How to start exercising if you are sedentary

Physical exercise or sport is part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Making activity a daily routine helps us feel in perfect condition, both physically and emotionally. But if you are not physically active and maintain a sedentary lifestyle, how do you start exercising?

And besides helping us have the body we want, it is also very useful for releasing tension and stress from daily life. Physical activity helps us stimulate the production of happiness hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and enkephalins, among others. Additionally, it improves circulation, heart health, lung capacity, and many other aspects.

For all these reasons, it is essential that you start doing regular physical activity. It's not just about being in shape, but about looking after your health. Also, exercise is one of the disciplines that most quickly become a hobby and, in the end, become indispensable in your daily life.

Next, we answer how to exercise if I am sedentary but, above all, how to start exercising and not give up. Keep reading!

How to start exercising from scratch

Everyone has the possibility to exercise, even within their limitations. And even if it's just 30 minutes, exercise is a practice that is beneficial for physical and emotional health.

Exercising will help you reactivate your body and force it to work as it should. It will get you out of lethargy, give you much more energy and vitality in your daily life. And as part of these benefits, it also reduces the risk of suffering from diseases.

Now, to answer how to start exercising from scratch, it is important that you keep the following tips in mind, so you can enjoy it at all times and the idea of quitting won't come to your mind. 

Set a realistic goal

There are several reasons why you might want to start exercising. Most of the time it is to lose weight, other times to gain muscle mass and tone the body, and other times simply to improve health and physical condition in general.

The important thing, especially in the first two examples, is to set a realistic goal. If there is a month left until summer, it is very likely that you will no longer make it to the “bikini operation,” for example.

Always keep in mind that the important thing is to start and that no matter how little you do, it will be more than what you were doing until now. Get mentally prepared that it is a progressive process and that everything that requires effort is because it is worth it.

Start progressively

Since you have been sedentary for a long time, the ideal and most recommended thing is to start with simple exercises and gradually increase the intensity.

You can follow any of the training plans aimed at beginners or analyze how your body responds to the exercises you have chosen and increase the intensity based on that.

Of course, never exceed your limit because everything in excess is bad and it could cause you a serious problem like an injury. Below, we present a list of simple exercises that can be useful to answer how to start exercising from scratch.

• Cardio exercises: Try brisk walking, going up and down stairs, cycling, jogging, swimming, jump rope…
• Strength exercises: Start with calisthenics (using your own body weight) and gradually introduce weights, dumbbells, kettlebells, and even weight machines. You can also do sit-ups, squats, and push-ups.
• Flexibility exercises: We recommend that you do stretches, lunges, and jumps, among others.

Design a fun routine

You can design it on your own or get inspired by other already created routines. The important thing is that you find it fun and motivating to do. That is, that you don't see it as an obligation —or at least most of the routine—.

Also, to make the routine more fun you can play your favorite songs or listen to a podcast you like. Of course, like any exercise routine, it is essential that you do a warm-up beforehand and stretching exercises.

Reward your effort

Also, to make the exercise more enjoyable for you, we recommend that each time you finish the session you reward your effort with something good and healthy, like a protein bar without sugars — or with very few—.

How to start exercising from home

The process to answer how to start exercising at home is very similar to that of a gym. The important thing, in all cases, is consistency, motivation, and doing the exercises correctly. We recommend you keep the following in mind:

Watch training videos

We have already explained how to start exercising if you are sedentary, now, if you are going to do the routine from home, our recommendation is to look for audiovisual material to begin.

Watch videos from the main platforms to get started with exercise and then take ideas to design your own routine based on what you like most and your needs.

Equip yourself with the necessary equipment

Once you have more experience, notice results, and see that things are serious, at least after the first two months, equip yourself with professional sports equipment to do your exercises. This will considerably ease the task and motivate you to keep exercising — the results will be visible more quickly—.

Switch to a healthy diet

To notice faster results, we recommend that you choose a healthy diet and avoid consuming junk food, or at least reduce it. Cut out processed sugars and replace them with fruits, also reduce food quantities to the daily necessary kilocalories.

Of course, eat everything so that your body lacks nothing. Some examples of superfoods that have everything and that you can incorporate into your diet are: ginger, green tea, blueberries, nuts (in small amounts), quinoa, and pumpkin.

Weigh yourself every week

One of the best ways to answer how to start exercising and not quit is by weighing yourself every week. Even if you don't see the results sometimes, they are there. Weigh yourself every week and, if you have followed these tips, you will notice the scale indicator going down — especially if what you are looking for is to lose weight rather than gain muscle mass—.