Check with your doctor for a medical check & exercise clearance
To protect yourself from injury or even death, it’s important that you are medically cleared by your personal physician before starting or engaging in any exercise program of any kind. Your personal physician is in the best position to determine if your plans are safe for you to start or not.
Hire a coach( personal trainer)specialized in weight loss programs
The best decision you can make as a beginner to any type of exercise is to hire a good coach (personal trainer) who can teach you step by step how to train and understand your body. Also, someone who can motivate you and force you to show up for your training sessions on days you don’t feel like exercising, also monitor and track your progress. Working with a personal trainer as a beginner can be a good investment and experience in your exercise regime.
Work on your diet and lifestyle changes
As a beginner to exercises and training, working on your diet and lifestyle changes can be overwhelming and very hard to adapt, the worst decision you can make is drastic changes and then failing to stick to them long term. Slowly work on your diet and have exercise and eating healthy a
lifestyle, look at everything long term, don’t be short-sighted. Squeeze in exercise in your schedule, making time for exercise can be a hustle, especially in our busy lifestyles.
Set short term and long term goals
When starting an exercise regime for a big goal like weight loss, set realistic short and long-term goals.
Let’s say your goals are to shed off 10kgs in the next 10 to 12 weeks, also look at short-term goals like your fitness level improving, you becoming consistent, and following the program. Things like diet changes, at the same time keeping in mind the long-term objective.
Incorporate resistance training &, cardio in your program
When working on a weight loss program, incorporating resistance training and cardio in your regime can work in your favour. This is a good combination as resistance training helps tone &shape your body,
while cardio helps with reducing body fat while improving your fitness level. Many studies have been conducted on this combination and have been proven to work wonders when trying to lose weight and tone at the same time.
Take lots of water and not juicy or soda
I think many of us have heard how most of the body is made up of water, 60% of the body is water, the body uses water in all its cells, organs, and tissue to help regulate its temperature and other bodily functions. The body loses water through breathing, sweating and even digestion, it’s important to dehydrate and eating foods that contain water. It is recommended your drink at least 2 – 4 liters of water a day, this also depends on the climate you live in and how physically active you are.
Listen to your body and don’t overwork yourself
The worst thing people do when starting a weight loss program or any exercise regime is ignoring and not listening to their bodies. Be sure you don’t overwork yourself, start slowly then gradually as your fitness level improves also change your training program. Rest and recovery are very much part of the weight loss program, get enough sleep too.
Be ready to make mistakes
When you are new to exercise and fitness, it takes quite some time just to understand how your body operates, also knowing what works for you and what’s not good for you. The best thing you can do is prepare your mind for mistakes even failures. Learn to set realistic achievable goals to avoid disappointment as time goes. Know that fitness is a long-term thing, not a quick fix. Many people make these mistakes and end up quitting before even giving the weight loss program a chance to work, in other words, be patient and take it one day at a time.
Keep track of your progress and fitness level
When first starting a weight loss program or any exercise regime, it’s best to keep track of your progress to have an idea of where you started and where you going. Be sure to check your starting weight and body fat, also get your trainer to do measurements. At least every week check to see if you have any progress, it gives you an idea of what works and what doesn’t for you, so you keep adjusting the training program and diet.
Stay motivated and be ready to learn new things about your body
Staying motivated when on a weight loss program can be a challenge for most beginners, But keeping your goal in mind Long and short term can very much help to keep you on track. Another thing that can keep you motivated on days you don’t feel like exercising or when you feel like quitting is your personal trainer, also regard yourself for any progress made. Also, be sure your friends and family know you are on this journey to better yourself. Before and after pictures can also be a good way to stay motivated.
Bottom line
Getting into a weight loss program can be a big challenge for most beginners, but taking it one day at a time and coming with the right mind-set can benefit you and work to your advantage. Lifestyle change is something not easy for all of us, be ready to learn new things about your body, also be ready to fail and they’ll be days you feel like quitting but take it one day at a time and always keep your goals in mind.
