Exercise Tips For Beginners:
Many are consciously thinking about their health, fitness, taking measures such as maintaining a diet, exercising to get fit, which is a good sign. Some do it at the home and some go to the gym. In both the cases, there are certain things to take care of while exercising. Check out the 5 main exercise tips for beginners for better results with safety.
Think of mindful movement as developing a skill that marries the precision of science with the flow of art. -Vani B Pahwa (ACE-certified Personal Trainer)
Importance Of Movement For Human Body:
The human body is made to move along different directions. We aren’t a fan of moving often with the present day work environment. And with the long hours of work, people forget to move and stretch a bit.
In the absence of activity, your body is similar to an unused car rusting away. So, even if you can’t afford to workout hard and consistently, be sure to stay active.
So, the quality of movement is being reduced day by day and hence losing the strength and flexibility causing stress and also losing the ability to balance.
Exercising helps the movement of the body regaining the factors such as the strength and flexibility of the body, and also the ability to balance.
Also, sitting is the smoking of our generation and it is as addictive if not more. Most of you reading this spend more than 80 percent of your waking hours in a seated position and that is not helping. All the sitting is making you weak, tight and immobile and is the reason behind your aches and niggles, especially at the low back and neck.
The simplest way to start doing this is to sit less. Try and stay out of the seated position as often as possible. The moment you put yourself in a position that is conducive to movement, you will move.
Just moving doesn’t fulfill the aim, you’ve to move well. Moving well includes:
- Develop basics
- Tracking the muscles groups you want to focus on
- Making sure you’re not hurting yourself
- You progress step by step etc.
5 Main Exercise Tips:
Here are the 5 main exercise tips for beginners for better results with safety.
#1 Don’t Rush – Respect the process:
- Build capacity first before doing any weight-lifting, endurance-training, or any other activity. This as a process, you must not jump to the attempt.
- Check your strengths and weaknesses and know which exercise the best suit your requirement. This helps you strengthen the whole body with minimum imbalances in the course of exercising.
- There are a number of exercises for each muscle group, go for the alternative one when you feel any discomfort or unable to perform a particular movement, to avoid injuries.
- Sleep plays an important role in fitness and health. A good night’s sleep will enhance factors like speed and accuracy in any sport.
- Moderate to strenuous exercise leads to a lactic acid build-up in the muscles over time. A massage every now and then helps dissipate the lactic acid from the muscles. A deep tissue massage once every two weeks is recommended. Ayurvedic oils and aromatic oils that calm the mind can be used for massages.
#2 Avoid Core Exercise Mistakes:
The core is not just the stomach muscles. The entire cylindrical area around the front and back of the center of the body is the core which includes several muscles of the abdomen, back, and sides encapsulated between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor.
The common mistake in core exercising is doing crunches with a weak or painful back.
Planks and its variations are an alternative to working on abdominal muscles while strengthening the back. An alternative exercise is chosen based on how you engage the muscles differently without discomfort.
Some of the alternatives to crunches are the variations in plank position such as leg movements (while lying on the back) at angles to generate tension in abdominal muscles (without stressing the lower back), performing tummy tuck exercises.
#3 Use Squat Modifications, If Needed:
Certain conditions, like flat feet and knee injuries, make it difficult to perform a good squat. In this situation, you can’t achieve with squatting.
Use squat modifications; heel props like a small exercise brick, equipment such as TRX bands for better posture, Swiss exercise balls to perform wall squats, chair/bench squats, are just some ways of aiding squats with better form.
You need to focus on form rather than depth of squat. The depth of the squat can be built over time.
Train all the muscle groups equally ( NOT just your abdomen!)
Notice while the weighing scales may not show a drastic reduction in weight, your body is getting leaner and more toned. If this is so, you are moving in the right direction.
Measure your hips, waist, thighs, arms, and neck every two weeks to see if there is an inch loss. The fit of your clothes will also let you know if you have lost inches.
#4 Work On Upper Body Correctly:
You need to build muscles of the upper back, shoulders, chest, and arms through a proper range of motion and learn how to engage them correctly before lifting heavier weights or performing dynamic lifts.
Be careful with the shoulder as it is the most mobile joint and easily prone to injuries and chronic pain. Make sure you don’t do a poor form of repetitive movements.
If you are doing pushups and you want an alternative, go for the standing-wall version and then progress to the floor.
Begin with push-ups on all fours, then on the knees and finally the full-body version. Arm positions should be such that there is no shoulder impingement during the movement.
Preventing Muscle Loss and upping the metabolic rate:
Combine a minimum of three to four strength training sessions in a week along with cardio training sessions. This will build lean muscle tissue and at the same time work on reducing the fat.
#5 Keep Track Of Signals From Your Body:
Your body is your judge, it sends signals when you don’t do it right. You need to be conscious to recognize them and make necessary changes to your workout.
Always listen to your body. Go to modifications and rehab interventions whenever required, to ensure better movement, superior performance, and faster recovery. Respect your body and move well and gracefully.
It is vital to learn to differentiate good and bad pain. Muscle soreness and discomfort from strenuous exercise is not a cause for concern but the pain in joints and pain that aggravates with time or lingers too long should be treated. Being mindful and aware of aches and pains will help in accessing injuries. It is important to listen to the body and allow it sufficient time to recover, in case of an injury. A visit to the doctor may be necessary and it should not be delayed due to negligence.
Rest And Recovery:
Rest and recovery often take a back seat and are sometimes even get ignored. Beginners may not realize the need to rest while training.
During rest, these micro tears have a chance to heal and repair and this, in turn, helps the muscles gain strength and perform better. The body’s conditioning will not be lost due to one day of rest.
Take Away:
One day of rest in a week, good sleep every day and a deep tissue massage once in a couple of weeks will keep the fit body comfortable and in cracking form.
The 5 main exercise tips for beginners help you gain better results with safety. It is time to move mindfully taking care of each muscle group and following your body signals.
