You are no doubt aware that science has shown us time and again how moving our bodies regularly significantly improves both our mental and physical health, and leads to a longer and happier life. But getting started can feel overwhelming and scary. So where to begin?
Any exercise is better than no exercise.
Forcing yourself to do something that feels like torture is a pretty unhelpful first step on your fitness journey. Instead, if you can find an activity, sport or fitness class you a) enjoy b) Is at a time that suits you, and c) Is with people you like, (even if it’s not as hard and intense as what people on TikTok are doing) you’ll be way more likely to stick at it, then you’ll expand your skillset and find yourself growing into ways of moving that once felt impossible.
So how do you find something you enjoy?
Most people don’t realise that fitness isn’t just one thing, It’s a combination of factors that culminate in overall fitness. These are things like strength, power, mobility, speed, endurance, coordination and balance to name just a few! So a marathon runner may have excellent cardio endurance, but minimal strength or power. Over time we want to get as competent as possible in all these areas of fitness in order to maximise our ability to sail through life with healthy happy bodies, but it’s a great idea to start by focussing on the areas that feel less daunting.
Each and every body is different. And different bodies gravitate towards different types of movement. This is normal, and why we should never compare people with each other. You might struggle with cardio, but find you love strength training, while your best friend loves to run but is challenged at lifting weight. So when getting started, set yourself up for success and pick the thing that you like and feels more natural. The rest can follow once you’ve built the habit.
So how do you choose the right fitness class for your fitness goals? Well if you have no idea, the best option is to try different things out until you find your thing.
And how do you decide what your fitness goals are?
Here are some of the most significant reasons we need exercise:
HEART HEALTH
Heart Research Australia recommends 150 to 300 minutes of exercise every week for a healthy heart depending on the intensity. Low intensity exercise needs to be performed for longer to yield the same result. It’s important that if you’ve been inactive up to now or if you’re a beginner you build up this duration and intensity gradually, so that your heart can adjust to its new and improved regime. Don’t got from 0 minutes to 300 overnight! Let your coach know you’re a beginner and they will help to guide you safely. Varied exercise including cardio is optimal - but as we said before; Any exercise is better than no exercise, so choose something that doesn’t feel like torture (even if it’s not cardio) and you’ll get vastly more benefit than if you do nothing at all.
BONE HEALTH
People sometimes forget that your bones get a workout as well has muscles when you exercise, and this is what keeps them strong and resilient. This is crucial for injury prevention - particularly during menopause when people can lose bone density more rapidly if they don’t use them. Strength training is universally recommended for bone health, and working safely towards some impact work (running or jumping or skipping) is best. There are so many ways you can approach strength training though, and it needn’t be scary. Chat to your coach about your concerns and they’ll help you develop the technique you need to lift.
JOINT HEALTH
Strong muscles = healthier joints. When we lack muscle strength, we force excessive load on our joints to compensate. Over time this can cause discomfort and pain. In people with joint conditions such as arthritis or hypermobility it becomes even more important to have strong functioning muscles to protect the joints and minimise how disabled the conditions make us. The functional movements we prioritise in all our classes lead to muscles that are both stronger and better primed for the movements they’ll need to do on a day to day basis. Therefore you’ll put less strain on those joints in general, have stronger more functional range of motion, and reduced pain and inflammation. In other words, life will just feel better.
MENTAL HEALTH
If you struggle with your mental health, you may already know that antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication ideally need to be taken in small doses every day to keep you balanced. Well, exercise works in exactly the same way - studies have shown that exercising daily (even in small amounts) has a hugely positive impact on the levels of dopamine and endorphins (happy hormones) within your system, as well as improving your brains ability to process them. In addition it’s been shown to significantly reduce the stress hormone cortisol. In fact, research shows that exercise is as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression, playing a key role in helping people reduce other such medications. As a result, when choosing how to begin your fitness journey we recommend little and often as a first port of call - if that starting point can grow into more and often over time… even better.
Still not sure?
If all the above is is giving you analysis paralysis, don’t worry. We make sure to programme our fitness classes so that no matter what combination of classes you do, you’ll be improving your physical and mental health from the first day you join. Come along, sample a few of our fitness classes, chat to our experienced coaches and we can help you set your own goals, find a path you love being on, and take that step towards a healthier, happier version of yourself.
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