A Complete Beginner-Friendly Guide To Fitness. What I Wish Everyone Knew About Fitness.
A Complete Beginner-Friendly Guide To Fitness. A fitness routine can be intimidating to some. It’s not easy, you need to keep at your fitness regimen consistently, and some people in shape parading their bodies on the media can make you feel down about yourself. But fitness is so important because it’s the only way to maintain a healthy mind and body. There are different ways to stay fit. This post will teach you what you should know before starting any fitness routine. You’ll also learn about the benefits of working out, how to get started with an exercise routine, and what other types of workouts are available.
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Table of Contents
What Is Fitness?
What is Fitness? You probably know the basic definition of fitness, but I’d like us to take a step back and define it. So what is fitness? To me, fitness is an exercise that encompasses both physical and mental health, so it isn’t just about looking good in a swimsuit or having six-pack abs. You want to be healthy on the inside out. Here are some ways to practice healthy living habits that will help get you there! I’m going to give a brief description of fitness before going into how to find a workout routine that will be right for you.
Why Fitness Matters
So why does fitness matter? Fitness matters as it not only increases your overall physical health but also improves your mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
Fitness increases your physical and overall mental health by producing endorphins that bring about positive feelings, thus battling depression or anxiety. Let’s not also ignore the fact that there’s also a significant burning of calories; therefore, fitness helps lose weight.
If you’re a beginner fitness person, you may feel stuck between all the information available out there. I have taken a bit of time to research many other fitness areas, and here’s what I think you should know about fitness.
Sounds good, right? Ok, let’s dive right in.
Getting Started With Fitness
It’s essential to know that you don’t need to work out every day. Exercising every day can be beneficial, but it can also increase your risk of injury. You can occasionally skip a day; don’t push yourself too hard on the first few days. I mean, you’re just a beginner, and it can take some time to adapt.
You might be asking if I can’t work out daily, how long should I work out. Below is a summarized table I made after some thorough research on the different types of work out and how long you should spend on each as a beginner:
Visit training regimes to learn more about the various types of exercises and the recommendations.
Before starting any fitness routine, I suggest you should seek your doctor’s approval. Exercise isn’t all about pushing yourself to the limit. You’ll see how fun it can be.
Types Of Fitness Workouts
There are many different kinds of workouts, each with its benefits. These vary from working out at home to working out at the gym. The best exercise for you is the one that works for your body type and skill level. You can’t do a demanding marathon training program if you haven’t done any running before, right? Likewise, you don’t want to jump right into Cross Fit if your goal is weight loss.
Here are some popular types of workouts and what they do:
- Cardio – Also known as Aerobic exercise, a lot of oxygen is inhaled; thus, there’s a gradual increase in the oxygen levels in the heart; this, in the long run, does not cause fatigue but a sudden burst of energy
- Strength Training – Strength training, also known as resistance training, involves physical exercises to increase strength and bone mass, which in the long run maintains healthy joints and bones.
- Yoga – This is an ancient technique that in-cooperates meditation and breathing techniques to improve one’s physical and mental health.
Cardio Fitness
“Cardio” is defined as the short name for “aerobic exercise,” or physical exercise, and by moving your body so that the heart gets oxygenated by taking in oxygen. As you breathe out, your body expels carbon dioxide in the process, your heart rate increases, and thus you use oxygen more efficiently.
They are three types of cardiovascular exercises, and these include:
High-impact cardio:
These are any cardiovascular exercises that involve you carrying your weight (Having both your feet off the ground). These include; skipping rope.
Low-impact cardio:
These are any cardiovascular exercises that involve having one foot on the ground at all times. These include; Hiking and walking.
No-impact cardio:
Many cardiovascular exercises carried out in the water are considered non-impact cardio. They are regarded as non-impact cardio as little gravity acts upon the body at the time of exercise. Examples of these non-impact cardio exercises include; swimming, aqua jogging, and flutter kicks. Cycling is also considered a non-impact cardiovascular exercise as the bike frame and wheels support most of the body weight.
Many people like to do “cardio” workouts because they help you lose weight and help your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and build muscle. Different types of cardio can be done in the gym or at home, depending on your preferences. Visit cardiovascular exercises to learn more about cardiovascular exercises.
Strength Training
Strength training with or without weights is a popular way to stay fit. While cardio is great for burning calories and keeping your body healthy, strength training is necessary to keep your body strong and able to do everything you do. It’s essential to get your muscles built up if you want to stay healthy, and weight lifting is the best way to build strength and teach your muscles how to work. Here are some examples of strength training techniques:
- Bodyweight Squat
- Push-Up
- Mountain Climbers
- Planks
- Lunges
Visit strength training to learn more about strength training and how to get a full-body workout at home.
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Yoga
Yoga is among the simplest and most effective techniques to get in shape, as anyone can do it at home or the gym. Isn’t it fascinating how the correct posture and the right moves can make you feel so relaxed? Yoga exercises not only help strengthen your body and improve your balance, but they can also relieve stress and increase your focus.
Yoga has six branches which are:
- Hatha yoga: is the physical and mental branch that aims to prime the body, mind, & soul connection.
- Raja yoga: This branch involves meditation.
- Karma yoga: is a service route that aims to create a future free of hostility and malice.
- Bhakti yoga: works to develop a spiritual path, a healthy way to channel emotions, and build tolerance and understanding.
- Jnana yoga is a discipline of yoga that concentrates on wisdom, the path of the scholar, and cognitive growth through studying.
- Tantra yoga: This is the discipline involving ritual, ceremony, or interpersonal fulfillment.
Hatha Restorative and Yin Yoga are what I use for my fitness regime, including Reformer and mat Pilates. These are the safest form of exercise for fitness. My philosophy is to work smart, not hard; especially for those in their 30s plus into their 50s upwards, the body needs restorative exercises.
My favorites are holding and breathing poses and balancing the mind-body and soul connection for purposeful and harmonious living.
With a 1 hour session of Hatha, you can achieve similar results as a 3-hour session of Pranayama Meditation and physical exercise; you can also achieve this by practicing any holding exercise with mindful breath awareness.
Visit what is yoga? to learn more about yoga, its history, philosophy, and its benefits.
Related Questions
Here are some other questions you might have on the topic of fitness:
Nutrition And The Importance Of A Healthy Diet With Relation To Fitness
Being fit is about more than just the number of calories you burn. It’s about what you eat and how often, too. You can be active and still not be getting all of the nutrients you need to stay healthy. To help with this, we created a simple checklist to help you prioritize nutrition to achieve your fitness goals without sacrificing your health. From understanding macronutrients and antioxidants to choosing suitable foods, here are some tips for living a healthy lifestyle today! Let’s see why it’s so essential to look at your diet as a whole.
Basic Nutrition Facts
An excellent way to have a balanced lifestyle is to eat well. Eat a variety of foods because each food group has its unique benefits. Here are various foods you should eat to ensure you get the best results out of your training.
Type Of Food & Benefits | |
CARBOHYDRATES – Carbohydrates provide energy for the exercise | |
PROTEIN – Proteins help repair tissue and muscle growth | |
WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS – Water and other Fluids cooldown & Hydrate the body |
One cannot specify amounts for each type of food as people’s bodies vary and the exercises they might be doing vary; thus, food consumption may vary. I advise that you find a nutrition routine that works best for you.
Ideally, an athlete’s nutrition plan isn’t that different from an average person’s nutrition plan. Below are some fields that you should consider when choosing a nutrition plan:
- How long do you train?
- What type of training are you doing?
Visit nutrition and athletic performance to learn more about the different nutritional recommendations for athletes.
Food For Fitness Goals
An ideal weight-loss plan should have one primary target: to lose weight. Your ultimate goal should be to weigh less than you did before. Weighing less than before doesn’t mean that you can’t eat as much as you want to or eat unhealthy foods. Ideally, your weight-loss journey starts easily. 1st off, you need to get some of the basics of fitness in your routine.
Once you’ve done that for a while, you can gradually increase your exercise to ensure you don’t start losing more than you’re gaining. As long as you’re trying to maintain your weight loss, it would be best to consider what will help you achieve your goal. Note: You’ll need to weigh yourself often to see whether you’re losing weight and gauge how you’re doing.
Conclusion – Ultimate Fitness Guide
There is no doubt that fitness can benefit you. It makes you look and feel healthy, energetic, and better about yourself and can help you live a happier longer life, but before you start exercising or deciding what to do, you should know the basic requirements as this will help you get into the proper state of mind to become a more active and happier person. Thank you for reading the article. Was this article helpful? Let us know in the comments below.
Remember you don’t need to work out every day to achieve your fitness goals just pick the right routine that works for you.