This Friday, April 18th, is National Exercise Day. It’s a yearly observance that promotes the benefits of regular exercise and encourages people to incorporate more physical activity into their daily routines.
Lauren Clarke, East Tennessee Regional Manager for Workout Anytime, said it’s a perfect day to think about becoming more active.
“This day not only encourages exercise, but it also celebrates it,” she said. “It’s an exciting day to get started. “
She said the hardest part of getting started is staying consistent. She said often times people jump into an exercise routine too fast and too hard, overburdening their bodies and, worse, possibly causing injuries.
She said the key to becoming consistent is starting off with small weekly goals.
“For example, we recommend a simple fitness routine,” she said. “It's all body weight exercises.”
She said basic movements like squats, butterfly lunges, high knee raises, and sunshine sprints can be done using just your body weight.
“The great thing about these is that you can do it at any time, and anywhere,” she said. “It doesn't require a gym, and you can also do it outside as the weather gets nicer. You can do it in your garage at home. You don't need any equipment for this. You can burn a lot of calories by just moving your body.”
Clarke said beginners should start slow and at their own pace and ability. By taking a baby-step approach Clarke said you’re more than likely to stick to a weekly routine for a longer period of time.
“Typically, it takes about 30 days to form a habit,” she said. “The common pitfall that we see with a lot of people is trying to create a fitness routine and they try to go all in, all at once. Typically, that lasts for about a week because you get overwhelmed. People start to fall off their routine. They get burned out. They can't be consistent.”
She said it’s best to commit to smaller goals and build on that.
"Whether that's working out two days a week for, 30 days to build that habit or whether it's changing one thing in your diet,” she said. “And then as that becomes your regular habit, that's when you can start adding more things in.”
Clarke said it might help to keep a journal.
"We always talk about writing equals intention, and it shows that you have intention with your work out,” she said. “It can be a super effective way to actually track your progression and show where you are making progress.”
Taking things slow is also a healthy way to lose weight.
“Typically, what is recommended, to be safe and effective, is losing four to eight pounds per month,” she said. “On a weekly basis that would be one to two pounds.”
She said losing a lot of weight too quickly could cause your body to react in an unhealthy way and could lead to possible injuries.
“An injury could set you back even more if you're losing weight,” she said. “Avoid overtraining, especially if you're new to exercise. Listen to your body and make sure you do have scheduled rest days. A scheduled rest day doesn't mean you don't move. You can do what we call active recovery, which literally could just be a low impact exercise like walking or swimming. You’re promoting active recovery, but you're not putting excessive strain on your body. “
Pugh-Williams Franchise group owns the Workout Anytime Hixson location. She said their mission is to meet the members wherever they are in their fitness journey.
“Our clubs are essentially built to cater to every single person,” she said. “Whether you are a beginner in the gym, you've never been in the gym before, you have no idea what you're doing, you're just getting started, or whether you've been lifting for 20 years, you're super experienced and you're just trying to find a gym home. We're essentially just trying to meet you where you're at and support you whatever that looks like.”
The Hixson location offers red light therapy, hydromassage machines and saunas to enhance recovery efforts. It also offers a range of amenities, including strength training, tanning, and personal training. It is open 24 hours a day.
Exercise suggestions:
- Squats: Bodyweight squats are a fundamental exercise that strengthens your legs, glutes, and core using only your body weight. To perform them, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly out, engage your core, and lower yourself down as if sitting in a chair, keeping your chest up and back straight. Pause at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Butterfly Lunges: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Step backward with one leg, keeping your front foot planted firmly on the ground. As you lunge, bend both knees and lower your body until your back knee is nearly touching the floor, aiming for a 90-degree angle in both knees. While in the lunge position, focus on keeping your back knee tucked in and your front leg extended. This mimics the butterfly pose stretch by opening up the hip and inner thigh. Push off with your front foot to return to the starting position. Alternate legs and repetitions for the desired number of sets.
- Blooming High Knees: Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, chest open, and core engaged. Lift your right knee towards your chest, bringing it as high as comfortably possible. Lower your right knee and quickly lift your left knee up to your chest. Alternate between right and left legs, maintaining good form and engaging your core. Aim for 30 seconds, with a 30-second rest between each set.
- Spring Breeze Sprints: Jog in place and then burst into a sprint for a few seconds.
Workout Anytime Hixson
- 6210 Hixson Pike, Suite 112
- (423) 870-9878
- Website: workoutanytime.com/hixson/