We all know that regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to stay healthy, but getting in the recommended 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week isn’t always easy. For women working out hasn’t always the norm, but today emphasis is being put on exercising regularly because heart disease is the number one killer of women.
Getting into a new workout routine isn’t always easy. There are plenty of roadblocks that get in the way. With a few simple adjustments, you can get past common exercise hurdles and stay on the path to a healthier lifestyle.
Time Constraints
Time is one of the top complaints of busy adults. It’s all about making workouts a priority and finding a way to make them a part of your regular schedule.
- · Try waking up a little earlier so the workout is done before you start getting bogged down with everything else in the day.
- · Take a few short 10-minute breaks throughout the workday to go for a walk.
- · Take the stairs instead of elevators and park farther from buildings.
- · Put workouts on your calendar so that time is already blocked off.
If all else fails try habit stacking. This is a relatively new technique for creating good, healthy habits without allotting a lot of time. Choose a few short exercises that can be done in just 1-5 minutes. Now select a regular part of your daily routine like brushing your teeth to serve as the trigger. Each time the trigger action occurs stack your exercises on top of it. Once those exercises become a habit add a few more to build your habit stack. This is an easy way to work in a little extra exercise each day.
Not Knowing How to Start
If you’re new to working out it can be easy to feel intimidated and overwhelmed. The trick is to set goals and start with simple exercises. Just walking each day can help you get into a workout routine and build your fitness level so you can begin trying new, more complex exercises. It may also be beneficial to hire a trainer that can help you make sense of what works and what doesn’t.
Chronic Pain
People with chronic pain often avoid working out, thinking that it will make the pain worse. In actuality exercise can provide relief for chronic disease and pain. This is because exercise will help you improve your physical strength and aerobic fitness level. Experts at the Veteran Affairs (VA) department note that in the beginning there may be discomfort because pain cycles are being broken and you’re re-training your body to function normally.
When you’re starting out, there are a few things you can do to relieve the pain so that exercising is more comfortable. One solution is compression garments. Compression products for women can help reduce swelling, provide support and help you recover more quickly from an injury. Wear them during and after workouts to avoid pain and help muscles recover.
You may also want to start out with pool exercises. These are easier on the joints so that less stress is felt.
Fatigue
When you’re busy at work and at home it’s easy to get worn down. Here again VA experts say that exercise can actually help overcome chronic fatigue. Research studies have shown that as fitness levels build fatigue decreases. But it’s important to start slow to avoid getting burned out.
- · Start by exercising just a few times a week.
- · Exercise for short 5-10 minute intervals.
- · Gradually increase the length of exercise sessions and the number of days a week that you workout.
- · If you are feeling specific muscle fatigue compression products can help here as well.
There are also many supplements that can help with fatigue and similar problems. You could always check out Gundry MD to see if this would be a good place to purchase supplements from.
Stalled Progress
In the first few weeks of starting an exercise routine it’s easy to stay motivated when the pounds are dropping off. But then many people hit a plateau and the progress seemingly stops. Now is the time to analyze you’re workout routines and diet. Are you eating more now that you’re working out? Are you still doing the same exercises? In order to keep making progress you’ll have to increase the intensity and/or length of workouts. You also can’t use the scale as your only measurement. You may not be losing weight, but you may be lowering body fat. Evaluate your goals to factor in all types of measurements beyond weight.
Boredom
Exercise doesn’t have to be about killing yourself at the gym or doing the same thing each time your workout. In fact, mixing things up helps to improve results because it keeps your muscles guessing and working harder. Come up with at least three different physical activities for each week. Even a change of location can be enough to break through the boredom.
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