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The first steps of getting back to the gym or exercising outdoors after a long break may not be as easy as you think. Most people get bored so fast and easily after a few sessions of working out maybe because the body hasn’t yet adapted to the exercise environment or some are still finding it hard to cope and fight the holiday blues. However, getting back is a slow process and requires a step at a time.
Some of the simple activities that you can start with to give your whole body proper workout are cardio vascular exercises. These can be swimming, cycling, rowing, dance aerobics, running on a treadmill, climbing stairs and many more.
One thing you have to know before doing any of these exercises is to ask yourself what really constitutes a good effective cardio exercise. An effective cardio should focus to make you fit, strong, athletic, fast and energetic.
Here are some of the elements to consider that will take your cardio routine up a notch:
BE CONSISTENT
Get a cardio routine that you can stick with and develop it slowly as you continue. If it’s any aerobics activity, don’t do it because it’s a must for you to shed some kilos but do it because you enjoy it. You can only keep on doing what you love. Choose an exercise that you can do over an extended period of time. Enjoy your workout and slowly by slowly see your body changing the way you like.
BE STRATEGIC
Have a plan and know exactly what you want to do ahead time. Don’t just walk in the gym then do everything thinking it will work. Schedule your workout accordingly and aim either to exercise 3 to 4 times a week or depending to how you feel knowing the type of exercise for those particular days. This will make your exercise interesting and goal oriented. Make it more intense as you continue.
VARY YOUR CARDIO ROUTINE
For you to start seeing changes, try to avoid a steady state cardio. That is staying at the same pace for an extended period of time. This can make your workout so boring. The changes you want to see can only happen once you start giving your body some extra push.
This extra push can be achieved by increasing your exercise intensity, duration, frequency or having a variety of different cardio activities at a go. Doing this will increase your metabolism greater than any steady continuous workout.
DO WARM-UPS AND COOL-DOWNS
Warm-ups are good and effective because it prepare your body system for the task at hand, increases your mobility while decreases your chances of getting injured. Skipping warm ups simply means could set you up for injury. Cooling down after exercise improves your recovery process by bringing down your heart rate after any intense session.
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