Sport for beginners in 10 lessons

1. Tips for getting started!

Getting into sport for the very first time is not as easy as you might think. Admittedly, we often overflow with enthusiasm and we want to prove to the whole world that with sneakers on our feet, we ensure a max.

But hey, when you're like a virgin in sport, there are a few rules to know and respect. To not get hurt, not to get discouraged, to achieve our goals, and above all to stay motivated. Because in the end, getting into sport is not that complicated. 

What is hard, it is especially to transform the test and to hold on the long term! And if at the end of the first 2 sessions we hurt everywhere, we have terrible cramps and we end up on the kneecaps, not sure that we want to bring out our sneakers and our jogging anytime soon.

Fortunately, to help us get into sport smoothly and painlessly, Fourchette & Bikini has plenty of tips and advice in stock.

2. Lesson n°1: equip yourself well

Here's some news that will delight more than one: when you want to get into sport, it all starts with... a good shopping spree, just to be well equipped! The goal is to find shoes and sportswear that will be adapted to our activity. In other words: we do not choose only according to the brand or the color!

For shoes, for example, there's no question of buying sneakers that don't have good cushioning if you start running... The best thing is to go directly to the store, and ask salespeople for advice. specialists, who will guide us according to our profile!

For the outfit, once again, it must be in line with the sporting activity. To be comfortable and not feel cracra, why not invest in "anti-perspirant" clothing, which lets the skin breathe while wicking away perspiration?

And the essential for any woman who takes up sport? A suitable bra of course, just to make sure that our breasts are not going to be abused or tossed about in all directions...

3. Lesson 2: Soft start

The biggest mistake most people make when trying to get into the sport? Wanting to do too much right now! Well, it's good to be overflowing with enthusiasm and to want to do well, but if after years of being sedentary we suddenly start running 35 minutes for 3 days in a row, our body will never follow!

As a result, we risk getting aches and pains that are not possible during the following week. Ouch, in addition to having pain, we will start to equate "sport" with "suffering(s)"... and that's the beginning of the end, because once this pattern is anchored in our brain, to remotivate itself to put on sneakers, it will be mission impossible!

Morality: when you are a great beginner in the world of sport, you start very slowly!

4. Lesson #3: Set Achievable Goals

It's no secret that when you start a sport, at first you are enthusiastic and super excited by the allure of novelty. But after a few sessions, our ardor often falls like a soufflé...

Well to avoid that, there is a very simple trick: set goals. If we start cycling, for example, we will try to cover a certain number of kilometers in a given time, and to do it a little better or a little faster the next time. 

That way, we'll have a good reason to get in the saddle, and a specific objective to achieve. And if we succeed, youhou, we will be super proud of us!

Once again, in order not to get hurt or disgusted, it is important to set simple objectives that are consistent with our level. Otherwise, we will find ourselves zero, and completely demotivated!

5. Lesson 4: Call on a friend

When, despite all our good will, we see that our motivation to play sports is not at the top, we must not hesitate to use the "phone call to a friend" joker!

Yes: playing sports together is always more fun and more motivating than alone in your corner, that's for sure. So we try to pass on our new passion for sport to colleagues, girlfriends, our sisters, or even .

For the latter, we can bait him by telling him that it has been scientifically established that physical activity boosts libido (it's 100% true, too!).

6. Lesson n°5: choose the right sport

We tend to forget it, but the key to staying motivated when practicing a sporting activity is to do a sport that we enjoy! It's normal: when we embark on an activity just because it's fashionable or because a girlfriend told us she loved it, we run the risk of not really hanging on, and quickly losing our motivation.

So out of the question to choose a sport for the wrong reasons, and to put on your sneakers backwards! This is why it is very important to ask ourselves the right questions beforehand, which will help us find THE sport that suits us, and which will give us pleasure.

For example: do we prefer indoor or outdoor sports? Team or individual sports? Water, ball or snowshoe sports? Do we do sport more to build muscle, relax, or refine? Once we have answered these questions, we will be able to correctly choose the activity we need.

7. Lesson 6: Mandatory warm-up and stretching

Exercising isn't just about putting on your sneakers and going for a run, or a swim, or a gym. Any sporting activity worthy of the name must necessarily be supervised: by a warm-up session before, and by a stretching session afterwards.

Indeed, to condition our body and our muscles before providing an effort, it is essential to prepare, and to warm up our muscles a quarter of an hour before starting our activity. The objective is to feel our heart, our breath and our muscular system slowly increase in intensity. To achieve this, you can run at a low pace for 10 minutes, or do some flexions/extensions. It also depends on the parts of the body that will be used during the effort!

And to avoid post-workout aches, stretching is mandatory! To do this, we will stretch all the muscles that have been used during the activity with appropriate movements. Stretches should not last less than 5 minutes!

8. Lesson n°7: how often, how long?

We often hear or read that for our sports sessions to be effective, we must practice at least 1 hour of activity 3 times a week. In reality, specialists recommend rather between 2 and 3 hours of sport per week. Already because it is an achievable objective, and then because it is a rhythm which allows evolutions on the muscular, respiratory and cardiovascular levels. 

So if our schedule only allows us to do "only" 2 hours of sport in the week, no problem: it's all about being regular!

Regarding the duration of the sessions, you should know that it is after 20 minutes of sport that our body begins to release endorphins, the famous hormones of pleasure! So even if at the beginning we have trouble and we struggle, at the end of our sports session, we feel a feeling of well-being and fullness of the most pleasant!

9. Lesson n°8: sport and nutrition

It is important to always eat a little something before going to play sports, just to avoid the crisis of hypoglycemia or the little discomfort because you run out of fuel!

But be careful: before a sports session, you don't eat just anything! If starchy foods and proteins in moderate quantities are recommended, avoid dishes that are too acidic, too spicy, too fatty, or even sweet snacks. Indeed, foods that are too heavy or too rich require more time and energy to be digested by our body. So, if we eat a raclette before our sports session, we will have to devote part of our energy to digesting the cheese and the potatoes, and we will not be able to be at 100% of our capacities!

10. Lesson 9: How to avoid cramps?

Along with body aches, cramps are among the very unpleasant little inconveniences that can happen when you resume or start sport after a long period of inactivity.

To guard against this, here are the 3 golden rules:

Stay well hydrated throughout the day, as lack of water increases the risk of injury.

Warm up well before starting to pamper our muscles.

Favor a diet rich in magnesium, because it helps athletes to recover after exercise. It is found in particular... in dark chocolate;)

11. Lesson 10: sleep well

Another news that will delight the lazy: for our sports sessions to be really effective, it is very important to sleep well after physical exertion. Quite simply because sleep will speed up recovery, and it is restorative for the body.

So after a workout, eat light, and try to go to bed early.

In addition, in general, practicing a physical activity improves the quality of sleep. Sleep like a baby and have a good restful sleep, there are worse side effects, right?