How to Improve Physical Fitness
Set goals., Track your progress., Start small., Include 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity most days., Add strength training., Take a class., Find little ways to move more., Consider working with a personal trainer.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Set goals.
Having a fitness goal or a series of little goals that you are working towards will help you to stay focused and may even help to keep you motivated.
Make sure that you set goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-based).For example, if you want to exercise every day, you might set your goal as something like, “I will go for a brisk 30 minute walk every morning this week.” -
Step 2: Track your progress.
Keeping track of your fitness progress is a great way to stay motivated.
Tracking your progress can also make it easier to see when you reach a fitness goal.
You can track your progress in lots of different ways.
Some tracking methods for physical fitness include:
Weight and/or body measurements Mile time How much weight you can lift Number of sit-ups/push-ups you can do Your ability to hold a difficult pose, such as a plank, for a certain amount of time , Although it is rare, jumping right into vigorous exercise after being sedentary for a long time can increase your risk of having a heart attack; therefore, it is best to go slow and start with something less intense, such as walking, swimming, or biking.Starting slow will also help to reduce your chances of getting injured, which can put a hold on your fitness efforts.
After a while, you can increase your activity intensity and duration, such as from walking to jogging, or biking on a flat surface to biking on a somewhat hilly surface, or swimming for 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes.
Starting with small, more easily-achieved goals helps people stick with their plans.
Drastic changes are harder to stick with — find something that you enjoy and seems doable. , Cardiovascular activity is an essential part of any plan to improve physical fitness.
Exercising for 150 minutes per week (or 30 minutes on five days per week) is recommended, so try to make this amount of activity part of your schedule.As an alternative, you may do 75 minutes of vigorous cardiovascular activity.
For example, you could do 15 minutes of kickboxing, stair climbing, or running on five days out of every week.
Keep in mind that exercising for longer is better.
If you can fit in 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, then you will gain more health benefits than if you exercise for 150 minutes per week. , Strength training is also essential for physical fitness, but you only need to do two strength training workouts each week.
Just make sure that these two workouts target all of your major muscle groups.
Make sure that you train your arms, legs, abs, back, chest, hips, and shoulders., Exercise classes provide a good workout and a social outlet as well.
Group exercise classes may also help you to stay motivated more than working out on your own.Try taking an exercise class such as:
Spinning Zumba Step Yoga Tai chi Pilates , Adding more small bursts of physical activity into your day may also help to improve your physical fitness levels.
Even if you only have a few minutes, you can take advantage of this time and get a little extra physical activity into your day.
For example, you could do some sit-ups during a commercial break, park your car further away from the entrance at the grocery store, or take the stairs instead of the elevator.
All of these little changes will help to improve your cardiovascular health and build your strength. , If you have a hard time staying motivated or if you just are not sure where to start, a trainer can help you.
Working with a trainer can give your fitness efforts a good jump start and working with a trainer may also make it easier to stick with your program.
A personal trainer can also teach you some effective workout strategies to keep you interested and seeing results.
Some personal trainers will also provide you with meal plan ideas and advice about how to maximize your results. -
Step 3: Start small.
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Step 4: Include 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity most days.
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Step 5: Add strength training.
-
Step 6: Take a class.
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Step 7: Find little ways to move more.
-
Step 8: Consider working with a personal trainer.
Detailed Guide
Having a fitness goal or a series of little goals that you are working towards will help you to stay focused and may even help to keep you motivated.
Make sure that you set goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-based).For example, if you want to exercise every day, you might set your goal as something like, “I will go for a brisk 30 minute walk every morning this week.”
Keeping track of your fitness progress is a great way to stay motivated.
Tracking your progress can also make it easier to see when you reach a fitness goal.
You can track your progress in lots of different ways.
Some tracking methods for physical fitness include:
Weight and/or body measurements Mile time How much weight you can lift Number of sit-ups/push-ups you can do Your ability to hold a difficult pose, such as a plank, for a certain amount of time , Although it is rare, jumping right into vigorous exercise after being sedentary for a long time can increase your risk of having a heart attack; therefore, it is best to go slow and start with something less intense, such as walking, swimming, or biking.Starting slow will also help to reduce your chances of getting injured, which can put a hold on your fitness efforts.
After a while, you can increase your activity intensity and duration, such as from walking to jogging, or biking on a flat surface to biking on a somewhat hilly surface, or swimming for 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes.
Starting with small, more easily-achieved goals helps people stick with their plans.
Drastic changes are harder to stick with — find something that you enjoy and seems doable. , Cardiovascular activity is an essential part of any plan to improve physical fitness.
Exercising for 150 minutes per week (or 30 minutes on five days per week) is recommended, so try to make this amount of activity part of your schedule.As an alternative, you may do 75 minutes of vigorous cardiovascular activity.
For example, you could do 15 minutes of kickboxing, stair climbing, or running on five days out of every week.
Keep in mind that exercising for longer is better.
If you can fit in 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, then you will gain more health benefits than if you exercise for 150 minutes per week. , Strength training is also essential for physical fitness, but you only need to do two strength training workouts each week.
Just make sure that these two workouts target all of your major muscle groups.
Make sure that you train your arms, legs, abs, back, chest, hips, and shoulders., Exercise classes provide a good workout and a social outlet as well.
Group exercise classes may also help you to stay motivated more than working out on your own.Try taking an exercise class such as:
Spinning Zumba Step Yoga Tai chi Pilates , Adding more small bursts of physical activity into your day may also help to improve your physical fitness levels.
Even if you only have a few minutes, you can take advantage of this time and get a little extra physical activity into your day.
For example, you could do some sit-ups during a commercial break, park your car further away from the entrance at the grocery store, or take the stairs instead of the elevator.
All of these little changes will help to improve your cardiovascular health and build your strength. , If you have a hard time staying motivated or if you just are not sure where to start, a trainer can help you.
Working with a trainer can give your fitness efforts a good jump start and working with a trainer may also make it easier to stick with your program.
A personal trainer can also teach you some effective workout strategies to keep you interested and seeing results.
Some personal trainers will also provide you with meal plan ideas and advice about how to maximize your results.
About the Author
Pamela Stevens
A passionate writer with expertise in creative arts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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