If you haven't been exercising for awhile and you've decided to get back at it, the best thing you can do is start slowly. Don't start with going to the gym every day and doing aerobics or weight lifting because you won't last long. You will probably get overwhelmed and give up.
If you have been sitting too much on the couch watching TV or at your computer then your muscles may have been losing some of their strength. So before you get started on an intense exercise regime, you need to rebuild your muscles.
Start by walking for thirty days, every day for 30 minutes. You can do the full 30 minutes all at once or break it up into 10 minute increments. If you don't have a gym membership or a treadmill at home you can simply walk around your neighborhood. This is a great way to get some fresh air and get out into your community. You never know what interesting sights you might see or a neighbor you might meet along the way.
If you don't want to do your walking outside you might want to consider a rebounder (min-trampoline). Spending just 10 minutes a day on a rebounder can help you feel less tense, sleep better and is a great low impact aerobic exercise. Rebounding has many benefits including helping to detoxify the body, stimulate the metabolism, increases muscle tone and normalizes blood pressure.
If you follow this plan for the full thirty days you will be able to see a difference. You might find that you have more energy or that you are sleeping better at night. This is a great place to start and once you have some of your muscle strength back you can start adding strength building exercises.
You will not want to start going full tilt at strength training after the thirty days is over either. Just add strength training to your exercise plan every other day for the next thirty days.
You might want to try Pilates to work out your core muscles or get down on your yoga mat and do some crunches to work on your abs or work on your legs with some squats or lunges. Then, over the next thirty days you will want to start weight lifting for your arms, shoulders and chest.
After this you are ready for heavy duty aerobics, kick boxing or another vigorous form of exercise that you like. You will be more successful with this program because you have set yourself up to win.
Now, go put on those walking shoes!
