If you're just getting started with an exercise program, spend your first few weeks getting your body in shape to perform more intense, calorie-burning workouts later. The movements you use should be non- or low-impact, move your muscles just past their comfortable range of motion and not cause repetitive stress on any part of your body.
Warm up
Each time you exercise, start with a warmup that raises your heart rate, gets blood circulating to your muscles and stretches you in a way that doesn't negatively affect your muscles. Traditional stretching is out---holding a stretch can decrease your power for 10 to 15 minutes. Dynamic stretching is the way to warm up. Start with light jogging in place for one or two minutes. Begin swinging and pumping your arms. Raise your arms as high as you can, then bend over, keeping your knees straight, and touch your toes. Skip with high knees, then jog in place, kicking your buttocks with your heels. Jumping jacks and arm circles can complete your warmup. Don't stretch by bouncing, such as when you do toe touches. This tightens your muscles and could cause injury.
Low Impact
Movements are non-impact if your feet don't leave the ground, pedals or floor. Raising one foot at a time, such as during walking or step aerobics, creates low-impact movements. Running, jumping jacks, skipping rope or certain types of aerobics that make both feet leave the ground at once cause your entire body weight to crash onto the floor, creating high-impact exercises. Start with low-impact movements for at least the first week or two of your exercise program, or intersperse high-impact movements throughout your workouts one minute at a time.
Resistance
To build muscular strength and endurance, add resistance to your workouts. Muscle strength helps you work harder, while endurance lets you work longer. Adding resistance to workouts can be as simple as raising the gear on a bike or incline on a treadmill, tightening resistance bands a few more turns or holding 2 lb. or 3 lb. dumbbells while you walk or pedal. Increase resistance as you build muscle.
Cardio
Movements that raise your heart rate to 50 to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate create a good beginner pace. This is about the speed of a brisk walk and lets you raise your metabolism without fatigue in just a few minutes. Set a goal of walking, riding, swimming or doing other movements for at least 10 minutes, three times per day, recommends the American Heart Association. Aim for a goal of 30 minutes per workout by adding five minutes every week. Find the maximum pace you can continue and don't exceed that, so you can build cardio stamina and muscular endurance.
Post-Activity Cooldown and Stretch
Slow down your movements after exercise until your heart rate is close to normal. Do this with slow walking and raising and lowering your arms. After you cool down, stretch your muscles and hold them to help improve flexibility and decrease the pain and soreness you may feel later. Hold stretches just past your comfortable range of motion for at least 20 seconds.
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