Every governing body in the US tells us that we need to exercise. Exercise for heart health. Exercise to control diabetes. Exercise to improve mental health. Exercise to help you sleep better. Exercise to think sharper at work — the reasons are endless.
But the bottom line is that many of us are still not integrating physical fitness into our regular routines. There are many obstacles — we are too busy, too injured, exercise isn’t fun, or we can’t afford a gym membership.
Paseo Club has been helping members of all fitness levels for almost two decades which is why we wrote this article — to help educate people about the importance of staying fit. You will learn how to break out of your rut and begin a healthy and accessible workout routine.
Steps to begin an exercise routine
1. Set realistic expectations
Starting anything new is scary. You can get swept away in the what-ifs, fears of failures, worries of falling short, or letting yourself down.
But there is an athlete in all of us — finding out what type of athlete you are is the first step. Take each new step slowly and on purpose.
Allow yourself to see your progress in the beginning as multi-layered — not every day has to be a win in order for you to make progress overall.
2. Have self-compassion
Allow yourself to have bad days. Every athlete does. Maybe you slept poorly, didn’t eat well, or had a stressful day. Performance varies according to these external factors. It is normal to have some great days and some not-so-great-days.
There are no successes without failures. See if you can motivate yourself to find something good in the losses. We learn more in defeat than in victory, and those experiences of defeat can be used to help you come back even stronger the next time.
I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
- Michael Jordan
3. Find a physical activity that you like
We are all different, and we will excel at different things. Don’t feel like you have to force yourself into a specific sport. Committing to physical activity is only possible if you enjoy doing it.
The athlete CoCo Vandeweghe is a great example of an athlete who marched to her own drumbeat. Her mother was an Olympic swimmer, and her grandfather and uncle were both NBA players. But Coco became one of the highest-ranked American women's tennis players.
In finding the sport that was right for her, she found the space to be an exceptional athlete.
If you think you should play tennis, but you don’t love it, try a sport like pickleball. A small shift could make all the difference.
4. Find community
Having a fitness community around you can help on the days when you aren’t motivated. To have friends that expect you to be at an exercise class or on a group hike is an effective form of being held accountable.
Group exercise is a process of cultivating a healthy peer group. A study of people who work out with others found that exercising in a group helps to impact fitness levels positively.
Another study showed that performance and duration of workouts increased when people participated in group exercise.
5. Create healthy habits
Habits are not created immediately. They take time. Lots of time. To truly be engaged in a habit, it takes more than 2 months — 66 days to be exact.
When you are developing a new routine, it’s easy to get sidelined by other things — life happens. It’s only natural.
Tips for habit-forming behavior are:
- Be aware of what your triggers and obstacles are and see if you can change them
- Make a plan of action that you can stick to most of the time
- Track your progress
- Keep your end goals in mind
- Be patient
6. Increase intensity slowly
Many people get turned off from working out when they push too hard or too fast and then end up feeling discouraged or injured.
How do you know when to add? The answer isn’t always easy. You need to continue to challenge yourself to get better at anything, but doing it the right way will help to keep you on track and increase intensity safely.
If possible, use the professionals in your arena to stay safe and committed. A tennis pro will assess and know when it’s time to add more spin to your shot. A personal trainer will guide you when it’s time to bump up your weights.
7. Cultivate a “beginners mind”
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." -Shunryu Suzuki
As an adult, it is hard to not feel competent at what you are doing. It bruises the ego and affects our willingness to keep trying. It is an uncomfortable feeling to be the new person in Zumba class who does not know the dance moves.
A beginner's mindset allows you to be open and eager when taking on a new challenge. Letting go of your preconceived notions about yourself and the activity will let you truly engage in your new routine and allow you to learn.
- Be wary of judgment
- Let go of high standards
- Let go of perfection
- Experience wonder
- Have fun
- Laugh
8. Handle setbacks with grace
Setbacks are natural. You get a cold. You get hurt. You miss a goal that you hoped to make.
For many people, especially in the early stages of a new activity, you need to take setbacks as an opportunity to stop trying.
One approach to having a healthy outlook on health and fitness is to break your activity days into thirds.
- The first third is the success days — the big wins. They will account for 33% of your time in the activity.
- The second third is for the average days. Not wins, not losses, but you make it there.
- The last third is the setback days. They Are Real. They will always be there. But if you can come to appreciate them, they will start to be a necessary part of your success.
Next steps to beginning an exercise routine
Being a beginner is tough. There is a reason why they say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. It is because the old dog does not want to learn new tricks.
Creating new habits and trying new activities takes bravery. You have to be willing to hope and to fail, to exert and to falter. This is no small feat for adults.
But, in time, you will notice the payoff. You’ll have more endurance, you will not breathe as heavily when active, your pants may fit a smidge better, and perhaps you will even sleep like a baby.
This article taught you how to begin an exercise routine, even if it has been a lifetime ago since you were active.
The staff at Paseo Club loves to meet members wherever they are on their fitness journey - even if just educating them. There is truly something for everybody at the club, whether it is group fitness classes, court games, swimming, or yoga.
Physical fitness is just one component of wellness. Learn about other essential aspects of mental health.
But don’t worry — all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. That’s why we are firm believers in Wine Down Wednesdays.
Join us for a tour. See the work. See the fun. See the community.
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