Some Tips for Exercising Effectively

Believe it or not but we have all been in that position when no matter how hard we try to get some exercise done for the day but hardly manage to get any. It is hectic, tiring and at the end of the day, we are left feeling super unproductive. Exercising is not easy especially when you don't have a goal or the right motivation. This is the problem that most people deal with! We think that we need a goal or a motivation when in reality our target should be to stay active and physically fit so that we can be productive in our daily life. Most people want to exercise because they are either willing to lose weight, or get abs or spend numerous hours in the gym doing strength training and other things to reach what we call the "perfect shape" or the "perfect body".

Our main priority in life should always be to remain physically active for our mental happiness. There is absolutely nothing with having a goal like getting six-pack abs or building muscles or enhancing your endurance. These are great for the body but is doing this going to make you feel happy? Some may agree and some may disagree with what I am saying. We all know the importance of exercise and how beneficial is it is for our wellbeing but we should never be having to workout because we are obliged to do it or because it is what we are supposed to be doing. Exercising or working out daily should be habitual not an act that we force upon ourselves. We should try to exercise because it is what is going to make us happy and lead us to being productive daily. The main goal here is to make progress small step at a time and get closer to being mentally and physically fit. Most people these days exercise because we feel pressured around our friends who look better or are dealing with low self-image issues or we just want that perfect body. Although it is good to have a motivation to workout, having the correct motivation is more important.

I have dealt with my fair share of fat-shaming earlier when I was in high school. People would call me chubby or indirectly pass a comment just so that they don't seem harsh or say it as a joke thinking it is normal. It is a tough thing to deal with such negativity and people always trying to make you feel down. Many people feel this way and we think that this is why we should be exercising. What should be the right motivation to workout then? You should always start to workout when you feel it is the right time and goal should be to do it effectively so that it can boost your confidence, happiness and enhance your motivation to do even better.

Some Tips and Ways to Use When Working out

1. Start with walking or running. It is a very underrated activity that we think would not help. Use the app called Adidas Running and try to cover 200m in 30s or one 1km within 5 minutes. It is a free app to keep track of your running and you can check your progress. Start with 100m and check how long it takes you to cover that distance if you are an absolute beginner. You should try your best to reach your goal and everyday try adding maybe extra 50m or 100m to your goal. For example, if you are willing to cover 500m within a given time, then first check how long it takes you to cover that distance then gradually beat that 1st time every day you go for a run and increase the distance. This way you are both making progress and probably this could be a reason for boosting your confidence! Even the smallest progress counts, remember that!

2. If your diet is not right, there is no way you will ever be able to workout with the right mindset. We are what we eat, literally. If you do not consume the right food your mood, confidence and so many other things will be affected. Eating the right type of food is most important. It will be quite hard to change the diet at the beginning so its best to either make an addition or eliminate something from your diet. The way I started initially was that for breakfast I used to eat 2 slices of bread with some scrambled eggs and juice or coffee. I made some slight changes by eating boiled eggs the first day and then gradually started to completely cut down on sugar. I used to make my coffee or tea with 2 teaspoons of sugar and milk. I had later decided to not include either of them when I decided to try being a vegan for one month. It is best to make small changes one step at a time as it will give your body the necessary time to adapt to change and also make you feel productive and confident that you are on the right path to becoming more healthy and fir.

3. Working out excessively will never be effective if you are not doing the right exercise. If you are exercising excessively without actually seeing results then it is possible that you could be doing the wrong exercises or that you are not doing them correctly. You could be doing 100 crunches a day or planks and pushups however not knowing the right ways is not only ineffective but could result in injuries. It is always important to start working out with simpler exercises and gradually becoming good at one of them first and them adding more exercises to your routine. This way you will be able to see your progress, build your confidence and hopefully see real results. You could possibly start with some pushups first, maybe do 20 and then gradually do more and more within a given time. Once you have mastered pushups and find it easy to do them, try doing plank and others. Always remember that doing them correctly will bring results, not doing them excessively.

4. Build your time. When we first start to exercise 1 minute can seem like a very long time. You can start by exercises for 5 minutes continuously and take a water break or if you are too tired then take a longer break. Once you are done with the break, exercise again for 5 minutes and over time keep adding another 1 minute to see if you can manage and record your progress. It's all about enjoying the journey, doing it effectively and making progress one step at a time.

5. The urge to rest is always going to be there and I know it is very hard to resist. You can distract yourself when you feel like giving up every time you exercise. When I do Russian twists or plank (which by the way seem like ages), I would try to make plans for tomorrow or think about something completely random to distract myself from wanting to relax a bit. Try to take it slow if you want a breath but never stop. Once you stop, your heart rate will decrease and you will feel tired and won't feel like exercising afterward. It is best to take it slow rather than stopping.

6. Use the beat of music to make you burn faster. I do this thing often where I play loud music or some kind of pop and try to match the pace of the music. I think most of do this or maybe not but it's something that has really helped me out a lot. I would play some music and try to match the pace. Once the song finishes, I would pause for 30 seconds and get back to the exercises again with a new song. I would try doing some intense HIIT exercises for 3 minutes and then pause for 30 seconds and start again.

Hopefully, these tips can help some of you out. Always remember that you need to be exercising for staying active, physically and mentally fit and making progress small step at a time. Exercising should be a habitual thing, we should always do it because it is important for our mind and body not to reach a target and then stop. Always keep moving even if you are doing it slowly. Do it effectively, not excessively.