Happy New Year! With the beginning of a New Year, people often set new goals or achievements for themselves. If improving your health and fitness is one of your goals, we’d like to make sure you have a positive experience and reach those goals. 

If you are new to exercising, it’s important to start slow. If your movement has been limited for some time, your body will take time adjusting. Here are some tips to help you get started: 

1. Start with 2-3 sessions a week of exercise. A few sessions a week gives your body time to adjust to this new activity and also so you don’t feel overwhelmed by the time commitment.

• Begin with general movement, such as walking and gentle stretching. Walking, cycling, and swimming are all forms of cardiovascular exercise, which are important for your heart health, lung function, and blood flow (vascular system). Gentle stretching helps your muscles and joints prepare for load (resistance training) and to help you move better. This is a good way to prepare you for resistance training, which includes bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, and weight training. Resistance training is important for preventing falls by maintaining balance and with maintaining bone health. 

• Have old injuries looked at if you are unsure of how they will affect your exercise routine. Old injuries may affect your quality of movement which can cause a chain of effects with movement.  Physiotherapists can provide advice about which types of exercises to start with. 

• If you are new to exercising and don’t know where to start, consider hiring a personal trainer, who can help develop a tailored program for you. A personal trainer will also help provide feedback regarding exercise form and with adapting exercises. A CSEP-CPT designation is a national recognition for personal training, so consider picking a person that has this designation. 

One way to help achieve your fitness goals is to create “SMART” goals. SMART stands for “Specific”, “Measurable”, “Attainable” “Realistic” and “Time Orientated”. Here is an example of a SMART goal: 

“ I want to run 5kms this year” 

S: Run 5km continuously

M: In 35 minutes

A: I am quite active in the gym daily, but running is new to me.

R: I know I can dedicate 3 sessions a week to running but likely not more. 

T: By April 15th 2021

We hope you have a wonderful beginning of 2021!