How to Start Your Own Exercise Regimen

<h1 style='margin-bottom: 0px;'><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Start-Your-Own-Exercise-Regimen-and-Stick-to-It">How to Start Your Own Exercise Regimen and Stick to It</a></h1>
<b><i>from <a href='http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page'>wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit</a></i></b><br/>
                   
Do you <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Yourself" title="Find Yourself">find yourself</a> making resolutions about exercising to <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Get-in-Shape" title="Get in Shape">get in shape</a>, but never seem to stick to the resolution?  This "How-to" can help you with some ideas to provide the little nudge you need.
<a name="Steps"></a><h2>  Steps </h2>
<ol><li>Do something you enjoy. If you like it, it's more likely you'll keep at it. Not all workouts are at a gym: try biking, inline skating, rowing, skateboarding, swimming, hockey, or a rugby team; even dancing in your bedroom with an ipod. Enjoyment is the key to sticking with it.
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Passive-Activities-%28Fitness%29" title="Avoid Passive Activities (Fitness)">Make time to exercise.</a>  Make a conscious effort to replace some unnecessary and not particularly enjoyable habit, like watching a TV show that isn't very good, with an exercise-involving activity.  Rather than worrying about fitting exercise into your schedule, you can just feel a sense of accomplishment content in the knowledge you haven't made your schedule any worse.
</li><li>Make a commitment. Don't just make a mental promise to yourself. Get a journal. Write down what you want to accomplish, and set a time frame for reaching your goals. Make a contract, and sign it. Include pictures of your dream dress, or smaller size pants, if it helps you define your goals.
</li><li>Don't be afraid to shoot for the stars. As Walt Disney said, If you can dream it, you can do it. If you've never worked out before, or haven't worked out in a long time, don't expect you'll be able to work out for an hour a day--six days a week! Try starting out with three, 30-minute sessions of aerobic exercise per week. Then after two weeks, incorporate two weight lifting sessions in-between your aerobic days. You can even start with just a few minutes each day. That can be enough to motivate you to keep going.
</li><li>Spread the word! Tell your husband, wife, sister, friends--anyone. We always do better when we think someone else is watching! Don't be obnoxious and remind everyone all the time, but let your close friends and relatives know about your goals. Ask them to encourage you once-in-a-while. Sometimes, it's nice to remind your grandma not to stock her kitchen with all those scrumptious goodies.
</li><li>Get out the charts. You can weigh yourself, although weight is not always an accurate view of fitness. Record your weight and BMI. Though these aren't precise measures of progress, it's sweet to look back when you're done with it all, and feel satisfied. Take measurements of your waist, hips, thighs, and neck. These are much more accurate.  <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Take-a-%27Before%27-Shot" title="Take a 'Before' Shot">A "before" picture</a> would be fun afterwards!
</li><li>Learn. If you are shooting to lose weight, you must learn to eat healthily. Don't "fall into" a diet. You would "fall out" eventually. Things like weight watchers can help you learn, but I simply recommend developing a lifestyle you will want to keep, and using your common sense. See tips for more help.
</li><li>Drink water! Drinking water is absolutely the best thing you can do for your body.  Always bring water to your workout sessions. Remember not to drink excessive amounts of plain water after strenuous workouts - your body loses salts through sweat, and too much plain water can help to flush out whatever's left. For intense workouts, drink Gatorade or vitamin water.
</li><li>Have fun! Leaving on the same note we started, working out is not fun if you constantly think, "When am I going to get skinny?". Grab a friend and dance! Go play tag, or have races! Just keep moving!
</li></ol>
<a name="Video"></a><h2>  Video </h2>
Start Your Own Exercise Regimen and Stick To It.  Get some friends together for a weekly run, bike or hike. Have someone to be accountable to to help keep you motivated.  You can do it!
<a name="Tips"></a><h2>  Tips </h2>
<ul><li>Don't have enough time for a good workout? Take a walk during your lunch break, do crunches and jumping jacks while watching TV, or pace while talking on the phone... In other words, take every opportunity to exercise.
</li><li>Your health is your most valuable asset. Politely refuse offers to drive you short distances with a car when you could walk instead.
</li><li>If you're not used to exercising, it will be hard for the first week or so, to keep yourself from using an elevator. Keep walking and, soon you'll find that you can easily climb those flights of stairs without getting out of breath. Plus, in train stations and the subway, walking has the added benefit --you avoid the crowds-- as no-one takes the stairs!
</li><li>Schedule your workouts on your calendar, and stick with it! Treat the workout as a standing appointment with your most important client.
</li><li>Do exercises you enjoy.
</li><li>Routine is the key. After about 2 weeks of the routine, you will find it a lot less of a chore. You can add new challenges later, to keep it interesting and fun.
</li><li>Don't worry if you're not seeing quick results. It normally takes about 8 weeks for results to really kick in visually. Remember, you can't do it all in one sitting. Regular effort, with enthusiasm, is the key!
</li><li>You don't necessarily have to pay a trainer to work out with you every week. Gym membership can be helpful because a monetary commitment is likely to motivate you to stick with the regular program. If your gym has group fitness classes, they can help you mix things up a bit.
</li><li>Consider alternative forms of exercise. Biking, indoor climbing, Yoga, Thai-chi, martial arts, etc., will all challenge your muscles in different ways, and provide some fun and variety.
</li><li>Whichever fitness program you choose to follow, if you like it, and it offers enough variety, you will have a much easier time staying with it.
</li><li>Burn more calories playing than what you get from foods. Counting may help at first, but with regular exercises and 5-6 scheduled meals you will easily stay on track. Regular and moderate meals will keep the "fire" burning!
</li><li>Eat variety of healthy vegetables, fruits, beans, and nuts. This will give you all the amino-acids and Omega3 fats your body needs to grow muscle, while helping you shred those pounds. Your body cells create protein they need, from amino-acids, so don't worry about it.
</li><li>When exercising, drink enough water to replace what is lost. Amount will vary based on your body weight, climate, effort level, etc. Dehydration would slow your weight-loss goals, increase danger of muscle tears, and could make you feel nauseated. Avoid coffee and soda drinks, for better results.
</li><li>Be creative with exercise programs. They are yours to play with.
</li><li>Go early to bed, and have plenty of rest on days you exercise. Muscles grow and repair themselves during the -deep- sleep.
</li><li>Play up-beat music to keep the pace and motivate yourself.
</li><li>Try NOT to exercise in the evening. If you exercise before going to bed, your metabolism is increased, endorphins are released and it will make it much more difficult to fall asleep naturally. If the only time you can exercise is in the evening, try to do it as early as possible before going to bed to allow your body to rest.
</li><li>Every day, make note of all the benefits you can perceive: increased energy, pride and so forth.  Make it as long as you can and keep looking for new items.
</li></ul>
<a name="Warnings"></a><h2>  Warnings </h2>
<ul><li>Consult your doctor before starting any new workout regimen, especially if you've had heart or lung related illness in the past.
</li><li>If you feel faint, dizzy, sick, or in pain while working out, take a break. If you start getting better soon, then just start once you feel better. If there is a serious pain or you're crying, you think something is broken, or it won't go away, stop and wait a few hours. If it's still not gone, call a doctor!  (This originally said to wait a few <i>days</i> before contacting a doctor.  If you are in pain that does not lessen for more than an hour, you should contact someone.  If you are in <i>severe</i> pain, contact someone immediately as it could be a sign of something seriously wrong.)
</li><li>Consult your doctor if you are severely underweight, overweight, obese, or suffer from asthma before starting working out as you could hurt yourself.
</li><li>If you are starting to gain weight, it is usually because you are building muscle. Keep up the good work!
</li><li>Drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration.
</li></ul>
<a name="Related_wikiHows"></a><h2>  Related wikiHows </h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Start-Walking-for-Exercise" title="Start Walking for Exercise">How to Start Walking for Exercise</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Exercise-While-Sitting-at-Your-Computer" title="Exercise While Sitting at Your Computer">How to Exercise While Sitting at Your Computer</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Exercise-While-Watching-TV" title="Exercise While Watching TV">How to Exercise While Watching TV</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Motivate-Yourself-to-Work-Out" title="Motivate Yourself to Work Out">How to Motivate Yourself to Work Out</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Handstand-Roll-Out" title="Do a Handstand Roll Out">How to Do a Handstand Roll Out</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Fit-in-the-Gym" title="Get Fit in the Gym">How to Get Fit in the Gym</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Train-Your-Body" title="Train Your Body">How to Train Your Body</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Exercise-Schedule" title="Make an Exercise Schedule">How to Make an Exercise Schedule</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Look-Sexy-when-Naked" title="Look Sexy when Naked">How to Look Sexy when Naked</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Start-Your-Own-Workout/-Health-Routine" title="Start Your Own Workout/ Health Routine">How to Start Your Own Workout/ Health Routine</a>
</li></ul>
<a name="Sources_and_Citations"></a><h2>  Sources and Citations </h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.bodytweaking.com/Fitness/Do-I-need-home-exercise-equipment-.html" class="external text" title="http://www.bodytweaking.com/Fitness/Do-I-need-home-exercise-equipment-.html" rel="nofollow">What you need to start exercising at home</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.bodytweaking.com/Fitness/5-Big-Reasons-to-Buy-Adjustable-Dumbbells.html" class="external text" title="http://www.bodytweaking.com/Fitness/5-Big-Reasons-to-Buy-Adjustable-Dumbbells.html" rel="nofollow">Adjustable vs fixed dumbbells</a> How to get right dumbbells.
</li><li><a href="http://www.peertrainer.com/LoungeCommunityThread.aspx?ForumID=1&ThreadID=20840" class="external text" title="http://www.peertrainer.com/LoungeCommunityThread.aspx?ForumID=1&ThreadID=20840" rel="nofollow">Techniques and tips to help keep you motivated</a>
</li></ul>
<p>
<i>Article provided by <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page">wikiHow</a>, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Start-Your-Own-Exercise-Regimen-and-Stick-to-It">How to Start Your Own Exercise Regimen and Stick to It</a>.  All content on wikiHow can be shared under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/">Creative Commons license</a>.</i>
</p>