Make a plan
You don’t need to go as far as signing up for a marathon or a charity bike ride, but having a solid plan can make exercise more rewarding. Knowing that you’ve got a plan can make it easier to stick to exercising regularly, as you’ll know exactly when you’re planning to do it.
This can be as simple as plotting out an hour or two a week on your calendar, or it can be more involved. No matter which type of exercise you enjoy, you can be sure that there are beginner’s plans online.
For running, try the Couch to 5k programme, which as the name suggests will take you from the couch to being able to run 5k in 9 weeks.
For cycling, British Cycling has an 8-week sofa to 50km training plan, which you can download here. It’s perfect for beginners, especially considering as they say week 1’s focus is ‘digging your bike out of the shed’.
For swimming, Macmillan has a 2-mile beginner’s swimming plan which also incorporates strength and cross-training to make you a better swimmer.
If your exercise is gym-based, there are many plans out there and what works for you will depend on what your goals are. Muscle And Fitness magazine have a good general beginner’s workout program that takes you through your first 4 months at the gym.
