There is a belief among fitness professionals that the best workout is often the one that you’re not doing. The reason for this is that bodies quickly adapt and change will then cease. Those who are trying to lose weight and make positive changes in their bodies often become frustrated when they hit a plateau.
While plateaus are normal, too many of them can cause you to become frustrated and give up on your goal. For this reason, I suggest seeking the advice of a fitness professional. Also for this reason, I have given a few different choices for various fitness levels.
For novices or those who have been sedentary for a while, I recommend starting with walking for cardiovascular activity. You may only be able to do it for about ten minutes at a time to start, so break up your intervals throughout the day. You may also want to consider water workouts or swimming, combining both cardio and resistance training. Water workouts also take added pressure off the bones and joints, allowing you to perform your workouts optimally.
As you progress with your cardiovascular level, perhaps it is time to move from walking to an elliptical trainer for a low-impact cardiovascular workout. Group exercise classes at a gym are also a great way to burn calories. Dance-based aerobic classes such as Zumba are a fun way to get into shape.
As you get stronger and in better shape, it may be time to jog or run. I find that those who train for a race or event are often more encouraged to stick to their goal. Cardio training that involves high intense interval training or plyometrics may also be a way to advance your workout.
For a strength component for beginners, I would suggest starting with resistance bands, rather than weights. Bands are convenient and portable. They are also an inexpensive way to get started on a fitness regimen.
Strength training with bands is a great way to learn resistance training because it allows the body to focus on both the beginning phase of the exercise and the ending phase of the exercise which are consecutively referred to as the concentric and eccentric movements. If you want to jump right into weight training, I would suggest hiring a trainer.
When you have a better understanding of proper form and the exercises, you can then advance to using free weights or strength training equipment if in a gym setting. Many gyms also offer toning or weight training classes in a group setting.
Functional fitness classes which challenge your total body or bootcamps are a great way to advance your strength and endurance on an advanced level.
When starting out with exercise, for a stretching and core strength component, I suggest finding both a beginner yoga and Pilates class or DVD. Yoga and Pilates are both mind/body exercises but differ in their purpose. Pilates has some similarities to a yoga focusing on the breath to move you through a movement, but the emphasis is on physical change rather than spiritual development like Yoga.
Pilates and yoga can be done on various levels and can accelerate the progress of those who are in a post-rehab injury type of setting to a level of greater performance. Both are an important component that will help with both your cardiovascular and strength training.
Joanne Sgro-Killworth is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training. Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com. She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her husband, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.
Edited by Jody Smith