By Summer Banks FNS, SPT on Sep 19, 2022

The American Medical Association went on record back in the 1960s, stating if people would just eat right and get regular exercise over 90 percent of all medical aliments would simply disappear. That’s a pretty powerful statement, considering the incidence of chronic disease continues to rise in western society. However, there is one little catch; you need to begin, and maintain, an exercise program. While the task of staring an exercise program can seem daunting to the beginner, it is really as easy as going for a leisurely walk around the block.

One common exercise fallacy is you must exercise for a certain number of minutes at a time to see any benefits. While there is some truth to this for endurance activities, for the average person, the benefits from short bursts of activity add up. Rita Redberg, cardiologist and chairwoman of the American Heart Association’s Scientific Advisory Board, says that any incremental activity is a boost to fitness. This is one of the best beginning exercise tips, as you don’t need to spend hours at the gym to get fit.

“Consistency is so important. Get even a little bit of exercise most every day and your fitness goals become more than attainable. They’re points on the horizon that you’re excited to reach. On days when you’re unmotivated, just get in a short workout. Then congratulate yourself on the effort. Doing a little can sometimes be a greater achievement than doing a lot.” states Andrew Tilin, editor and co-founder of The Masters Athlete; a website dedicated to accomplished and aspiring older athletes.

Benefits

Benefits of Exercise

Exercise: From improving your mood to boosting your sex life, The Mayo Clinic explains the seven major health benefits of regular physical activity and how regular exercise can improve all aspects of your life.

Why Exercise Is Wise: KidsHealth explains why exercise is so important for kids as well as people of all ages. Getting an adequate amount of exercise can increase your energy levels and even help improve your attitude.

Why we should exercise – and why we don’t: Harvard Medical School knows how important physical activity is in keeping people healthy and the dangers of too little activity.

Physical Activity and Health: The United States Surgeon General at the Center for Disease Control reports on why exercise is so vitally important for seniors.

Getting Started on an Exercise Program

Fitness 101: The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Exercise: whether you have never exercised or haven’t worked out in a long time, WebMD shows you how to get started with an effective exercise program.

Fitness Program: Five Steps to Get Started: The Mayo Clinic explains the five steps everyone should be practicing to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

How to Start Exercising: Registered Dietitian Arlene Semeco provides a beginner’s guide to working out.

Getting Started – Tips for Long-term Exercise Success: The American heart Association gives solid tips for long tern success with and exercise program.

Exercise Plan

How to Stick with an Exercise Plan

12 Tips to Help You Stick with Exercise: Now that you have finally talked yourself into getting in shape, WebMD shows you how to stick to with your exercise routine.

How to Start Exercising and Stick to It: A downloadable PDF article on how to make exercising an enjoyable part of your everyday life.

Sticking with Your Exercise Program: Tips from Harvard Medical School on how you can stay motivated to on keep exercising.

Gym-less Workouts

Working out Without a Gym

No Gym Required: How to Get Fit at Home: WebMD teaches you to get fit without leaving the house with simple calisthenic exercises.

10 Creative and Cheap Ways to Exercise at Home: Exercise is vital to the health of your body and brain and AARP shows you how to tone up while doing your everyday activities.

“Tricep dips is the No. 1 way to tone arms and shoulders. Since the triceps are such small muscles, you’ll fatigue them fast — and those pretty, little tank top arms will start to emerge.” states Jolene Mathews, Celebrity Trainer for The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Top 25 At-Home Exercises: The American Council on Exercise, one of the top personal trainer certification organizations in the world, teaches you some exercises you can do at home.

“Toe touches are cardio workout and helps primarily to strengthen the triceps part of the body.” states Coss Marte, CEO and Founder of ConBody.

Gym Locations

Finding a Gym or Health Club

Finding the Right Gym for You: WebMD tells you the 10 important questions to ask at a prospective health club before joining.

What to Look for in a Health Club: The Consumer Protection Department of Westchester County, New York explains what you should watch out for, and how to avoid pitfalls, when shopping for a health club.

How to Choose a Health Club: Advice for seniors, and everyone else, from AARP on how to pick the right gym for you.

7 Things to Look for When Shopping for a Health Club: The American Council on Exercise covers seven important things you need to know before signing up at a health club.

Home Gym Tips

What to Look for in a Home Gym

Tips for choosing the right exercise equipment: Advice from Harvard Medical School on picking the right kind of exercise equipment for your lifestyle.

Home Gym Equipment Buying Guide: A comprehensive guide on what to look for in a piece of home workout equipment. Provides information on the different types of home workout equipment, what each is designed to achieve, what to consider before purchasing a new home gym and what specifically to look for in a quality piece of home exercise equipment.

Best Adjustable Weight Benches Reviews for Home Gyms: A review of the top 10 best adjustable weight benches for 2017 to help you make an informed decision.

Home Gym Guide: From the amount of required space to overall cost of setting a home gym, your beginners guide to setting up your own in-home fitness center.

Resources

What Users Are Saying

“I’ve already lost 3kg doing only one circuit per day for five days!”

“I have done the beginner workout for three months now. Thank you! It was a great start for someone like me. I’ve never done sports before and I felt a little out of my depth with all the fitness information around the web. This beginner routine seemed straightforeward and simple to follow and so I just started. I did a little more each time. You can really see the progress that’s great! For example I went from doing an 8 sec planck in just one circuit in the beginning to doing three circuits with 28 sec plancking each now. For push-ups I needed an even easier variant, so I am doing wall-push ups. Later on I added hip raises to the routine to strengthen the glutes.”

“I did an old beginner workout as I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Even those are a good challenge. Thank you FB!”

Other Resources for Beginners to get into Shape

12 Best Exercise Videos for Beginners: WebMD shows you what to look for and how to avoid the hype when picking an exercise video.

Beginner Nautilus Weight Training: Understanding the principles behind the Nautilus weight machines and workouts, and why the system works.

How to Get Back Into Shape (video): Personal trainer Martin Eqwuagu shows you how to get back into shape after being inactive for a long time.

Cycling – Health Benefits: Why riding a bicycle is the number one, hands down, single best activity for people of every age for getting into and staying in shape.


Article Sources
About the Author:

Summer Banks has researched over 5000 weight-loss programs, pills, shakes and diet plans. Previously, she managed 15 supplement brands, worked with professionals in the weight loss industry and completed coursework in nutrition at Stanford University.

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