Whether you’re wanting to turn over a new leaf and starting afresh in the world of health and fitness or returning to the game after a career/child/injury induced sabbatical, the question often causes people to stop the journey before its even started.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Low Intensity Steady State Cardio (LISS), power lifting, hiking, cross fit, trail running, cycling, swimming, spinning, pilates, yoga, Morris dancing (maybe not) ……the list goes on. Just open google and ask the question and the options appear endless. Dig further and the results then start breaking down which individual exercises are the “must haves” – squats, press ups, rows etc etc etc……. It’s easy to see why so many people struggle to know where to start, get information overload, throw in the towel before they’ve even started and settle back into the sofa allowing another mindless episode of Love Island to slowly destroy their body, mind and soul!
So, what is the best type of exercise to start getting fit and healthy?
Before going on to the million-dollar answer, a short story about procrastination:
Fitness and sport have always been a passion, predominantly rugby and strength training but I’ll try pretty much anything once, normally be average at most things. Back in 20?? I took the plunge and got myself qualified as a personal trainer. With great expectations of starting to use the qualification for good I soon found myself making excuses as to why I couldn’t really make the best use of my newly acquired skill set. Having 3 kids, a full-time job, something called COVID meaning the whole world went a bit weird for a few years, were all valid reasons why I didn’t really make any real inroads into my main aim of getting qualified – helping people to become more active healthy and generally sharing my passion. A few years passed with no action and the certificates sat in a box gathering dust. I was still avidly reading health and fitness books, science based journals, listening to podcasts and developing my own knowledge but not putting anything into action other than helping a few friends and colleagues here or there. The more I looked at the prospect of starting a business the more I was overwhelmed, do I need to use Facebook, what the hell is Instagram (still not sure), what extra courses should I be doing, what client base should I be aiming to help, do I need to find a gym to base myself from, what should my business be called, what should the logo look like???? Mind f*%&k = inaction. Then about a year ago a chance meeting at the side of a rugby pitch started the ball rolling. Having already scored two tries in my first game back in three years the thought of a third try and having buy a jug of beer for the team made me withdraw myself from the field of play at half time (it may have been that I was aching and knackered as well). A conversation with a Personal Trainer who had been watching the game started. His local gym was going from strength to strength (excuse the pun) and the conversation led to an invite to start instructing an early morning class. A small step but a step none the less. Roll on to the present day and I’m doing more classes, one to one sessions and generally loving the experience. Have my personal circumstances changed? No, I still have 3 kids who are all growing fast, and still currently hold down the same full-time job although COVID now seems a long distant strangely dream like memory. So, what changed and how is this even relevant to finding out which is the best type of exercise to start on the health and fitness journey?
So the answer? In the world of social media and absolutes you’d expect me to outline one exercise form that is a must, however that is not the case so I apologise if that is what you were hoping for but please read on. It really is simple and may well seem like a bit of an anti-climax…..Just do anything!!!! Do something!! Take some form of action!!! For me that action was instructing that first class (8 people in total from recollection). To help you take that first step on the fitness journey I’ve put together 5 pointers that you may find useful:
5 steps to help you get started
- Find something you enjoy and do it. If you enjoy it, then it isn’t a chore. You will look forward to it and it will become a habit without you even trying. If that happens to be Morris dancing then get your clogs and bells on and swing your handkerchiefs, I’m not judging, hell if you look like you’re enjoying it that much I may well join in.For me I have always loved the gym, lifting weights and the gym environment in general. However, I appreciate that for many this may not be the case and people are often put off starting by the thought of going to such a place. If that’s you then no problem don’t go there! Eventually you may decide to give it a go but it is not compulsory and people have been able to get fit and healthy without ever stepping into a gym. That being said, I would love to be able to convince you to give it a go at some point!
- Find something that is accessible to you. If you live in a town with a great gym and that’s your thing, then go grab that iron and start doing your best Arnie impression. If you live on the coast and love to swim, jump in. If cost is stopping you from getting that gym or pool membership then get out walking – it’s free. Got an injury that makes running uncomfortable then get on your bike. The options are endless. If its nearby even better, the likelihood of going to a gym or pool that is a 5 min walk or drive is much higher than if you have to spend 45 minutes getting there. This isn’t always available for everyone, but there will always be something that you can do with little/no travel involved.
- Find something that fits in with your current lifestyle. Got young kids, working all hours in your job, then find something that works with that schedule. A run/walk with the children in the push chair, incorporating a walk into your lunch hour rather than scrolling social media sat at your desk. Health and fitness should be something that improves your life but doesn’t consume it. It doesn’t have to be a 2 hour gym session or a monster ultra-marathon run (unless you want it to be and it fits in), 20 minutes a day doing whatever you enjoy is better than nothing and starts that ball rolling.
- Keep It Simple! Some on social media would have you believe that to be effective, exercise has to be insanely complicated. That you have to use every item of equipment in the gym, squatting on a Bosu ball with weights hanging off each limb whilst balancing a child on your head (not advised). Or that you have to use the correct periodisation planned over the whole coming year, that you have to be targeting accurate heart rate zones on each run, using the correct rep and set range for each gym visit. There is no doubt that all of these things certainly have great merit in the long run but to get started keep it simple. There are only a finite number of exercises that can be done in the gym and many of the most successful athletes in various fields focus on repeating the basics consistently with great precision. Walking is probably the most basic and accessible of all activities. It’s been shown over and over that the benefits of simply increasing your steps every day can be hugely effective in improving fitness. So very simply KEEP IT SIMPLE.
- Find something that you can stick with. This is the real gold. Consistency. If you find something that you enjoy, that is accessible to you then it becomes very easy to make this activity a consistent part of your life. And with great consistency comes great progress.
“We are what we repeatedly do” Aristotle.
I would rather have someone doing something that perhaps isn’t the most optimal but doing it consistently than someone with the best program in the world but doing it once in a blue moon.
But what if someone tells me that what I’m doing isn’t the best or most optimal way to get fit? Answer - who cares what they think!! The most optimal thing for you is whatever fits the above criteria and gets you moving in the direction that you want to be going. You could have the greatest minds in the health and fitness fields write you the most optimal fitness program, based on the most up to date science that will guarantee results more quickly and effectively than anything else. Only it isn’t the most effective or optimal program if it sits in a box gathering dust (like my PT qualifications did for years) because it sucks to do it, takes hours to complete, you don’t enjoy it, costs a fortune, or means to you have to travel for hours to be able to complete it.
Better to be routinely good than occasionally great.
Motivation
So you’ve hit the above 5 points, you’ve, got the activity set and ready to roll but then the initial burst of motivation that was there has gone or it was never really there in the first place.
A brief word on motivation (a deeper dive on the subject will come at a later date) …… I’m lucky in that motivation to train and stay physically active has never been an issue (finding time in a hectic lifestyle is often my barrier, which is why I’ve been known to train at all hours of the day) but for the vast majority, motivation or lack there-of, is the major factor in getting started on that fitness journey. The thing about motivation is it is fleeting, transient in its nature and doesn’t tend to stick around. This is where taking action comes into play for everyone, motivated or not.
“One of the most surprising things about motivation is that it often comes after starting a new behaviour, not before.” James Clear, author of Atomic Habits.
You don’t need much motivation once you’ve started any behaviour, most of the difficulty comes with starting the behaviour in the first place. Once you’ve started something the progress often comes much more easily. Therefore, one of the best ways to help this process is make it easy to start, hence points 1-5 above: make it enjoyable, accessible, fit with your lifestyle, keep it simple, make it something you can stick with.
If you’re motivated to start now, that’s awesome, finish reading here, turn off the screen and crack on with something (please come back to finish reading later though). The motivation that you feel now may not be here tomorrow, next week, month etc but invariably at some point its likely to disappear. But if you strike while the iron is hot and start forming that habit, it will be well ingrained by the time the motivation starts to fade.
No motivation at the moment? Stuck in a rut and can’t see where to start? Re-read the above and do something now. Action leads to motivation. Once you take that first step into whatever it is you chose, you will start to feel the benefits whether that be physically, mentally or both. The physical results you see or that improved feeling leads you to want to do this again, and again, that habit starts to form. It becomes a cycle.
No habit can be formed without action first. All the planning and research in the world is of little use if action is not taken. There is so much more to look at in the field of motivation and habit formation but for now let’s leave it at “Motivation follows action, so start taking that action ASAP”
What other tactics can help me getting started?
There are a number of things that we can put into place to help us get started on this journey and more importantly keep it going.
Enlist others (if you want to!).
Getting other people on board with your new found regime can be of great benefit and may also help you decide which form of activity or activities you start off with. For me going to the gym is my solace and time to myself. I put in my headphones and shut off everything whilst I battle with the dumbbells- almost a form of a sweaty tiring meditation. That being said, I also enjoy training or activity in the company of others, the banter of being in a group or team, a trait derived from taking part in team sports for the past 35 years.
For some just heading out on that first walk/run/ride may well provide some headspace from a hectic day and become not only a physical fitness habit but one that soothes the mind as well. In this case a simple walk, run, hour at that gym or pool alone can be all is needed to start on the road to forming that habit. For others that solitude may not be so appealing.
If you can find some friends or likeminded others to join you this may well help taking those first tentative steps, a metaphorical (or literal) hand to hold when setting off. Early on, with motivation waning after a busy day at work or the thought of heading out in the rain not looking too appealing, the support of others to keep you going in the early days can be invaluable. Quite simply if you can’t be arsed to go and do the thing you’re supposed to be doing the other person can be there to give you a rocket up your backside to get going!
Find a friend who is an “expert”, perhaps not literally but it may be that a friend already takes part in a dance class or is part of a running club and gives you that initial push in the direction. Having that person with you to break the ice often makes that initial jump that bit easier.
No friends or family that are willing or able to make that leap with you but doing something alone also isn’t appealing? Don’t worry, all clubs, gyms and classes that are worth their salt will be inviting and inclusive to any newcomers. Taking that first step can be daunting but the reality is that everyone who is in that class was once in the same position and was walking through the door for the first time. Many times, I have had new people come to one of the early morning classes, some looking like a rabbit caught in headlights, yet within no time they are part of the group, forming new friendships and become regulars. Don’t worry if you think you won’t be any good, or will look stupid, everyone was there once and you may well find that you are actually, naturally very talented, much like me when I dance*! Also, once you start the workout/dance/run everyone is so focused on how they are doing and feeling that the likelihood is they won’t be watching how you’re doing anyway! Finding and becoming part of one of these communities is priceless.
Taking part in something with others can also provide some form of accountability. From a team sport point of view it may be not letting the team down, but if its just lift sharing to the class this may also help to keep you accountable.
Talking of accountability, it can help to make a physical declaration of your intention to take action. This could be verbally to friends and family, a written piece for you to see in a diary or, as appears to become more common, a statement on social media of your plan. Having this intention stated out in the universe can help you initiate and stick with that first step.
This is not a sales pitch but obviously coaches and trainers can help with that initial step and accountability, it obviously comes at a price but could be the missing part of the puzzle!
Learn to enjoy the process
Ultimately doing something that you enjoy means you are much more likely to keep doing that thing, whatever it is, so pick something that is fun and start with that (see point 1).
The above point aside, how do you make working towards your ultimate goal enjoyable?
Goal setting - Sometimes looking at an overarching large goal can become daunting. There is a vast amount of research into goal setting. Making the goal appropriate and achievable is vital and is a subject worthy of another article all of its own. If the goal appears too big or feels unachievable it can put you off and derail you quickly. If progress does not appear to be happening quickly enough, or at all, it can’t stop you in your tracks. That’s where looking at a process orientated approach has been shown to be favourable (Kaftan and Freund). With a process orientated outlook, you focus on what you can do in the short term towards your overall goal, the behaviours that you can do in the here and now (the first few runs, bike rides, swims) rather than fixating on the outcome itself. You learn to target in on the current practice rather than focusing on the big discrepancy between the small amount of progress you’ve made so far and the seemingly huge amount still to go before a achieving the desired outcome. This means you will enjoy the small wins rather than dreading the long road ahead.
Example – Process orientated goal = run two times per week. Outcome orientated goal = run a sub 20 min 5K (I’m nowhere near it!)
Mastery vs Performance - Running in conjunction with process and outcome related goals is the idea of focussing on mastery rather than performance. The concept is very similar. Focussing on performance, much like outcome orientated goals, involves judging and evaluating yourself on a given set of targets (this could be a time for a run or swim, a particular weight for a deadlift or bench press). Whilst this is a good way to measure progress with many merits it can have its downfalls, especially in the early days of starting a new fitness regime. If you hit obstacles and challenges which mean you are constantly falling short of your performance goal, this failure can lead to a decline in self-efficacy (your belief in yourself to achieve something), can knock confidence and lead to a lack of motivation to continue and ultimately stop altogether. Focussing on mastery – the learning of a new skill or refining of an existing skill – can provide a huge boost for self-efficacy. With learning a new skill, challenges and set backs are to be expected. Therefore, when you inevitably hit one it is not viewed as a failure, merely a step on the path (process) to mastering that skill. It is impossible to fail (so long as you don’t quit) albeit the road may be slow. So, using the above running example may look like this.
Example - Mastery goal = focus on improving running technique, head position, stride length, cadence etc. Performance goal = running a sub 20 min 5K (I’m still nowhere near it!)
So, whilst outcome-based goals and focussing on performance related markers are great, it might be worth flipping your mindset towards process-based outcomes and mastering (or at least trying to) a new skill to see if that will help enjoyment.
Develop the skills and knowledge over time
Once you’ve taken that initial step, started the journey and began to incorporate the first activities into your lifestyle you can now start focussing on the finer points. This will differ for everyone, but it could mean that you progress from the one run a week to a run and a strength training session at the gym. Or that one dance class becomes a second dance class and a swim with a newfound friend. Or you could now start paying attention to the actual structure of your chosen workout, focusing on heart rate zone training or tying your strength training down to focus on specific goals. Whatever it is, the fact that you started by doing something (anything) has led you a point where you are now able to be more specific, more targeted in your approach and not relying so much on the motivation to do so.
Final Thoughts
Its time to get started, you’ve got this, so crack on and give something, anything a go and who knows where it may lead. From the humble start and taking a small action you are now on the path to healthier, happier, fitter you - “Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow”.
Summary:
There is no best or optimal type of exercise to get you started so stop waiting to discover it.
Stop procrastinating, researching and getting overloaded with information and take some action now.
Make the activity enjoyable, accessible, fit with your lifestyle, keep it simple and make it something you can stick with.
Motivation follows action. So don’t wait to be motivated to start, start something and the motivation will follow. Just taking some form of action will lead to motivation, not the other way around.
Having other people come along for the journey can help with taking that initial step and staying accountable.
Enjoy the process - shift your focus from end results towards small wins and mastering new skills.
Once you have solid habits ingrained then you can start to focus on the minutia and becoming more focused on the finer details.
Notes *I can’t dance, I’ve not even got two left feet, I’m rigid and without any form of natural rhythm unless there’s a lot of alcohol in play!
Credits:
James Clear Atomic Habits.
Walking Meta-Analysis .
The way is the goal: The role of goal focus for successful goal pursuit and subjective well being Kaftan and Fruend 2018
Goal Setting and Action Planning for health behaviour change. Bailey 2019
An evidence based approach to goal setting and Behaviour change. Trexler 2022