If you want to keep fit, it is important to find an activity that you like. This will help you stay motivated and avoid injury or losing interest in exercise.

Fitness includes more than just body composition or endurance. You also need to train your muscles to grow bigger and stronger.
Get Moving

Even small amounts of daily movement can help us get used to incorporating exercise into our lives and build a good habit. Movement isn’t just limited to structured exercise, though — it can be anything from gardening to cleaning the house to walking your dog or playing active games with your children. Getting into the habit of moving regularly can help you feel healthier and more confident, and it’s often easier to step up your intensity level and become more serious about fitness later.

The best way to start is with low-intensity exercise. You can walk, climb stairs or do simple exercises like jumping jacks, and you can find a wide variety of workout videos on YouTube and in smartphone apps. Many of these are free or very inexpensive. If you want to challenge yourself further, consider joining a gym, such as Fitness 19, for access to equipment and a group fitness class schedule.

Make a goal to exercise at least once per day. If you work at home, try using a timer or smartwatch app to remind yourself every hour to walk around the house, run up and down the stairs or do a few jumping jacks Personal Trainer. If you have a car and errands nearby, park further away to force yourself to walk more, or choose walking over driving whenever possible.

Make sure to get a mix of different activity types throughout the week, including muscle-building and heart-pumping exercise, as well as activities that improve balance, flexibility and strength. If you’re new to exercise, it may be a good idea to see your doctor or a physical therapist for safety checks and guidance.
Start Slow

Starting a new exercise routine can be challenging. It’s important to create goals that are realistic for your current fitness level and then work up to a more intense workout. This will help prevent injury and ensure you’re able to sustain the new routine in the long term. Finding activities that you genuinely enjoy can also make it easier to stay motivated. Whether it’s dance classes or outdoor hiking, there are plenty of options out there that can be fun and rewarding.

It’s not uncommon for people to jump headfirst into a new exercise routine after taking a hiatus or establishing a newfound interest. After all, there are many benefits to a regular exercise program that can help boost energy levels, improve sleep and reduce the risk of chronic disease. It is, however, quite common for those grandiose plans to dwindle as time goes by.

A big part of this is because exercise can be overwhelming when you’re rushing in too quickly. Trying to do too much can lead to injury, burnout or discouragement if you’re not able to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself.

By easing into your routine, it’s possible to avoid these risks and establish lasting healthy habits that will help you reach your fitness goals. During this process, it’s essential to stay hydrated, eat a balanced diet, stretch properly and prioritize quality sleep. In addition, it’s critical to begin a routine slowly and gradually increase your intensity over time to minimize the risk of injury. Lastly, it’s important to take breaks when needed and listen to your body. If you’re experiencing pain, shortness of breath or dizziness, you’re probably pushing yourself too hard.
Listen to Your Body

Whether you are a fitness newbie or an experienced athlete, listening to your body is an important aspect of keeping up a healthy lifestyle. This practice is referred to as “body awareness” and involves being aware of all sensations that occur in your body, including physical pain. When you are exercising, it is vital to listen to your body, especially when it tells you to slow down or stop. This can be a sign that you are working too hard or are injured. It is also important to listen to your body when it is expressing its emotions. For example, if you feel a sense of fear or worry in your body, it may be a sign that you are overexerting yourself.

Aside from listening to your body during exercise, it is also a good idea to listen to your body’s needs when it comes to nutrition. You can achieve this by evaluating your motivations to make sure that you are choosing the right foods and activities for your body. For example, if you are feeling overwhelmed with work or family responsibilities, it may be time to switch your workout routine and take a rest day. Choosing to do so will help you avoid injury and burnout, while also improving your physical resilience and capabilities.

Developing the ability to listen to your body is not easy and will take some trial and error. However, it is essential to your health and well-being. This is a valuable skill that you can apply to all aspects of your life, including your daily and long-term goals for fitness and wellness. The key to learning to listen to your body is to keep a journal where you can record the various sensations that your body is giving you and then evaluate why these are occurring so that you can make informed decisions about what to do next.
Be Creative

When it comes to fitness, creativity is what makes it fun and rewarding. It can drive you to push through another rep of curls, take your game up a notch on the tennis court or motivate you to try something new. Creativity is not only for painters, musicians or writers, but for every athlete striving to perform at their best.

Research demonstrates that exercise has a positive impact on brain health. The oxygenated blood that results from regular exercise stimulates and strengthens parts of the brain that are responsible for memory, learning and creative ideation. Plus, it reduces stress and anxiety, which can inhibit creativity.

Being able to come up with creative ideas for your fitness business can be a critical piece of your marketing strategy. To do so, you will need to set goals and develop a clear plan for the future of your brand. This will help you identify what types of tactics will be effective in reaching your target market.

Creative fitness marketing ideas can be found in the form of seasonal promotions and events that offer value to both current and potential members of your club. For example, running a summer fitness challenge with a giveaway of free gear can be a great way to draw in new customers.

Another way to improve your creative output is by engaging in creative cross-training (CCT). Similar to how a professional athlete might engage in activities outside their primary sport, CCT involves exploring different types of creative mediums or techniques. For instance, a musician might enroll in pottery classes or a writer might complete a 30-day drawing challenge. Even simple daily activities like taking a long walk or cooking could be made more creative with the slightest of tweaks.
Set Goals

Setting fitness goals is a critical step to success. A goal should be measurable, achievable and realistic. Goals should also be time-based, with incremental milestones that lead up to your ultimate goal. For example, rather than saying you want to achieve a 300-pound bench press, break it down into goals like 200, 225 and 250 pounds. This approach makes the goals feel attainable, and helps you to stay motivated.

Measurable fitness goals are important because they allow you to track your progress and see how far you've come. For instance, if you want to lose weight, a measurable goal would be to weigh yourself weekly. This way, you can see the physical changes in your body and avoid becoming discouraged by setbacks such as a loss of one pound instead of two (remember muscle weighs more than fat).

Attainable fitness goals are important because they should be challenging but not impossible to achieve. For example, if you're just starting out, a goal of doing several push-ups in the space of a month is a reasonable goal to work toward. Achieving a more difficult goal could actually be better for your fitness level, because it will force you to work harder and improve more.

Setting both short-term and long-term goals is important for motivation and keeping you on track to your final destination. For example, a short-term goal might be to complete all the workouts in the first 12 weeks of a new program or to increase your rep count during one of Chontel's FIERCE AMRAP sessions. Having a long-term goal such as to run a marathon can provide direction for your fitness journey and help you keep up with your workout routine.