Do you remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? It is really easy to try to be the hare.
Start something new. Jumping in with both feet, not looking past today. Go too fast, trying to keep up with the people who have been doing it for years.
Whatever activity it is you feel exhausted after and go home to collapse.
The next day you are sore and feel terrible.
How long does that go until you give up?
Why do something that makes you feel really terrible?
If you are more like the tortious then you might stick with things longer, and improve at them, and find an activity that you Love!
Let’s take swimming as an example.
You have not been swimming for years. So you can show up to the pool and swim the fastest you can for as long as you can, then get disappointed that you are not doing as well as the person your senior who was here before you and still swimming.
Your body is not used to the movement, you are using muscles you have never used before.
When you are finished you could just curl up and go to sleep. In fact you go home and sleep. Then the next day your muscles are sore and it is difficult to move.
People will tell you that if there is no pain there is no gain.
Oh so wrong.
Be slow and steady, ok it is less instant gratification but longer lasting. If you are going to do a new activity you can find out what muscle groups it uses and work on those a bit before. Stretch bands are great for that.
Starting the activity slow is so much better. Feel good but a little tired when finished. The next day you may have the soreness of muscles that have not been used like that but it should not be really painful to move.
So to start swimming the tortoise way is to start a few days or weeks before by using stretch bands to work on the muscles for the type of stroke you are going to use in the pool.
Then going to the pool for a short session, maybe only 10 minutes at first, then the next it could be 12, then 14 et cetera. At the end you should feel a little tired but not exhausted. You certainly should not be in pain or have problems moving.
If that is not the case, and you are sore after you work out then try to reduce the time or go slower.
Find your speed.
Then keep with it for a while, like a week or two. Before increasing a small amount.
Over time you may catch up or even pass the hare. But even if you don’t at least you are out there and exercising!