Most of us work sedentary jobs these days. When you’re sat behind a desk in an office, at the checkout of a till, or in the driver’s seat of a car for eight hours a day, it’s easy to fall into a routine of doing little to no exercise whatsoever. Before you know it, you’re so unfit that you struggle with even the most basic of daily tasks. No one sets out to end up like this, but it happens all of the time. But the great thing about the human body is how resilient it is. With a little effort and dedication, you can go from the most unfit person ever to running marathons. Our bodies can improve, heal, and achieve so much with the right training. If you’re fed up with huffing and puffing and want to live a healthier lifestyle, here’s how you can boost your fitness levels.

Build Up Your Foundation:

It’s not as easy as hopping on a treadmill and going for gold. When you’re unfit, you need to spend some time building a foundation or base level of fitness up. Your best bet for this is to head to the gym and keep using a piece of equipment that you’re comfortable with. Keep going until you can comfortably exercise for 30 minutes without it feeling like your heart and lungs are going to burst out of your chest. It might take a number of weeks or months to achieve this, but once you’re there you will have a solid base to work from.

Work On Flexibility & Strength:

It’s not just your cardiovascular system that you need to improve to increase your overall fitness. Strength and flexibility are also important, so be sure to incorporate these into your routine a couple of times a week. Strength training will increase your muscle strength and tone (and make cardio easier, since you have stronger muscles to support yourself) and flexibility will give you a greater range of motion. This keeps your muscles loose and supple and prevents injury.

Change It Up:

Once you’ve built up some strength, fitness, and flexibility, it’s time to change it up (REMIX!). Try out other pieces of equipment, look online at different routines, or book a few sessions with a personal trainer. When you keep doing one activity, your body will get used to it and you won’t get the most benefits from your work out. You could join some fun classes, sign up for a sport, try out HIIT, and even get some exercise equipment for your home to squeeze in those last minute workouts when you don’t have time to get to the gym. There are plenty of spin bike reviews here if you want to get into cycling or you could go with a rowing machine or treadmill. Either way, having equipment at home can help you up your activity levels and achieve your goals faster.

Set Goals:

Once you’re feeling fit and healthy, now is the time to start challenging yourself. Set some goals and do what you can to smash them. Decide exactly what you want to achieve in your fitness journey and take the proper steps to make it happen. Keep it fresh and enjoyable, because that way you’ll be far more likely to keep it up.

If you’re still trying for your beach bod this summer, keep these tips in mind and you’ll be bikini ready in no time! You go, girl!

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