5 Cardio tips for beginners from Roger Black Fitness

So, where do you start if you want to lose a few pounds or incorporate more physical activity into your daily routine this New Year?

The Roger Black Fitness approach to health and fitness is quite simple: it focuses on movement and integrating regular activity into your day. According to Roger Black himself: “Exercise should not be seen as a chore or an activity that you find to be painful or uncomfortable. Even if you have specific health challenges, there are always ways to keep moving; from walking outdoors to using a folding treadmill, yoga at home or lifting light weights. Just find what is right for you and keep moving!”.

Think about or write down answers to some key questions:

*What you want to achieve from your increased cardio programme - Fat loss? Improved heart health? Better skin tone? Recovery after surgery?

*How much time do you have to allocate to some form of exercise each week?

*Do you have any health challenges you need to take into account eg painful knees, an arthritic hip? Diabetes? A heart murmur?

*What exercise do you enjoy (and not enjoy!)?

*How much space do you have at home – this will influence whether you should buy a folding piece of equipment or not.

*Do you want a more advanced machine that incorporates higher end tech?

*Do you need to review your diet and look at your lifestyle and eating habits? When it comes to improved cardio function, balancing regular, healthy eating with considered exercise will deliver better results than just exercise alone.

Then you can progress to Step 2.

Be strict with yourself and also write down your health and wellbeing budget, particularly if you have to pay for your purchase in one go, rather than staggered payments through salary sacrifice or a budgeting plan. Then go online and start doing some research but it can be confusing so stay focused and refer back to your Checklist answers.  

Some of you might sign up to a local leisure centre or register for online classes at home; others will opt to brave the British elements and take to the streets for regular walks or a light jog.

Some of you will decide to buy a piece of home fitness equipment, such as a treadmill or bike but remember it is a commitment and investment – not just financially but a commitment for you and your health.

Roger Black Fitness has a capsule range of Roger Black Fitness | Home Gym & Fitness Equipment, to include folding and stationary bikes and treadmills, as well as a cross trainer and air rower. Depending on your needs and wants, we have something for everyone when it comes to planning your New Year cardio plan.

Our 4.7 Trustpilot star range is really popular with customers who seek a trusted, designer brand at an entry to mid-price point. Our equipment is functional over fanciful and, in the case of our Roger Black Folding Bike and Easy Fold Treadmill, can be folded up or down after use at the end of the day.

If you are looking for high-tech options when it comes to home fitness equipment, there are many reputable brands within the market but high tech will normally increase the price tag.

So once you make your decision as to what you are going to buy or commit to, where do you start?

Before you do any exercise, we would recommend that you warm up and make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing and footwear and that you have sufficient water on hand to rehydrate, particularly if you are exercising at home with the central heating on.

NHS offers advice about How to warm up before exercising - NHS (www.nhs.uk) and there are lots of videos on Youtube you can search for. You should also make sure that you cool down after exercise, with gentle stretches.

When starting out on your cardio journey, start slow and build up over time. If you have a tracker watch you can plot your progress; ditto on machines, you should be able to see a summary of activity, to include calories, time and distance. You can log results (even manually) and, over time, cross reference with your weight, measurements, pulse and blood pressure.

If you are also complementing your New Year plans with healthier meal choices, you can calorie count through various apps or seek an online coach who can help you to better understand your relationship with food and eating.

Most importantly though, make sure that you enjoy your journey and pat yourself on the back from time to time, as you progress. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the present is a gift and that nothing should be taken for granted.