Reserve time for your exercise program
Planning for difficult tasks "in the future" is easy, isn't it? Were you planning to start an exercise program "after the holidays" but now find little motivation to get moving?
It happens to all of us. My advice is to start small and live-able and work up from there.
Often, the first hurdle is finding the time. You need to make exercise a priority in your life, and then put it on your schedule. When is the best time of day to exercise? The answer is, whenever you will do it. I have to exercise early or I'll get too busy and it won't happen. Other people can't get out of bed early enough but find they are able to do something after work. Some are able to get in a lunchtime workout. The time may vary from day to day, but whatever time you can stick to is the best time for you to exercise.
Next, you need to determine what you are able to do. Physically, if you haven't exercised in awhile (or ever), you don't want to start lifting heavy weights or running long distances. A good starting routine might be a 20-30 minute walk. I started out doing 20-30 minute water aerobic classes. Sometimes I couldn't keep up and just jogged in the pool. I reasoned that it was still better than sitting on my sofa.
There may also be financial limitations. Walking is free. You can also purchase small, inexpensive weights at stores like Sports Authority or Target.
If the weather is not cooperating or if you are not comfortable going out for other reasons, there are a lot of good exercise videos available. For a beginner, I suggest staying away from titles that sound like extreme workouts. They can be unsafe and you are likely to end up feeling discouraged. Look for workouts that have words like "beginner" or "starting out" in the title or description.
Take a few minutes. Set your priorities and your schedule. Start with what you can do right now and work from there as you are comfortable.
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