how you felt before and after…blank pages have to be filled! Also be creative. If you are tired of the same routine, change it. Try new activities. Try exercising with a friend or partner…if you stop enjoying an activity, you won't do it. On the other hand, listen to your body, and be flexible. If you feel tired or ill, missing a session isn't the end of the world, and will just mean your training will be more effective when you recover. Just be aware when you are making up excuses out of laziness, instead of taking active rest to boost motivation! Along with your training diary, keep a track of your progress. Retake your fitness assessments 6 weeks after you first start your program and then again every 2 - 3 months. Seeing and feeling your body change is the biggest motivator of all for most people, and the assessments help to fine tune your training. As you progress, either faster or slower as you first hoped, the assessments are a good time to re-evaluate your goals, and maybe change your approach.

Seem like a lot to take in? Starting an exercise program is an important decision, but it doesn't have to be an overwhelming one. Exercise can be a little daunting in the beginning, especially if your first efforts seem difficult. Just stick at it. Once your body and mind begin to feel the benefits or regular exercise, instead of it being a laboured chore, you'll find yourself craving it!

John Cann