The basic mistake made by most people when they decide they want to get fit is to be too ambitious. Trying to become totall fit "all at once" is doomed to failure. You need to incorporate fitness into your life over time. As you start to add exercise into your daily routine, your body mind and spirit need to adjust. Fitness in smal steps means that you will not be overwhelmed by the changes in your life and decide to stop working on it.
The first thing that you need to do is start moving. If you havent been active in a while youll want to start by adding walking to your day. You need to walk for at least 30 minutes each day before you start to see changes in your fitness level. You may decide that you want to continue walking after youve become more fit, or you may decide that you want to start power walking or hiking so that you can start to increase your fitness level.
A good way to measure progress is to invest in a pedometer. You should be aiming towards 10,000 steps a day. But to do this you will also need to invest in a good pair of walking shoes, comfort is important. Sore feet will certainly lessen any desire to get fit using any form of exercise, not just walking.
It is important not to try to do too much at first because you risk injuring yourself if you push your body farther than it is ready to go. Do the same walking routine every day for the first couple of weeks. We are trying to do 30 minutes of walking a day, but you may need to work up to this gradually. After you have a walking regime set for two weeks then gradually add a little more time. Only do what you are comfortable doing, this way you will be motivated to continue.
One way to reach your fitness goal is to take every opportunity to put some more movement into your life. Leave the car at home and walk to the mall, or at least park it at the back of the parking lot! Take the stairs, walking up even one or two flights of stairs will add to your fitness level over time.
You will start to feel better about yourself after a couple of months of this regime and find that you have more energy, are sleeping better and just generally feel healthier. Adding these baby steps towards fitness will mean that in just a little time you will see a real improvement in your fitness level.
