Many avoid dipping their toe into fitness because they don’t know where to begin. It’s easy to get intimidated by all of the options. And it’s even easier to scare yourself away from fitness because of a misstep or an injury. If you aren’t sure where to start, let fitness expert Ilija Jahura guide you through some fitness tips for beginners. 

Keep these tips in mind when designing your routine to help you on your path to success.

Set Goals Beforehand, but Be Realistic

Setting goals can be an incredible boon to your fitness journey. However, avoid the trap of going too grand too quickly. It’s alright to dream of a chiseled body and six-pack abs, but if you’re new to working out, you’ll be easily discouraged by such a lofty goal.

Break your large goals into smaller, straightforward ones without being trivial or uninteresting. You aim to strike a balance between being motivated by success and motivated by challenge. But in the beginning, it’s best to start small.

Warm Up

Jumping into high-intensity exercise with little background and no warming up can wreak havoc on your body. You’ll increase feelings of discomfort and the probability that you’ll be injured, both of which can bring your journey to a screeching halt.

Start each session with light exercise and stretching to increase flexibility and range of motion. When you give your body ample time to warm up, you’ll perform better and keep it safe from harm.

Embrace the Discomfort

There’s no sugarcoating it: exercising will not be comfortable at first. You’ll feel awkward, you’ll sweat, your muscles will ache, and you’ll fight challenging emotions and feel like giving up. The sooner you embrace the fact that discomfort is a reality, the less power it will have over you.

Any time you start a new exercise or increase the amount of exercise you do, you’ll feel some resistance. Recognizing that this is part of it will give you more opportunities to push through. 

Building the vitality to exercise consistently will take mental and physical fortitude, so embrace the fact that it will not always come easily to you but is worth working hard for.

Work to Your Strengths

When starting, try out various exercise methods and notice which works best for you. Do you prefer to work out by yourself or with a friend? Which time of day do you have the most energy for exercise? Which workouts give you the feeling of accomplishment or happiness? 

Everyone is different and will have different ways of achieving their goals. So play to your strengths, and you’ll find that you’re much more successful doing so than playing by someone else’s rulebook.

A Look into Ilija Jahura

Ilija Jahura provides his Kelowna clients with custom health and fitness programs to help them achieve their goals. His dedication to leading a healthy life through diet and exercise is highlighted in his own life, but his ultimate goal is to get his clients to unlock their true potential. 

Above all else, Ilija wants nothing more than to see the look of pure joy that comes across his clients’ faces when they achieve their goals.