Developing a Beginner Workout Routine Starts with Asking Questions
Do you want to become more fit in order to feel better, to live out your purpose, and to enjoy activities more? Or, do you want to become more fit to change the way your body looks?
Our culture often views exercise as:
- A punishment…a way to pay for food or other lifestyle choices.
- A way to earn our worth through pushing harder and manipulating our bodies further.
- Something used to measure our value.
- A way to find a feeling of control when our lives are crazy.
- A way to “measure up” in comparison with others.
- A strict routine that only counts if it’s long enough, intense enough, or often enough.
- Something that fills us with anxiety because it is hard and uncomfortable.
- Something we have to do even if we spend the entire time watching the clock, hating every moment.
- Something that must be done to whip our bodies into the shape the media says we should be in.
This view of exercise is so discouraging…no wonder people dread it! It’s no surprise to me that working out in a gym (or the guilt from not going) often leaves people feeling like they aren’t good enough.
We set an alarm for 5am to get up and pay penance for the dessert we had last night, to change our unworthy bodies, or to prove that we are worthy of love. Then, we beat ourselves up all day for pushing the snooze button…only to talk ourselves into trying it again tomorrow.
Beginner Workout Routine for Women: Step 1
Get Your Intentions Right
The key to moving your body regularly is setting the right intentions. What if instead of seeking the best workout to manipulate your body shape and earn your worthiness, we sought out exercise that will help care for and respect our minds, bodies, and spirits?
When our minds are aligned with the Holy Spirit we can see that exercise, fitness, and body movement is not about striving, earning, and comparing. It is a way to celebrate our bodies just the way they are. It is a gift we are given to enjoy ourselves. Most importantly, it is a way to worship and glorify God.
When the Holy Spirit transforms our minds and we stop looking to the world’s view of exercise, we start to see the gift that body movement is.
Realize that exercise is a blessing that allows us to:
- Choose to move in joy, even in the uncomfortable.
- Move out of thankfulness because God has given us bodies that were created to serve Him.
- Move in the unique way God created us to without feeling the need to compare ourselves to others.
- Embrace our flaws and imperfections, knowing that God cares more about our hearts than our stretch marks.
- Notice the benefits of body movement that don’t have anything to do with our pants size.
- Move in ways we enjoy without feelings of inadequacy.
The key to getting started and sticking with a workout routine is having the right intentions. If your view of exercise is more in line with the world view of exercise, I encourage you to spend some time in prayer asking the Holy Spirit to transform your mind and renew your heart in this area. Once you start to realize that exercise is something we get to do instead of something you have to do, move on to step 2.
Beginner Workout Routine For Women: Step 2
Design Some Experiments
Don’t panic! You don’t have to have any experience in a science lab for these experiments. I’m talking about trying out different exercise modalities, routines, and intensities as a neutral observer. This means that you’ll find a few things you want to try, set up a plan to try them, and then explore what worked and didn’t work without placing any judgments on yourself.
For example, you may decide you want to try walking the dog everyday. Maybe you try in the morning, afternoon and evening and see which times seem best. Maybe you try different paths and see which you prefer. Maybe you find that you enjoy the walks but would like to do other activities as well. So, next week, you decide you’ll experiment with walking the dog 3 days a week and leaving two days open to try some yoga.
The idea is to explore body movement from a place of gratitude without any “have-to’s”. I always say that my goal is to move my body in some way on most days of the week. This leaves a lot of room to experiment and go with the movement that sounds enjoyable each day.
Beginner Workout Routine For Women Ideas:
Sit Less
We all spend a lot more time sitting down then any other time in history, but our bodies were made to move. They weren’t just made to move once a day for 30-60 minutes, but we were made to move often throughout the day.
Once you have your intentions in the right place, a great way to get more active is to experiment with setting a timer to go off every hour to remind you to move. You can take 5-10 minutes to walk to the sink and drink some water, walk up your stairs, walk about the workplace, and stretch.
Not only will this keep your body moving and blood flowing, but it will actually help you stay focused and keep your productivity up. WIN WIN!
Beginner Workout Routine For Women Ideas
Pursue Pleasurable Activities
Make a list of activities you have access to and think you’ll enjoy. Then, go ahead and experiment with them. Body movement can include so many different things. Here are some ideas:
- Walking around the block
- Playing with your kids at the park
- Yoga
- Hiking
- Biking
- Canoeing, paddleboarding, kayaking
- Stretching
- Workout videos with Revelation Wellness
- Squats and pushups while you’re cooking dinner
- Strength exercises on playground equipment
- Jumping on a trampoline
- Swimming (so good if you need something low impact)
- Chasing your dog around the yard
- Deep cleaning your house (some people may find that pleasurable)
You see, the best exercise a woman can do is the exercise she enjoys doing. To get started with an exercise routine, make sure you’re wanting to get active to care for and respect your mind, body, and spirit. Then, explore body movement from a non-judgemental perspective. Remember that God made your body just as it is, and it delights Him to see you worship Him with it.
How do you like to move your body?!
