There is a lot more to being fit than going to the gym. It takes patience, effort, and the desire to gain knowledge to really see your fitness goals come to fruition. Below, you will be provided with tips that will help make your fitness regimen a better one.

When walking or running, find a good pace. Pushing your limits might be a good idea with some types of exercise. This isn’t the case when it comes to walking or jogging for your health. If you find yourself huffing and straining to breathe, slow down a bit. The goal is to build endurance, not wear yourself out.

One of the best ways to stay fit is to have a fitness buddy. This is someone who is committed to exercising with you on a regular basis. You can go to the gym with your fitness buddy or just do fun forms of exercise like walking, hiking, surfing, swimming, bicycling or dancing. Having a fitness buddy keeps you motivated!

Always be sure to stretch before any kind of work out or exercise routine. Stretching warms up your muscles and gets your body ready for a work out. Be sure to hold each stretch for ten to thirty seconds in order to get optimal results. Stretching also helps prevent injury.

If you’re looking to get in shape another thing to consider is to gradually increase the difficulty of your regimen. If you increase it too fast you will lose your motivation, and too slow, the results will be too slow. For example if you used to walk 30 minutes a day at a rate of three miles an hour increase it to thirty minutes, or increase your speed to three and a half miles per hour.

Avoid fad diets or excessive exercise programs. Now that you know more about fitness, you can use what you learned to achieve your fitness goals.