Exercising: How to Get Started on Your Health Journey

Exercising: How to Get Started on Your Health Journey

What is exercise?

“Exercise involves engaging in physical activity and increasing the heart rate beyond resting levels.” There are so many kinds of exercise that you can engage in! Medical News Today explains three different types of exercise to try. 

1. Aerobic Exercise: movement at average levels of intensity over a long period.Swimming

1. 1. Cycling
   2. Walking
   3. Rowing

2. Anaerobic Exercise: high-intensity activities that endure for a short period. These exercises focus on building muscle mass and strength.

1. 1. Weightlifting
   2. Sprinting
   3. Jumping rope

3. Agility Training: activities that help you maintain control while changing speed and direction quickly.

1. 1. Tennis
   2. Martial arts
   3. Soccer

These are only a few examples of exercises that you can do. What ideas are you having? Think about your goals and what types of activities will help you get there!

Why is exercising important?

There are many benefits of regular exercise. The Mayo Clinic discusses a variety of these, including:

• Improved mood
• Boosted energy
• Better sleep
• Weight control
• Protection against health conditions and diseases

How to get started?

It can be easy to think that exercising always needs to be an intense, everyday endeavor to produce desired results. But, no one’s exercise routine is going to be the same. The most important thing to consider when exercising is what you enjoy doing! You don’t have to love running or going to the gym every day. Do you like to spend time outdoors? Go for a walk with your family or your dog! Do you prefer team sports? Join a rec team at your local YMCA? Do you want to increase strength and flexibility? Try yoga with a group of friends!

Speaking of friends, invite yours to participate in your exercise goals with you! Having an accountability buddy can help you in your efforts to exercise regularly. You can get new ideas from your friends and improve these relationships as you set and achieve goals together.

Exercise should be something that you are excited to do! Everyone has different interests and goals. There are so many other activities that you can do. Set a goal, and get started! And don’t be afraid to try new things in your journey to improve your physical and mental health.

Authored by Lauren Woodbury