Don’t Start Exercising!…yet

Preparing for Exercise: Invest in Your Health

Would you buy a house without checking over the property first and researching the market, or take a holiday to a foreign country without finding out what your destination has to offer? At Kaizen, we love exercise with a passion. It’s good stuff! But making the decision to start is a big one, and starting only to fail can dent your future motivation, your wallet, and your body.

Considerations Before Starting an Exercise Program

The thing is that starting an exercise program adds more stress to the body. If your body has been under stress from a poor diet, poor sleep, and high workloads, adding extra exercise stress may not be the best way to start a long-term successful program. You can’t withdraw money from an ATM if you’ve got no money in the bank. If you’re going to add more stress to the body and use energy – you need to make sure you’re adding energy for your body to draw on. Just like spending money that you don’t have makes you broke, hard exercise without investing in the foundations of your health will just break your body.

Foundations of Health: Diet and Sleep

Two key foundations that we focus on at the Kaizen Centre are diet and sleep. If you optimize your diet and your sleep, your energy levels will greatly improve and the stress on your body will reduce. This will give you a better chance at starting and succeeding in an exercise program without burning out or getting injured.

Quick Steps to Improve Your Diet:

1. Eat Regular Meals: This helps you regulate your blood glucose levels.
2. Drink Plenty of Water: Your urine should be straw-colored rather than dark green.
3. Eat Real Food: Read the packets. Reduce foods with labels that have lots of numbers as ingredients – these ingredients aren’t food. Fresh local vegetables and good quality meats are ideal – we’re not short of excellent produce on the Sunshine Coast.

Sleep Guidelines to Give You More Energy:

1. Get Enough Sleep: Aim for 6.5-9 hours each night for optimal health. There is some variation between people.
2. Establish a Bedtime: Ideally, go to bed by 10:30 PM at the latest. Being a night owl doesn’t work for most people.
3. Take Relaxation Time: Walking on the beach, reading a book, playing with your kids – these are great for your health. Time out is essential for regenerating the mind and body.

Conclusion

Before you invest in an exercise program, make sure that your body is ready to take on the benefits that regular exercise provides. Set yourself up for success.