New to working out and want to begin exercising to improve your health?  We can have a tendency to begin working out with big weights or by trying to run or perform cardio exercises at a high level or for a long period of time. Give yourself grace and ease into workouts.  If you are new to skiing, you take a lesson and start on the bunny hill.  You don’t start out on a black run.  Think of exercise the same way.  You need to start at a beginning level and gradually increase endurance, weights and flexibility.

Consult a Physician Before Beginning an Exercise Program

Consulting a doctor before beginning an exercise program is recommended.  They can offer advice on what types/amounts of exercises are safe or recommended based on your health history (diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, etc.).  If you are new to exercise, most physicians will recommend you start out with brisk walks and gradually build from there.  You can also purchase a heart rate monitor that you wear while exercising that provides feedback on how hard you are working out, so you can adjust your level to be safe and effective for your body.

Vary Your Workouts 

If you want to incorporate cardio, strength, core and flexibility/balance into your workout routine, a great way to start is with the exercise demo videos for our Fit N Fun Games Bootcamp Edition.  The exercises are broken down by category and include Balance, Cardio, Upper Body Strength, Lower Body Strength and Core exercises.  This will ensure you learn the correct form for each exercise and also allow you to gradually build endurance and strength before playing the bootcamp board game.

A corrective exercise specialist, Angie Moudry, demonstrates proper form for each exercise and also gives modifications you can do to match your level of fitness (or for any injuries or weak areas in the body). You can slowly increase the number of reps/amount of weight for each exercise.  This will ensure you know how to do each exercise correctly and safely. When you feel comfortable with each exercise, you can begin to workout to our fitness board game.

Increase Strength and Endurance

Our Fit N Fun Games bootcamp edition is a great workout for beginners and experts alike.  When you are new, you can stay on the “Fitness Track” and modify reps/exercises as needed.  As you progress, you can jump to the “Fit Extreme Track” that offers more advanced exercises as well as more reps.  Then you can invite others to workout/play with you to further increase your fitness level.  When you compete against others, it makes the workout more fun and also more challenging.

When players land on a “Challenge” card on the game board, all players stop what they are doing and compete in the exercise challenge (Longest Plank, Fastest to Crabwalk Across the Room, or most Burpees in 1 minute, for example).  These challenges motivate you to workout at your highest fitness level, while keeping the workout different each time you play.  It’s a different workout each time you play, because a roll of the dice (or challenge or break time card) determine which exercise you perform.

Whether you are a beginning exerciser or well-seasoned, you will enjoy our Fit N Fun Games Bootcamp Board game!

 

Hugs & Health – Michelle

**Disclaimer:  Please always consult your physician before beginning this or any exercise program.