Starting out?
Many folks are intimidated by the thought of starting an exercise program.
A beginner is fine with around a half hour of movement daily, some moderate strength training three days a week, and some kind of balance and flexibility work weekly.
I have links to a very comprehensive “A to Z” program below from Dr. Mercola which goes over every detail of a complete well rounded program. If you prefer to just “plug and play” this program will get that done for you.
There is no need to invest huge money early on – I would suggest 3 twenty minute cardio sessions a week and one twenty minute bodyweight exercise session a week. Putting those in place gives you a decent base to start from without a lot of initial investment.
Resources
There are tons of cardio videos on the web, when I started I would often do a walking session with a Leslie Sansone video – really got my heart rate up and broke a sweat. However, I encourage you to experiment and look to find one you really enjoy doing. Here is an example of what I am describing:
As far as bodyweight exercise suggestions, I covered those in quite a bit of detail in this post on bodyweight fitness – quick and easy. This post has a complete bodyweight program with demonstration videos which can get you started for a very minimal cost. There are literally thousands of routines also on the web, find one that fits and try to hit all the major needs, a push exercise for upper body, a pull exercise for upper body, a core exercise, a shoulder exercise (push and pull) and a leg exercise or two.
Resistance bands are also great for a low cost home alternative, if you would like using those more than doing bodyweight exercises you can read more in my post on resistance bands – great option for beginners.
My personal program
If you are interested in what I currently do for exercise, you can read My Exercise Program if you like.
Two free structured programs
Some of you may be looking for a step by step program which you can just follow. Whether you are just starting out or ready to move up from a beginner level to something more structured, there are some free programs available to you as well. Here are links to two which are very good and are yours for no cost when you are ready.
Any of these programs will get you into amazing shape, although if you prefer to work with a personal trainer at a gym, that is certainly fine as well.
Progressive programs from Scooby’s Workshop:
scoobysworkshop.com/beginning-workout-plan/
scoobysworkshop.com/intermediate-workout-plan/
scoobysworkshop.com/advanced-workout-plan/
Dr. Mercola’s comprehensive fitness plan:
Basics:
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/introduction/getting-started.aspx
http://fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/introduction/pillars-of-fitness.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/introduction/pre-workout.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/introduction/intermittent-fasting.aspx
http://fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/introduction/flexibility-training-injury-prevention.aspx
http://fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/introduction/post-workout-recovery.aspx
Beginner level:
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/beginner/introduction.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/beginner/peak-fitness-interval-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/beginner/strength-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/beginner/functional-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/beginner/workout-plan.aspx
Intermediate Level:
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/intermediate/introduction.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/intermediate/peak-fitness-interval-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/intermediate/strength-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/intermediate/functional-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/intermediate/workout-plan.aspx
Advanced Level:
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/advanced/introduction.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/advanced/peak-fitness-interval-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/advanced/strength-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/advanced/functional-training.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/advanced/workout-plan.aspx
Additional resources for Mercola fitness plan:
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/resources/goal-setting.aspx
fitness.mercola.com/fitness-plan/resources/exercise-examples.aspx
