5 tips to get started with your training

Exercising and moving regularly is among the most important things you can do to reduce the risk of developing a large number of diseases. In addition to the health benefits, your creativity, ability to concentrate and stress resilience also increase. Here are five practical tips to help you get started with exercise.

When you want to start exercising, it’s important to start from yourself and your own life situation. To gain most of the health benefits of exercise, the type of activity matters less – the most important thing is that your heart rate reaches about 50–60 percent of your maximum heart rate. A 30‑minute brisk walk that leaves you slightly out of breath can be enough. Ideally, you should do this every day, but if you don’t have time, five days a week is recommended. You can also divide the half hour into shorter sessions, but each should be at least ten minutes of continuous movement. In fact, as little as seven minutes of physical activity a day makes a difference to your health.

Below we have summarized five tips for success:

1. Choose an activity you enjoy Exercise is now going to become part of your everyday life. That’s why it’s important to choose an activity you like. It’s also good to think about why you want to start exercising – what motivates you? The reason can be very personal: maybe you want to be able to play freely with your children in the future, improve your fitness, or simply live a healthier life. Whatever the reason, it’s helpful to write down why you want to start exercising. One tip is to create a recurring reminder on your phone that reminds and motivates you.

2. Schedule your workouts in your calendar The first step is to schedule your workouts in your calendar – preferably week by week. Do you have children to drop off or pick up at preschool? A hair appointment? A doctor’s visit? A work meeting? Many things can get in the way of your training efforts. Try to think about these obstacles in advance. If you feel you have little spare time, one option is to use your commute to or from work. Maybe you can walk or cycle to work, or park the car a few kilometers away from your workplace, or get off a few stops earlier?

3. Don’t start too hard A common mistake when you start exercising is setting goals that are too ambitious. If you’ve never exercised before, or if it’s been several years, two sessions a week is already a big change. Try starting with a simple goal, such as managing one or two workouts a week. Then try to add one more workout every other week until you reach the amount of training you’re aiming for.

4. Get a workout buddy On days when your motivation is low, it’s helpful to have someone else who supports and pushes you to exercise. Scheduling some of your workouts together with a colleague or friend makes it more likely that they will actually happen.

5. Some exercise is better than none! Don’t be too hard on yourself in the beginning, but try not to skip planned sessions. On days when time is short or your motivation is low, you can opt for a shorter workout instead. A 20‑minute brisk walk is better than not exercising at all.

A few other practical tips are to pack your gym bag the day before, which lowers the resistance to getting your workout done. Also keep in mind that if, for example, you want to commute by bike or walk to work, there will be many days with bad weather. Plan for this in advance by getting proper rain gear and shoes so that bad weather doesn’t become an excuse not to exercise.