The most suitable aerobic exercise for beginners, you can do it without equipment

For novices who have no exercise foundation, don’t want to buy equipment, and don’t have time to study complex movements, the most equipment-friendly aerobic exercise is actually brisk walking, low-impact standing in place, and simplified jumping jacks. There are no fancy requirements, just wear a pair of soft-soled shoes, and you can do it downstairs at home, in the living room, or even in the corridor of the company.

Don't think these things sound too "pediatric". In the past two years, I helped a dozen friends with zero exercise experience to make introductory plans. These were all the first things I arranged. The persistence rate was 60% higher than those who arranged jogging and HIIT right from the beginning. After all, what novices lack the most is never exercise intensity, but positive feedback: after the first day of exercise, your whole body hurts so much that you can't get out of bed, and you definitely don't want to move the next day. However, as long as you control the intensity of these exercises, you will feel that your whole body is stretched after exercise, and even the stiffness in your shoulders and neck after sitting for a day is gone, and you will not feel "suffering" at all.

Of course, many fitness practitioners feel that novices can get started with jogging, and this is actually true. If you have a small body weight (BMI is less than 24), have no old joint injuries, and move around frequently, then jogging is indeed more efficient in burning fat. But I have met too many novices who complained of knee pain after just two days of exercise. Most of them did not master the method of exerting force and landed too hard. They originally wanted to lose weight but injured their joints first, and the gain outweighed the gain. Therefore, for the vast majority of ordinary novices, transitioning from brisk walking first is the option with the highest error tolerance.

When I can't make it to the gym, I often get off the subway two stops ahead of get off work and walk along the street trees. The speed is controlled so that I can chat with my friends normally, but singing loudly will make me out of breath. It takes more than 20 minutes to get home, and even the irritability of commuting can be eliminated by half. If it's a rainy day and you can't go out, just stand in the living room and watch TV while doing low-impact steps. You don't have to raise your feet too high. Just a centimeter or two off the ground is enough. You can just swing your arms casually. It doesn't matter if you even carry a mineral water bottle in your hand. After watching an episode and a half of the variety show, 30 minutes will pass, and there will be no painful feeling of "I am struggling to exercise time." I used to have a friend who wanted to exercise after giving birth. She was afraid that her jumping up would disturb the child taking a nap downstairs, so she did it every day, for 20 minutes twice a day. In two months, she lost 3 points of body fat, and even her waist circumference was reduced by 4 centimeters.

If you want to increase the intensity, try the beginner version of jumping jacks. Don't jump too high like the tutorials on the Internet. Just tiptoe slightly while moving your feet to the sides. You don't need to raise your arms above your head, just raise them to the same level as your shoulders. The pressure on your knees and ankles is less than half that of ordinary jumping jacks. You can start to sweat slightly in 10 minutes. It is especially suitable for people who get up in the morning and are in a hurry. Doing it for 15 minutes after brushing your teeth will be more refreshing than drinking two glasses of iced Americano.

Many people always want more and faster when they first start exercising. On the first day, they walk for an hour or dance for half an hour. The next day, their legs hurt and they can't go downstairs, so they just give up. It's completely unnecessary. For beginners, 15-20 minutes each time, three times a week is enough. After you have walked for two or three weeks and feel that you are not out of breath at all after walking, you can slowly increase the time and intensity. You really don’t have to compare yourself with those people in your circle of friends who frequently run half marathons. Those who can persist in exercising for three months will already beat 90% of those who just want to get a fitness card.

Some people say that the intensity of these exercises is too low and is useless. In fact, according to the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine, adults can achieve the effects of improving their heart and lungs and controlling their weight by doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week. If you walk for 30 minutes 5 days a week, you will just meet the standard. I used to have a male friend who weighed 160 pounds. He couldn't breathe even after walking for 20 minutes at first, so he insisted on walking downstairs for half an hour every day after dinner without deliberately dieting. He also lost 12 pounds in three months. During the physical examination, his fatty liver was much lighter.

In fact, to put it bluntly, novices should not think too much when starting to exercise. Today, I search whether this exercise is good, and tomorrow I will ask whether that exercise will hurt my knees. Why not take two more steps when I go out tomorrow, and stand and dance for two minutes when I am free at home. It costs nothing and costs nothing. Try it twice, and you will know whether it is suitable for you.