Exercise can be intimidating, especially if you’re brand new to working out. Will I trail behind the rest of the running group? Fall off the Spin bike? Lose my balance in a yoga pose? Chances are you won’t and if you do, that’s great too! Because the benefits of exercise—better mood, increased strength, improved mobility, lower risk of chronic disease—far outweigh any worries you may have. Need more motivation? In this video, five fitness influencers offer their expert advice for how to start exercising even if you never have before.
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We have a feeling you‘ll like this first tip: don’t go overboard if you’re just beginning to get into exercise. “If you’re starting a new workout program, don’t push yourself too hard,” says Anna Kaiser, founder of AKT. “Try three days a week, 30 minutes. You don’t even need to make it through a full class, but do your best in the time that you’re there and really make it worth the money and the time that you’re putting into it.”
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Since you’re trying something totally new, it’s likely you’ll feel challenged. And that’s a good thing! If you’re tempted to quit, take a second to remember why you decided to start exercising, suggests Nicole Winhoffer, dancer, trainer, and creator of the NW Method. “I recommend you write down on a piece of paper why you want to start working out,” she says. “And every time you don’t want to work out, you open up that piece of paper, you read it, ‘Aha! I remember,’ and then you go work out.” Simple as that.
Be sure to think of exercise as a lifestyle, not a one-shot deal. “I don’t want you to think that this is just like that 30-day deadline, or I’m going to start this and I’m going to stop,” says celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins. Think of working out like you think of brushing your teeth, she adds. “So that you wake up and you do it every day for your health.”
For more motivation, watch the video above to hear how anyone (yes, even you!) can start working out today.