7 Fitness Tips for Beginners ...

1. Make a Public Declaration

When I took out my running shoes and decided to finally put them to good use, I made sure the whole world knew about it. Well, the whole of Facebook at least. Why? Because when you say to yourself, "I'm going to hit the gym today," you will most likely find excuses to get out of it. But of you put it out there in public, it adds pressure. Now that it's "out there," people have seen it and you have no choice but to follow through.

2. Find a Buddy

Ladies, here's the harsh truth: it's going to be painful. At least at the start. You are going to want to give up and toss your gym membership card away. So you need to find a way to motivate yourself and make the whole thing less painful. One great way is to get a buddy. Plan sessions together, and lock them in both your diaries. Remind/convince/inspire/force each other to stick to the plan.

3. Carry a Pair of Sneakers around

One thing that is sure to happen when you’re new to exercise is you will find excuses to avoid it. And one of the most classic excuses? "I don’t have my running shoes with me." Of course there are a ton of other excuses in the book, but if you’re always carrying a pair of sneakers around, then at least you can cross out this one. I remember I always carried my sneakers everywhere. And it’s worked wonders for me. It became a reminder that I need to exercise, and I had no excuse to put it off.

4. Music Heals

Alright, so exercise is tiring, especially for beginners. I’ve found that listening to music is one of the best ways to make the whole thing less tiring and painful. When you have music in your ears, you’re not focusing how tired you are, or how much you want to stop. It makes you keep going, gives you that extra push. It’s totally up to your personal preferences on what music you choose to listen to. A personal favorite of mine while running is Sinnerman by Nina Simone.

5. Don't Overdo It

One of the most important fitness tip I can give you as a beginner is: Do NOT overdo it. You don’t have to run for 1 hour nonstop. Or stay at the gym for 2 hours each time. Start slow, and ease yourself into it. I remember my first time at the gym, I ran for 15 minutes at a moderate speed, and that was it. The next day I went, I ran for 20 minutes, with a little more speed. And I gradually built it up from there.

6. Don't Beat Yourself up if You Have a Bad Day

Let’s face it, there will be days when you’re just lazy and you just want to veg out in front of the TV. But then you feel so terrible about it that it makes you almost want to give up altogether. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to rest and let your body relax, without feeling guilty whatsoever. We all have our down days, and we can always bounce back from it, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself when you have a bad day.

7. Always Think of the End Goal

Throughout this whole process, I promise you that things will get tough. You will feel tired. You will feel pain all over your body. But I also promise you that it’s worth it. So whenever you feel discouraged, I want you to think of the end goal: In just a couple of weeks, you will be much more fit, much healthier, more fresh, and feel more alive that you’ve ever felt in your entire life. Do you really want to give up now and miss out on all those wonderful things to come?

With so many good tips and ideas, you have no excuse for sitting on the sofa, bored and unhappy! What did you think about my fitness tips for beginners? Do you have any of your own tips to share?