Toning Up: Your First Workout

Did you set a New Year's Resolution to "tone up" and get fit? If you did, you are not alone. There isn't a great deal of credible scientific research to back up this fact, but if asked, most people who have set New Year's Resolutions usually have exercise and / or fitness listed somewhere. It's also not hard to see why most people fail with this particular New Year's Resolution.

Have you ever tried to do too much on a first work out? If you have never used a muscle or a group of muscles in a certain way, they will hurt and they will complain after being subjected to physical exertion, and the pain can last days. Why then would you go back and subject yourself to that kind of pain EVER again. Which is why most people don't.

Have you attended some sort of class and watched in horror as the lycra clad "experts" race through the program without breaking a sweat - and half expected you to do the same, or watch as you drop dead in the attempt. The embarrassment of not being able to perform even the basic moves. The mirrors that show every wobble and movement as you attempt the ungainly postures of a "downward dog?" don't you mean a dying one? And the feeling of abject terror as everyone else in the class stares at you as you fall flat on your face. It's enough to put anyone off exercising.

So, a few suggestions as you think about starting your first workout.

1. If you can afford a single personal training session - pay for it, it will be the best money you will ever spend. They will take you through a proper warm up, a series of exercises based on your abilities (with or without equipment - you tell them what you need) and a proper cool down and stretching program. You can use this to ensure you don't injure yourself when you try to do it yourself.
2. Start small - go for a walk every night - if you are very unfit, or overweight, start with 10 minutes, as you increase in stamina and confidence you can build on this time and build up to 20 or 30 minutes a day. One self-conscious lady I knew of, used to walk around the shopping centres where it was cool. She got to exercise in the shade, there were seats when it got too much for her and she persevered day after day. Little by little, the strength developed in her muscles, the slackness left her skin and she began to "tone up" when in effect she began to "tone up" her mind as well as her body with that very first walk.
3. Create a time and a workout to suit your needs. Not everyone can make it to the gym 5 times a week, and not everyone can go straight after work. But have a schedule and stick to it - only by exercising
   on a regular basis over a period of time will you notice the difference in your muscle tone, and once that happens - nothing will stop you.