Commencing an Exercise Program

We all know that we need to be physically active for our health and well being. Some people when Commencing an Exercise Program, will even know the recommended national guidelines for physical activity (150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity). Despite this, a large proportion of the population are not meeting these physical activity guidelines.

There is a multitude of reasons for why this is the case, with one of the most common barriers being “I just don’t have the time”. This is absolutely a valid issue, especially when you consider the commitments of work, home, family and a social life which are all vying for a slice of your day. However sometimes this barrier is actually a symptom of a deeper underlying issue, because as we can all probably relate to in some way or another, we always tend to make time in the day for the things we enjoy.

Why don’t we like exercise?

Often this is the underlying cause for why we don’t make extra efforts to make time to exercise: because we don’t enjoy it. But then the question becomes, “why don’t we like exercise?”. Again there are a vast number of answers to this question, but one that our exercise physiologists frequently come across is that people simply don’t quite know what to do or haven’t found the best exercise for them. Starting an exercise program or becoming more physically active is often a daunting task, especially if you don’t have a great idea of what to do or how to do it.

Walking into a gym for the first time can be like stepping into a completely unknown world, with lots of foreign and strange pieces of equipment.

Going for a walk or run for the first time can also be challenging, with questions like “how long should I go for?”, “how far is far enough?”, “how hard should I push myself?” and “is this going to be effective?”. With so many unknown factors, starting an exercise program can quickly become overwhelming, and it is not hard to imagine why some individuals don’t enjoy exercise. If this sounds like issues you have faced, it might be beneficial for you to consider seeing an Exercise Physiologist.

Exercise Physiologist

An Exercise Physiologist is a university-trained allied health professional who specialises in the use of exercise for assisting people to meet their exercise and health goals, as well being expertly trained in the use of exercise to manage health conditions and injuries.

In addition to our expert exercise physiologists at Functional Health, we strive to create a comfortable, supportive and non-threatening environment in which you can step into this unknown world of exercise with someone who can guide and assist you. This includes education on using gym equipment as well as advice and recommendations on the most appropriate types of exercise to help you reach your goals (e.g. the optimal amount of aerobic activity for promoting weight loss).

We have seen so many clients who initially did not enjoy exercise that completely change their feelings towards it after working with our expert staff in the welcoming environment we strive to create at Functional Health. But this isn’t the case for everyone.

We have also had a lot of clients who still don’t particularly enjoy exercise whilst they are doing it, but what they do enjoy is the positive benefits they get immediately following the post-exercise endorphin release and from the long-term benefits on their health, including weight loss, more energy, better sleep and overall better health.