"All glory comes from daring to begin."

(quote by Eugene F. Ware)

Today's blog post comes courtesy of my sister, Laura, who is a Health and Wellness Coordinator at the Wang YMCA of Chinatown in Boston, MA.  She took some time out of her schedule to give some advice and encouragement to those who want to start exercising and either have trouble getting started, or don't know what to do once they do start.

(PLUG: If you're in the Boston area and want a great trainer to help you out, I encourage you to visit the Wang YMCA and try to get in contact with her, or take one of her classes!)

"I just can’t seem to get started."

"I don’t know what to do once I get there."

These are two of the most common reasons for not exercising I hear when I first meet someone.  Yes, a gym can be intimidating and overwhelming. But with small goals and a handful of exercises, you can make a huge impact on your body and start to take control of yourself! 

You walk into the gym and don’t know what to do first.

Pick a machine that incorporates cardio movement (a treadmill, bicycle, elliptical, etc…) and press Quickstart (the green button).  From there, you can control every factor from speed and resistance to time.  It is the simplest way to get started and get yourself moving.  Learning different machines is great for variety, but if you are uncomfortable with that, just choose one and stick to it for a week or two.  From there, switch it up and try something new!

Strength training is a component of exercise many people forget about, also.  Between choosing exercises and making sure you have proper form, it can be a challenge.  Get the help from a trainer if necessary, or choose some strength machines and read the instructions labeled.  There are pictures highlighting which muscles are being used, and it will explain how to do the movement.  Plus, since it is a fixed form cable machine, it's pretty easy to pick up the correct motion.  But be careful, since there could still be error due to misuse of the machine.

From here, remember to stretch and always ask questions.  Trainers like to have people come up to them and give advice to those who need a jumpstart.  Watch them on the floors to see who you might respond well to and grab their attention.  They are willing to help!