Starting Your Fitness Journey

Starting Your Fitness Journey

 

So you’ve dropped the booze and now you’re wanting to get started on your fitness journey. You’ve planned  all of these amazing activities for yourself, but where do you start? At the beginning! Your body isn’t made to go from couch potato, work-a-holic or pubcrawler to first class athlete and adventurer overnight!

Regardless of what cool activity you have planned there’s a way you can start from the bottom and end up on top. Check out some of these fast starts to physical fitness:

 

Running

If you think you’re going to be able to just throw on a pair of shoes and run a 5k you’ll definitely be doing more harm than good. We want you to be the best you can be, but you have to set limits for yourself!

 

 

How do I get started?

Runner’s World has an amazing training program, free for anyone to access,
that’s designed to get you to the point where you can run 30 minutes (about 2 miles) at a slow, relaxed pace within a 2 month period. It's a simple, progressive program that begins with more walking than running, and gradually evolves into more running than walking.

 

 

Here’s an example of what the first week looks like, check it out and before you know it you’ll be running like a champ.

 

 

Cycling

Maybe you’re not looking to hit the ground running and cycling is more your thing. Thinking of cycling and then actually getting into the sport is two different stories. Luckily bike fanatic Jim Hodgson wrote an amazing article on Nerd Fitness that really leaves you feeling like you know a thing or two about cycling!  

 

What Can I Do Right Now to Get Started?

First things first, think about what type of rider you want to be, you have to start somewhere right? The hilarity of this breakdown is worth the read even if you’re not interested in cycling.

 

Mountain Biker – No one loves the outdoors as much as these guys do. That’s why they don’t mind skidding to a stop in gravel using only their faces or rebounding off of boulders during their rides.

Roadie – Have you ever driven up a hill in a car and thought, “This would be a lot better if I were crying and trying not to vomit?” If so, road riding may be for you. You also get a sweet superhero costume to wear!

Track – Track racing is like the freebase version of road racing. It even rhymes with “crack” to make this easy to remember. Do it if you want to be in a bunch sprint without all the climbing beforehand.

Triathlete – This type of riding is only for sociopaths for whom the idea of human contact is abhorrent. If you only ever want to ride alone and you dislike going uphill or turning, you could be a triathlete someday!

Casual Rider – This is, in my opinion, the best kind of riding, where you do whatever you want to on a bike and enjoy yourself in the process. Sounds simple, right? It is!

Imaginary – We already went over this.  Not in public.

 

To really get into the nitty gritty of cycling and figure out if it’s a good fit for your lifestyle check this article out.

 

So Much to Discover!

We’ve only covered two sports in this article and although we could go over snowboarding, surfing, rollerblading or swimming we think you get the point. No matter what sport you decide to jump into we all have to start somewhere, don’t rush into things and before you know it you’ll be a pro – or at least have a good time

 

Weekly Testimonial

This is such a great thing you are doing.  My lovely son has quit drinking due to your challenge, and I am joining him.  We love that your site and your messaging is cool and doesn't patronise or preach. – Susie