Choosing an exercise plan should be a guide to success, not failure. Finding the right plan is about recognizing key tips for a good work-out.
Walk into any bookstore and there are shelves full of publications regarding health, fitness, and dieting. For a person that is just beginning on a serious journey to better health, finding a starting point can be a daunting process in a multi-billion dollar industry that seems to contradict and compete with itself, more than offer united encouragement to the public. In most cases the initial purchase is made with excitement and determination, only to be followed by frustration and disappointment. The “perfect” exercise plan that was once the centerpiece of the nightstand suddenly becomes garage sale fodder -- the point when people give up because “it” just didn’t work for them.
The truth is that all legitimate exercise programs are built on the same founding principles. These are the essential truths that must be understood for any program to have a chance at success. Everything else in a particular book is the mode through which these truths will be fulfilled. These modes or practices should be held as non-essential. That is not to say they are not needed, but instead accept that what works perfect for one person may be a complete failure for the next.
The Essential Truths
- The core or stabilizing muscles must be properly developed to sustain long term fitness goals
- Strength training is the single most effective activity for weight loss
- Cardiovascular training needs to be included more than once a week
- Stretching is a must
- A healthy diet needs to include a proper amount of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates and the proper amounts will vary from person to person
- For almost everybody starting out, there needs to be some external goal that will promote motivation and a willingness to sacrifice for success
- Every exercise program must include periods of change to help ensure continued development.
The final truth listed is the most important one to remember when choosing a new exercise program to start. Change is necessary as fitness and exercise becomes a normal part of a person’s lifestyle. If a program becomes boring or seems ineffective, don’t just toss it out as a failure. Instead, use it as a resource guide for further development.
If it worked but became boring, put it on a shelf with the understanding that motivation may require a rotation of different programs and what seemed boring now may become a new challenge next year. If the program seems ineffective, go back through the material and try to determine what was good and what needed to be addressed in a different way. Then use that new found knowledge to make a more informed decision about a new program, but remember to always look for the essential fitness truths first. For most people a small library of content is needed to finally accomplish the goal of a long-term fitness and diet plan that is custom fit to their lives.
A foundation of exercise must first be built on a foundation of knowledge. That is rarely accomplished by a single book, article, or video. Motivation to exercise must include the motivation to continue to learn.
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