5 Fitness Tips For Beginners

-this post contains gifted items from Organic Basics & affiliate links have been used-

Fitness and going to the gym used to be a very large part of my life but once Josie came bouncing to my life and then Edie followed less than a year later it didn’t leave me much time to myself. But last month I rejoined the gym and in a lot of ways, I feel like a beginner again, even though I’d been a regular for years. So if like me you’re starting your fitness journey from the beginning here are best tips and everything I’m trying to remind myself of at the moment.

WEAR SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL AWESOME

Something that is so, so important for me when it comes to working out is wearing something that makes me not only feel really confident but supported as well. I still had a lot of my activewear left over from when I was a regular gym frequenter but a new set to come into my life comes from Organic Basics (gifted) and I’d seen this brand all over Instagram. They’re a brand that seriously cares about the impact that their clothes have on the planet so they choose fabrics that are kind to the planet as well as only producing in factories that care about what they’re putting out into the world (read all about their sustainable practices here). I’ve been wearing the SilverTech Active Leggings (gifted) and the SilverTech Active Sports Bra (gifted) and I was excited to see how they’d perform. The two biggest things for me when it comes to activewear is that I need to feel supported but comfortable and that’s exactly what these new pieces do as well as making me feel confident whilst working out. The sports bra is tight enough that it’s supportive for a run but it’s not so tight that you have to wrestle your way into it either. The fabric is breathable too which is vital for an area that on me gathers sweat like nothing else. Then the leggings are high waisted and skim over the hips comfortably and pull everything in without being so unbearably tight you can’t move but they stay up, which is a serious problem when it comes to sports tights generally. The design is awesome too as it’s made with their own wicking material that helps with sweat a huge amount and it’s also got something called Polyhygiene treatment which helps you wear them for a longer as I don’t like to wash my activewear unless I really need to.

DON’T push yourself too hard

When you first join the gym and you’re full of excitement about starting your fitness journey it’s way too easy to set yourself up for failure. And I’ve been there and done it over and over again and it only ends up with you feeling absolutely terrible, that you’ve let yourself down and no progress has been made. Going to the gym every single day when you’re either out of practice or a beginner might seem like a great idea at first to get you into the swing of things but you quickly become burned out and feel like your muscles are made of steel. Off days are as important as the days that you’re there putting the hard work and even though skipping them might make you think you’re making more progress, in the long run, it won’t. For me, I find that every other day or 3 times is a week is a great routine to get in, it’s not completely unobtainable and it gives your time for your body to recover.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK HOW TO USE SOMETHING

Something that I’m very guilty of is being so scared of certain gym equipment but not having the nerves to go and ask someone how to use it. Which is daft, when you’re paying for a membership you want to make sure you know how to use the equipment. And no good gym instructor or nice human will judge you for simply asking so then you can expand your workouts even further. Something I’ve got into the habit of doing at the moment is googling and watching videos on the proper form to do a certain exercise which certainly makes me feel like a weirdo in a busy gym but I’d rather look weird and not injure myself. And typically when you join any type of fitness club you’ll have to have an induction, which I absolutely dreaded the first time I had one as I had absolutely no confidence when it came to working out so wanted to get it over and done with as quickly as possible but I so wish I’d made the most of it. They’re more than likely not going to be judging you for not knowing what you’re doing, that’s what they’re there for after all. So ask questions, even if they might seem silly because it will only be of benefit to you in the long run.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT BE THINKING

As I said, gyms have reputations of being scary intimidating places and I have to admit that I was scared of the weights area for a long time and even now finding myself avoiding certain areas when it’s really busy. And just like anything in life, they’re always the groups that hang around together but they’re easily avoided. For the most part, no-one else in the gym cares what you’re doing because they’re too busy focusing on themselves and what they’re doing. When you’re not the most confident person and everything is new and you’re yet to have a routine that really works for you then even going to the gym can be seriously overwhelming and you feel like everyone is looking at you and judging what you’re doing. But once you get into a rhythm those fears slowly start to melt away, especially when your confidence grows with what you’re doing. I can safely say at the gym the only time I’m actively looking at someone is if they’re using the machine I want to use next but otherwise I just focus on myself as that’s the only reason that I’m there. Apart from when I see the man running with his arms completely straight down by his side, he truly amazes me.

don’t compare your fitness journey or your body to anybody elses

There are hundreds and thousands of fitness accounts on Instagram and whilst some of them can be incredibly inspiring some of them are a one-way ticket to comparison city so it’s best to just stay away from them. It’s so easy to start comparing your body to someone else’s and wonder why if you’re doing all the right moves why doesn't your bum look like that? None of us are ever going to look the same way as someone else and that’s a really good thing. And the same goes for our fitness journey, there are hundreds of reasons why you might want to start one and comparing yourself to someone who is five years in when you’re not even five minutes in is a recipe for disaster. It’s so easy to do when you log onto Instagram or watch a YouTube video when someone is doing 100 burpees and aren’t even breaking a sweat. And this isn’t to say you can't follow fitness bloggers but it’s important to follow someone who adds value to your day through social media rather than making you feel crappy.

what fitness tips do you have for beginners?

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