Exercise for beginners, the first steps towards a healthy life!

The cold weather may be behind us but the unsightly curves that are the tell-tale signs of those rich and hearty winter meals are still there. There’s only one thing to do about it: "Get back into shape with a healthy body for a healthy mind!” But where do you start when your idea of a healthy lifestyle and regular sporting activity is a rather vague concept from a distant planet? Exercise for Beginners: Simple solutions for a gentle start...

Changing your habits

Habits have to be changed gradually. Any drastic transition will only discourage you. So grab your trainers and adopt another way of eating and moving!

A balanced diet: a few basic rules

1) Never skip a meal. Our body has a memory and skipping a meal tells it that there is a potential food shortage. This prompts a storing mechanism, which in turn means weight gain!
2) A varied diet: but be careful, as this doesn’t mean that you can eat anything at any time. Meals should be taken at fixed times and include vegetables and the proteins found in poultry, beef and fish … without cutting out carbohydrates. Wholegrain rice, pasta and cereals are fine but forget refined sugars such as potatoes, white bread, cakes and biscuits, keeping them an occasional treat.
3) Water, water and more water quite simply because it is the best ally against water retention. An intake of 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day is recommended to meet your fluid requirements!

Moving: the new Exercise for beginners trend, the Body Walk!

Leaving the car in the driveway and avoiding the lift is the best way to start moving! So change your habits and try to walk everywhere on a daily basis, as walking is a natural form of exercise for our body.
In fact, walking is an exercise that everyone can do, it is gentle and easy on the joints, it helps to burn fat to maintain or lose weight, it gets your heart and lungs pumping and beats stress. Given these benefits, a new Fitness for beginners trend has just seen the light of day: the Body Walk!
An exercise carried out on a non-electric treadmill, the machine is driven by leg power. The Body Walk is a gym class that makes it possible to work the thighs and buttocks but also the abdominal muscles. This is a great cardiovascular exercise that burns calories and increases endurance.
However, if you want to be out there in the open air, walking is an excellent exercise as long as you do not forget some basic rules:
1) Choose comfortable shoes and clothing suited to the weather.
2) Remember to warm up by walking 5 minutes at a slow pace and stretch before and after to hone the muscles. Once you begin exercising, keep a good posture and tighten the abs.
3) Set yourself progressive and realistic goals: for example, start with 30 minutes every 2 days, then increase gradually to 1 hour most days of the week.
4) Remember that consistency is essential to burn fat efficiently. Listen to your body and respect your limits to avoid all risk of injury. Anyway, a heart rate that is too high makes it more difficult to burn calories. Conversely, a lack of consistency in workouts makes them less effective.

So with these tips and a little determination, all that remains for you to do is take your first steps towards a healthy lifestyle and a fitter you!