Everyday fitness can be achieved by the everyday person like you and me. This is how I started. It was a simple beginning. Everyday fitness is for the ordinary person, and not for the trained athlete.
This fitness journey has been fun and it has been challenging. But it is a journey that I do want to continue on. I like to be fit to do the everyday things in my life. Going up and downstairs with ease is a bonus.
What fitness aim or goal do you have? Are you an ordinary person with an ordinary life? Then this will help you to get started too.
Just getting started can often be difficult. Just getting out of the front door will be an achievement on its own.
This is how I got started. How I got off the couch, went through the door, and went outside. My hope is that this journey will help you too to get started.
Let’s do this.
basic fitness kit
You will need some kit. You probably already have what you need.
The first and really the only absolutely necessary item that is needed is a good pair of running shoes. If you have a pair lying in the back of your cupboard, pull them out. Put them on and get out of the door.
I’ve loved my ASICS Women’s Running Shoe and I stick with them. They or any other pair of running shoes can set you back a little financially. This is true. But it is absolutely worth it. The cost is about 100-150€/$ depending on what you buy.
You can stop reading here and get started by just going for a walk. Use the walking or running shoes that you already have. Buying a good pair can come later.
Start YOUR everyday fitness today, get out of the door. Yes, you can!
everyday fitness guide
Starting YOUR journey to everyday fitness now can be done with any comfortable pair of tracksuit pants or shorts. Just add to that a comfortable t-shirt and you are ready to go.
The key is to start really slowly and to build from there. I started with a walk and then added in very short sessions of running. It was a shuffle really, but I was out of the door and it was fantastic.
This Runners World guide is brilliant and worth giving it a try, this will guide you when you feel unsure. It worked for me, give it a try.
to learn a little bit more
Once I had done my first run/walk and got home safely then I knew that my fitness journey had begun. I wanted to learn from someone else. A trainer or a friend would’ve been superb but I didn’t have access to that.
The next best option for me was to do a book search on my Kindle. I was living in a foreign-speaking country and so I was not able to go to the local library or bookshop to search for some inspiration.
This is what I found: Run: A Complete Guide (Learn How to Start Running) by Micheal Thomas. This book has been my constant companion since I bought it in 2014. It comes in handy when I’m recovering from sickness or injury.
I love this simple book and I still go back to it often.
There is no better time to start.
Today is the day.
This is another point where you can stop reading.
No more accessories are really necessary to progress but, I added in a few things that have helped me.
I wanted to measure my progress and I wanted to know when to stop and so I bought a sports watch. The first for me ever! It was a huge step but so worth it. My regular watch was frustrating me with measuring the times and distances.
In the last ten years, I have owned three watches. Each one was given to me as a birthday gift. That is a win-win situation, no guessing games for the family!
The most basic one was a Polar it was a very good beginner watch for me. Later I progressed to my first Garmin Forerunner 35 watch, this served me very well until I recently started triathlons. I now love these sports watches.
progressing forward very slowly
Recently I have progressed to a Garmin Forerunner 735XT watch that allows me to track and switch between three sports, swimming, cycling, and running. It worked so well in my second sprint triathlon. I didn’t win any awards, but I was able to track and switch between the swim, the cycle, and the run with ease.
I have really found that I love Garmin, their watches, and their training programs. They include beginner training plans and go right up to more advanced training plans. Having your own trainer or some friends living near you would be ideal too.
Sometimes I wish that I could learn some cycling tips from someone more experienced on a racing bike. Right now I am just trying to maintain some dignity on the bike.
Next year, this may be a goal for me. What about you? What are you hoping to improve as you grow in this fitness journey? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear from you how you are progressing.
everyday fitness and fueling my body
This journey to fitness has also made me realize that I need a plan of how to eat. How to fuel my body. How to give my body enough energy to make it to the end. That is why my eating for life family meal planner is so important for me.
It is still under development and I’m constantly refining it. It helps me between training times and it also sustains me when I am training for a race. I love doing races. How about you?
with friends
I love to run alone. This is true. But I do love to do races with friends. This is true.
I often run the races with friends far younger and fitter than me. This is true too.
I give them hope, that if I can do it then so will they be able to do it. I love that.
When we arrive at the race, I always tell them that I want to run alone and that I’ll see them at the end. But because I run alone I always head out with my Endurance Sprint JBL headphones and I either listen to music, an audiobook, or a talk.
next steps
Even though I have been doing this for about ten years, I know that I still have so much to learn. I have some goals to accomplish that still evade me but I’m still determined to go after them. These are some of the small steps that I took to get me here today.
The running shoes have always been key because no matter how I was feeling on any given day, I just put them on and got out of the door. If all I end up doing is walking around the block, then I am alright with that.
So, if this is for you please make a commitment to yourself. Put on your running shoes. Get out of the door.
That was my first promise to myself. Decide if you want to do it twice or three times in the week. Either would be a good place to start. Who knows, I may see you out there sometime?
Starting everyday fitness today is possible. Enjoy your fitness journey, it is worth it. If you are in your 50s or you are 15, we all have to start somewhere, why not start today with these few basics that I have shared?
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