[excerpt] Perhaps like many people, you have started an exercise program only to stop two weeks or two months later. It's not as easy as deciding to change your life. Adopting a more active, healthier lifestyle may require a number of changes to your normal activities. After you have determined your own readiness to commit to life style change here is a list of steps to get you started in the right direction and insure that you have the tools to stay motivated and be successful over the long term.
1. Assess your health. It's always a good idea to check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program. If you are over the age of 40, have high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma or if you are a smoker this is especially true.
2. Assess your fitness level. Are you a former athlete? Have you never exercised before? How active have you been for the last six months? No two people are the same.
3. Set goals. Match your goals to meet your current fitness level. Make the goals SMART: Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable and Tangible.
4. Start slowly and progress gradually. Changing your body and life style is a long term process. Relax and enjoy the journey.
5. Have fun. Refuse to commit to long boring exercise routines. Exercise does not mean hours in a gym. It means finding activities that you are challenged by and enjoy enough to do for the rest of your life.
6. Keep track of what you do. Monitoring your own activities gives you a way to be accountable and to be sure that you are really doing what you set out to do when you set your goals. If you write it down you can see where you may need improvement and also where you have been successful.
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