How to start working out: A beginner’s guide

High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

HIIT is a type of cardiovascular exercise in which you perform short bursts of vigorous cardio, separated by breaks of lower-intensity cardio.

For example, you could run or climb a hill between stretches of brisk walking.

“If you live in a hilly place, and you have flat areas and hill areas, you’re automatically doing some high-intensity interval training when you go on a walk,” Basen-Engquist says.

If you’re at a gym, you can try it as a routine where you move from one station to another. Or, you could switch between walking at a slow pace on a treadmill to running or adding an incline.

Strength training

Strength training can improve your metabolism and help you stay at a healthy weight, which can help reduce your risk for many types of cancer, including breast, colon, endometrial and liver cancers. You can use free weights like dumbbells and barbells, rubber resistance bands, machines and even your own body weight.

Also called weight training, these exercises are done in sets, with rest in between. You’ll usually start at a specific number of repetitions, or reps, of the same exercise in a set. You can do fewer or more reps in each set based on your fitness level and goals. If you are not able to complete eight reps with proper form. Basen-Engquist suggests that you decrease the level of resistance or weight.

“These types of workouts are more technical than aerobic exercise, so it’s good to get some guidance, whether that’s from exercise videos, a reliable source or by joining an exercise class,” Basen-Engquist says.

Strength training exercises include:

• Push-ups
• Sit-ups
• Planks
• Lunges
• Barbell or dumbbell curls
• Leg presses
• Squats
• Dead lifts

Strength training involves resistance to make the muscles in your body work harder.

Take a bicep curl, which involves holding your arms at a 90-degree angle to your body and bending them at the elbow. If you’re doing it with no resistance, it’s not very much work. But if you’re holding a weight, there’s more stress on your muscles in your arm.

Exercises like Pilates and yoga use elements of strength training. If you’re unfamiliar with either, taking classes or watching videos online can be a useful first step, Basen-Engquist says.

“The important thing with strength exercise is that you’re starting at the right level,” she says. “Make sure that you’re selecting an intensity that’s appropriate for you, so that you don’t get too sore injure yourself.”

For example, a good starting place for strength exercise with weights or resistance bands is to start with a weight where you can do 10 to 12 repetitions of the exercise while maintaining proper form.

Balance, stability and flexibility exercises

The goal of balance and stability exercises is to strengthen your core, your buttocks and your legs. These exercises include Pilates, yoga and tai chi. Other examples include:

• Heel-to-toe walking on a line
• Planks, where you hold a push-up position for an extended time
• Single leg stands
• Bird-dogs, where you extend opposite arms and legs while on your hands and knees
• Cat-cow, where, while on your hands and knees, you alternate between arching your back upward and dipping your belly downward

What’s the difference between light, moderate and vigorous exercise?

With light cardio exercise, you can carry on a conversation or sing a song, Basen-Engquist says.

With moderate exercise, you can still have a conversation but are speaking in shorter sentences. You would not be able to sing a song.

With vigorous exercise, you’re only going to be able to get out a few words at a time.

Best workout routines for beginners

The most effective workouts for beginners include a combination of exercises. But Basen-Engquist says that it’s equally important to do what you enjoy. This will help you be active in a way that helps you keep going.

If spending time at the gym doesn’t excite you, consider other activities that keep you moving, such as cycling or dancing, she points out.

“If you know that you can’t keep up three days a week lifting weights and five days a week on the treadmill, you’re much better off finding another activity,” she says. “Dancing is a great moderate exercise.”

You can break up your weekly moderate and vigorous aerobic exercise any way you want.

“If you’re just starting, you don’t necessarily start with the full amount in one day because that’s a lot,” she says. “If you’ve ever changed a behavior or tried to adopt a new habit, whether it’s eating vegetables or exercising, you know that it’s hard to make big changes right away and keep it going over time.”

Basen-Engquist recommends focusing on cardio first. When you’ve got that down, add another area of fitness.

How to get started working out

To get started. You should:

• Understand your level of fitness and health
• Set realistic goals
• Make exercise a regular routine
• Pair exercise with a healthy diet and lifestyle

Understand your health and fitness level

Never exercised or played sports before? Or are getting back into it after a long time – such as after a cancer diagnosis? You might be starting in a different place. It’s important to keep that in mind as you start exercising. If you have serious health conditions, speak with your doctor before starting an exercise program, especially if it’s anything more than moderate aerobics.

Set realistic goals and know your limits

It’s better to start slow than to overdo it right away. It’s easier to sustain gradual progress than large changes, Basen-Engquist says. As you begin to see some progress, you’ll gain confidence and want to keep at it.

But you also don’t want to hurt your body by going too hard, too quickly. Overdoing it can put too much stress on your muscles, joints and bones. That’s why it’s important to work in rest days where you don’t exercise so that your body has a chance to recover. This is especially important if you have cancer, since your treatment may cause fatigue and other side effects.

“It’s normal to be somewhat sore the day after you do a strength training session, but that shouldn’t last more than a day or two,” Basen-Engquist points out. “It never hurts to start slower than you think you can actually do and then build up from there.”

Make exercise a regular habit

With exercise, you get what you put in. One workout a month won’t do much for you. But life has a way of throwing roadblocks, so it’s helpful to anticipate them and have alternatives ready.

For example, if you can’t do your normal workout, consider going on a brisk 10-minute walk at lunch, Basen-Engquist says.

If you’re stuck inside your home or office, she suggests pairing routine tasks with forms of exercise or setting up a schedule where you get up and move around at specific times. You can do squats while flossing your teeth, for example. If you need to get up to use the bathroom, walk a lap around all the rooms of your home afterward.

“Make it about habit formation so that working out is not a decision you have to make,” she says.

Another way to get prepared is to have your gym clothes and other supplies in your car the night before you plan to go to the gym the next day. Don’t give yourself the opportunity to talk yourself out of it.

“That way you don’t have to think about it in the morning and ask, ‘Do I really want to do that?’” Basen-Engquist says.

And when you meet your goals, she recommends that you reward yourself. This can include spending time on your hobby, catching up with a friend or putting a star sticker on your calendar. Just avoid rewarding yourself with unhealthy snacks, she adds.

Pair exercise with a healthy diet and lifestyle

Exercise helps you build muscle and burn calories, which leads to weight loss, but only if you burn more calories than you take in through food. That’s why it’s important to pair it with a diet with plenty of nutrients, protein and healthy fats – and without empty carbs or calories, added sugars, highly processed foods and high-fat foods.

Additionally, certain foods are associated with higher disease risk, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease, Basen-Engquist points out.

“Even if you’re exercising, your health is going to suffer if your diet is mostly doughnuts,” she says.

And it’s also important to have a healthy lifestyle outside of exercise. That means:

• Getting between seven and nine hours of sleep every night
• Quitting tobacco and nicotine, if you use it
• Decreasing or quitting alcohol, if you drink

Tips for beginners

Remember, exercise can have big payoffs for your health, if you make it a habit. As you get started, Basen-Engquist stresses that it’s important to:

• Wear comfortable clothing: Wear clothes that allow your skin to breathe and won’t get in the way of your workout. Also wear shoes with good support that aren’t too loose or too tight. Wear sunscreen and a hat if you are exercising outdoors.
• Warm up first: Try a light activity like walking before diving into your workout. This can prevent injury.
• Start slow: Make sure you’re working out at an appropriate intensity and duration for your fitness level and not overworking your body.
• Stay hydrated: When you’re exercising, your body is losing water through sweat. This can hurt your kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and your ability to stay alert, which can also lead to injury. Drink water while working out.
• Cool down afterward: When you exercise, your blood supply is going into your muscles, Basen-Engquist says. Your muscles need blood to carry nutrients. If you exercise at a high intensity, your blood may pool in your muscles. Gradually cooling down with light-intensity activity and letting your heart rate lower is healthy for letting the blood leave the area.

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