Everyone knows that exercise is important but not everyone actually does something about it. The very first thing you need to begin any exercise regime is motivation. If you have no motivation to get out there and do it, you will find lots of reasons not to. Exercising brings its own residual rewards aside from the obvious ones such as weight loss and fitness. Physical activity can help to improve your sleep, reduce stress and improve your quality of life as well as producing the ‘happy hormone’ or endorphins that makes you feel great about yourself.

Tips for a beginner:

• Write down your goals. For instance, do you want to be able to do a half marathon this time next year or do you simply want to be able to jog up a steep hill without needing an oxygen tank at the top? Put ‘I will do a half marathon on 25th March 2010’ (or whatever your goal is), write it like you are designing a poster with lots of colour. Print it out and stick it around the house so you regularly see it.
• Before you even begin to exercise, make sure you have the correct footwear. If you are intending to walk or jog as part of your exercise routine, good, well fitting footwear is essential. If your feet are hurting or uncomfortable, you will try and think of reasons not to continue to exercise.
• Start slowly and increase a little each week. If your chosen exercise is walking, then walk for 5 minutes more than you did the day before. Then perhaps, try some interval training. Walk for 200 yards, jog for 100 yards then walk 200 yards and jog for 100 yards and so on.
• Have a routine written down and stick it on the fridge where you can see it. For example:
  • Monday – 15 minutes walk, 15 minutes jog.
  • Tuesday – Rest.
  • Wednesday – 20 minutes walk, 15 minutes jog.

  And so on… By writing it down, it will be harder to ‘forget’ or put it off until tomorrow.

• Try to vary your exercise. You could do walking, jogging, cycling or even power walking and skipping.

• Try and get a friend or family member involved. It will motivate you both to keep going even if you don’t feel like it. It is also more fun to walk or jog with someone else.

• If you join a gym, go for the one that offers a free trial, then if that one is not suitable, you can visit another to try that one. Speak to the staff and find out how much personal attention you can expect, and know exactly what they offer.

Exercise need not be hard or time consuming. Thirty minutes, about three times a week is a great starting point. But always remember to speak to your doctor if you have any doubts about your health.

Exercise is so essential for good health. If we spent our time sitting around watching TV and feeding our face with all the junk food we can lay our hands on, do you think that our bodies will be at optimum health? Of course not!

In order to achieve and maintain optimum health, we need to eat less of the ‘wrong’ types of food and eat more of the ‘right’ types of food and take more exercise than we currently do – simple!

Remember that reading your goal aloud allows your brain to accept that it is something that you are going to do. Reading it before you go to sleep allows your subconscious mind to increase your resolve to achieve your goal.

If you are going through a difficult period in your life, it would be extremely beneficial to plan some regular exercise. It will not only help to improve your fitness, and improve your self esteem but it will also help to take your mind off your problems as you exercise.

Not everyone enjoys the same type of physical exercise; some don’t like running but love to swim, while others love to walk but hate to go to a gym. So choose something that you know you will enjoy, this will give you more reason to continue to improve your health and fitness with exercise. Anything that is fun will be much easier to maintain. You will find that you look forward to your exercise sessions with enthusiasm rather than looking on it as a necessary evil.

Exercise will not only help to improve your fitness but it will also help to avoid heart problems, joint, ligament and tendon injury and pain while increasing your self esteem. So begin to plan your exercise now, it is never too late or too early to start. Children will benefit from establishing a habit of taking regular exercise, so try and encourage your kids to join you to go for a run or even you join them for a game of basketball or just a kick about in your local park. You can combine fun and family time with exercise. Your kids will love you for it.