Working out has quite a long history. We tend to think of it as something quite new. In fact it goes back at least to the time of ancient Greece and probably beyond. The Ancient Greeks invented an early form of dumbbell. The barbell comes along in the nineteenth century. You’ve probably seen old pictures of early barbells with balls on each end. Those balls were in fact hollow and could be filled with sand or some other substance that would weigh heavily. Weight training equipment in the form of exercise machines begin to appear in the 1960s.
The big difference today is that we are much more knowledgeable about the science that lies behind working out. It all depends on what you want to achieve from your exercise regimen. You may be happy just to have a light work out that keeps all your important muscle groups toned. On the other hand you may want a regimen that gives you a body that puts the rip into ripped.
If you don’t work out or have stopped being a regular at the gym, the most important thing is that you make the decision to do something. If you want to get started and build up to being a gym-going-regular here are some tips to get you going:
Getting Started
Okay, first thing’s first. If you’re new to working out and you’re unsure about your fitness level, it’s always advisable to talk with your doctor first. The purpose of exercise is to do you good, not cause irreparable harm.
Now before you even step foot in the gym, if you are going to be successful here’s the best advice you can possible be given: start eating the right food. I’ll repeat that in case you missed it. Start eating the right food. I know what you’re thinking: what’s the right food? There are so many diets around, it’s impossible to know where to start. I didn’t say diet, I said eat the right food and that is simple. Steve Kamb on nerdfitness.com calls it real food:
You know what real food is: things that grew in the ground, on a tree, came out of the sea, ran on the land, or flew through the air. Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts are all great examples of REAL food.
Into The Gym
Joining a gym is a very positive move. Okay, there will be quite a few people there who have devoted their lives to honing to perfection every last millimeter of their bodies. Don’t be intimidated. Join a reputable gym and you can guarantee that there will also be people like you who are new or who are returning to exercise after a layoff. A good gym will offer an induction session, and this is worth every second of the time you will invest in it, and you can get advice you on an exercise regimen that’s right for you. As crankyfitness.com says:
Don’t skip the New Member Orientation. These are almost always offered free of charge. This is a great chance to avoid doing something stupid later, especially since some clubs have their own Weird Special Rules or Peculiarities that are far from intuitive. Plus you need to find out what the deal is with towels and day use lockers and parking and such.
Into The Exercise Habit
Ask anyone who exercises regularly and they’ll tell you that on days when they can’t exercise, perhaps because they are ill, they feel like something is missing. There’s no doubt that if you can keep exercising for a long enough period of time it will become a habit that you will not want to give up.
In the early weeks it is good advice not to overdo things. Perhaps get into a pattern of going to a gym twice a week. Go at the same time on the same days each week. After a month or two you can increase this. Pretty soon, it becomes part of your life.
Are you having difficulty with your motivation levels in order to achieve the six pack look that you have always dreamed of? Or have you achieved it, but you feel unmotivated to keep the routine going in order to maintain it? Then what you need is the have a shift in your mindset that will set you up for success and keep your abs looking just the way you want all the time. If you would like to find out what you could do to increase your motivation to exercise and stick to a great diet then read on.
Maintaining a healthy exercise regimen is a key part of keeping fit. 
