New to the Gym? Here Are Our Top Five Tips to Help you Get Started
Starting an exercise program at the gym is an excellent health decision, however it can be a daunting one. Gym environments offer access to a wide variety of equipment that can help us improve our cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and our overall health.
For a lot of us, its just a case of getting started….
…But, starting anything for the first time can be hard, particularly if we don’t know where and how exactly to start and if we have a lot of other things going on around us e.g. familial stress, health conditions, long work hours and other regular commitments.
Today we would like to discuss our five best tips for getting started at the gym and for gaining confidence in those early weeks of training.
- Get a professional on your side – See an Exercise Physiologist
- Build your Week – Come in with a Plan
- It’s all about support – Get your friends and family on board
- Embrace your new community – create new relationships
- Slow and Steady – Build into things gradually and work on consistency
Get a professional on your side – See an Exercise Physiologist
If you are new to the gym or exercise in general – book in to see an Exercise Physiologist. Your Exercise Physiologist will conduct a comprehensive initial assessment to get an overall understanding of your health and fitness, as well as your goals.
Your Exercise Physiologist will prescribe an exercise program that is unique and individual to you and your needs and goals.
Exercise Physiologists are experts at adjusting exercise to suit your experience and fitness level, any health conditions and injuries. They will show you how to complete exercises correctly and safely as well as progress/regress exercises as needed to ensure you will make progress.
The other benefit of seeing an Exercise Physiologist is accountability. Making a significant health change like becoming more active can be difficult and requires dedication and consistency. Having a regular appointment and someone to check in on how you are progressing is really important and proven to help people be more successful.
Build your Week – Come in with a Plan
When starting out, its important to create a routine and structure around exercise. Plan your gym times and days. For example, will you exercise in the morning or afternoon? What days of the week? Keeping your routine consistent at the beginning can help us establish long-term healthy habits.
An example exercise routine might consist of 9am exercise at the gym on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and a 60 minute walk on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
As well as routine, its equally important to have a solid plan. You don’t want to just turn up to the gym and walk around aimlessly. You will feel much more confident if you know exactly what exercises you want to complete. For example – what will your warm up be? What cardio and for how long? What resistance exercises and which equipment is required? These are all great things to discuss with your Exercise Physiologist before your first solo session.
It’s all about support – Get your friends and family on board
It’s much easier to make a change when we have a strong support network around us. Why not make a change together? Get your whole family on board with your new exercise regime, and where possible, do things together. Exercising with friends and family can be helpful for several reasons. Firstly, they help us stay accountable and ensure we actually turn up. Secondly, they can be there to support us through challenges and provide encouragement and motivation. They are also an important part of sharing in our results and success – it is important to celebrate the wins!
Overall going into a gym with a friend or family member makes things easier, less intimidating and sets us up with the support network we will need to succeed.
Embrace your new community – create new relationships
As mentioned above, having support to help you make this healthy change is really important. When you get started at the gym you will likely meet a variety of new people.
Gyms provide a unique opportunity to engage with a community of like-minded people.
When you train with Longevity Exercise Physiology, you will spend a lot of time with your Exercise Physiologist, the rest of the Longevity team and our other clients – meaning you become part of the bigger Longevity community where we celebrate each other’s wins.
Talking to other gym members, Exercise Physiologists, trainers, gym staff and clients is a great way to help you feel more confident and get the most out of your time in the gym.
Slow and Steady – Build into things gradually
When you first start out with exercise and in a new environment such as a gym – it’s a good idea to build into things gradually and be patient. It is important to select exercise that are appropriate for our experience and fitness level. This will allow us to make gradual progressions, prevent pain/fatigue/injury/illness and have a positive experience. The best person to speak to about what is appropriate for your body is an Exercise Physiologist.
Patience and consistency are key when starting a new exercise routine. Results don’t happen overnight!
Get started with gym-based exercise the right way – with an Exercise Physiologist by your side!
Call 1300 964 002 to speak to a Longevity Exercise Physiologist today.