For some, exercise is therapeutic. Cathartic. A way to let off steam and find inner peace. For the rest of us, exercise is the tenth ring of hell. The idea of intentional physical exertion makes us sweat so much that we might as well have just run a 5k — and frankly, that’s all the exercise we need. Nonetheless, exercise is such an important component to overall health. I’m not talking a weekly triathlon here; simply raising your heart rate a few times a day does wonders for your body. Here are some tips for those of you who want to get into fitness but aren’t quite sure how.
**Walk and bike:** When you’re a beginner, sometimes the gym can be intimidating. Start slowly by going on walks or bike rides in the morning, or take a lap around the block on your lunch break or between classes.
**Go to classes for motivation:** If you find yourself off to a slow start and can’t quite figure out what exactly to do with all those free weights, machines and ellipticals, go to a group class where trained instructors will take you through a routine that’s usually about an hour long. If you’re worried about the difficulty of the class, try spinning or Pilates. With both classes, you can go at your own pace, and typically the instructors will demonstrate a modified move specifically for beginners.
**Start online:** If you don’t want to pay for a gym membership or you’re not comfortable getting your sweat on in front of other people, check out online videos to begin with. There are tons of workouts you can do without leaving your house, like yoga, Zumba, Tae Bo and dance. Most of these don’t require any equipment either.
**The mirrors are there for a reason:** If you do decide to go to a gym, take advantage of the mirrors (shockingly, their true purpose isn’t just to provide a pleasant backdrop for your gym selfie). Watch yourself as you do different moves to make sure your form is correct, to avoid injury. If you’re not sure what proper form is supposed to look like, write down a list of the exercises you want to do before you head to the gym and look them up to see how to do them correctly.
**Take a friend—and not a good one:** It’s great to have a workout buddy — someone to push you to go just a little bit farther and make you sweat a little bit more than you would on your own. However, we both know that you’re way more likely to bail on your BFF than you would a casual acquaintance whose number you haven’t even gotten yet. Try a colleague or someone who sits next to you in class whose name you weren’t entirely sure of until you looked over their shoulder to check what they wrote on their homework. When you first meet someone, you’re still trying to present your best self and act like you’re super polite, so you’re going to feel much more compelled to go work out when you said you would.
**Don’t go crazy:** If you hit the gym super hard everyday when you’re just starting to get into the exercise groove, you might burn out quickly. Take a look at your schedule and choose a few days where you can commit a chunk of your time to working out. If you’re comfortable with this amount of exercise and think you can manage more, go for it!
**Avoid plateauing:** Our bodies respond well to variety, so mix it up once in a while with different moves or classes. Spicing up your workouts prevents injury and is helpful especially if weight loss is your ultimate goal.
Remember, exercise doesn’t come naturally to everyone. At first, you might absolutely hate the gym but keep going. If you can push through the first few weeks, you’ll likely find yourself with more energy and a better outlook on working out. Even if the actual act of exercise isn’t your favorite, the feeling you get afterwards will keep you coming back for more.