{"id":751280,"date":"2026-07-08T21:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/751280\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T21:43:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:43:11","slug":"how-to-start-a-fitness-routine-doctor-reveals-4-step-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/751280\/","title":{"rendered":"How to start a fitness routine: Doctor reveals 4-step plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regular exercise is key to staying healthier for longer – but the good news is that it’s never too late to learn how to start a fitness routine. If cardio, strength training<\/a>, and mobility exercises haven’t been part of your life up until now, a few small lifestyle changes can make all the difference.<\/p>\n

That’s according to several recent studies and experts like orthopaedic surgeon and longevity expert Dr Vonda Wright<\/a>, who is a regular guest on Mel Robbins’ podcast. She believes that ages 44 to 60 are the most critical of our lives, and that this stage is the time to make changes.<\/p>\n

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She says one of the biggest lies about ageing is that there\u2019s nothing you can do to stop it, something she’s written about in her bestselling book, Unbreakable<\/a>, which aims to help women achieve lifelong independence and give them tools for ageing with power.<\/p>\n

Dr Wright has devised a four-step plan to help people who are getting back into exercise after a break, or even starting to exercise for the first time. \u201cAll you have to do is start,\u201d she tells Mel. The key to success is to start small and build up as you become fitter and stronger.<\/p>\n

How to start a fitness routine1. Go for a walk once a day<\/p>\n

A short walking workout<\/a> is great for metabolism, mobility, and mental health, and most people can find the time to head outside, even if it’s just for 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAll you have to do is go for a walk today, for as long as you can,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd you\u2019re going to do that for seven days. I don\u2019t want you to lift tomorrow. I just want you to walk for seven days because that is a streak.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you use Strava or other workout apps<\/a>, you’ll know that completing a streak makes you want to make it a habit, and this is the feeling Dr Wright wants to instil. \u201cIf you walk every day, preferably after your biggest meal, you\u2019re not going to not do it on the eighth day because you\u2019ve accomplished something, and you\u2019re going to feel good about that.\u201d This is how routines are formed.<\/p>\n

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2. Lift weights every week<\/p>\n

Dr Wright says after you\u2019ve started incorporating walks into your routine, it\u2019s time to start lifting weights. There are so many different types of strength training you can do, from bodyweight exercises<\/a> at home to full dumbbell gym workouts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be complicated or lifting heavy weights,\u201d when you start, she says, because if you do it regularly, she believes everyone will see real progress in six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you\u2019re lifting, you can maintain by lifting twice a week\u201d in a full-body workout. She tells Mel that you can become more specialised with your routine once you\u2019ve made strength training a regular part of your life.<\/p>\n

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\"Yaheetech\n<\/p>\n

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W&H recommends<\/p>\n

Yaheetech<\/p>\n

Adjustable 15kg x 2 Dumbbell Set <\/p>\n

A set of the best dumbbells<\/a> is an easy way to start lifting weights at home. You can do full-body workouts from the comfort of your living room. Digital Health Editor Grace Walsh<\/a> recommends opting for an adjustable set if you’re short on budget or storage space – simply roll on and off the weights to change the resistance.<\/p>\n

3. Retrain your balance with daily exercises<\/p>\n

Balance is an important indicator of physical health and a good predictor of lifespan, according to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine<\/a>. Researchers looked at the performance of participants in a 10-second one-legged stance, finding that adults between 51 and 75 years old who couldn’t complete the test had a “significantly” higher risk of premature death compared to those who completed it.<\/p>\n

It’s why Dr Wright’s third suggestion is to retrain your balance and flexibility, to help prevent falls and fractures.<\/p>\n

She recommends coupling basic exercises, like standing on one leg as you brush your teeth, with flexibility-focused workouts like yoga or Pilates, or even just stretching in your living room.<\/p>\n

4. Get your heart rate up<\/p>\n

\u201cTo build fitness, we have to challenge ourselves,\u201d says Dr Wright. She suggests sprint intervals at the end of a cardio session. This is a 30-second burst of activity to raise heart rate before taking 30 seconds to recover, done four times.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really remarkable for building overall fitness,\u201d she adds. It doesn\u2019t have to be running. It could be a short cycling workout<\/a>, going on the rowing machine<\/a>, speed walking, or doing a dynamic strength movement like swinging a kettlebell.<\/p>\n


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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

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Fitbit<\/p>\n

Inspire 3 Activity Tracker<\/p>\n

A fitness tracker<\/a> isn’t a requirement – you can go on how your workout feels – but it can help you record your workouts and daily step count to set your streak. When doing cardio exercise, the live heart rate monitor can tell you whether you’re working hard enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about your heart rate, not necessarily the apparatus,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

While we often speak about the benefits of strength training for women in perimenopause and beyond, cardio is still essential. Heart disease is still one of the most common issues faced by women.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost globally, the number one killer of women is heart disease,\u201d she says, and doing regular cardio exercise can help lower the risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Regular exercise is key to staying healthier for longer – but the good news is that it’s never…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":751281,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97],"class_list":["post-751280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=751280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/751281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=751280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=751280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=751280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}