Scarlett O’Hara, the plucky heroine of Gone with the Wind was fond of saying, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Well ladies, when it comes to exercise “tomorrow” has arrived. It’s never too late, and more importantly, never too early to add exercise to your weekly routine. Because exercise is one of the most important ingredients for maintaining and improving your health, now is the time to make it a regular and rewarding part of your life.

Although good intentions abound, starting to exercise from scratch can be overwhelming and intimidating. With professional advice from internationally recognized fitness experts Michelle Dozios and Tracey Mallett, you’ll be able to move from intention to action.

Getting Started

Michelle and Tracey, fitness experts with over thirty years of experience between them, tell us that the number one ingredient for a successful exercise program is having a written plan. Michelle recommends that you “write down what your goal is (turn off your inner critic) and break your goal down into manageable pieces.” Whether your goal is “to lose weight, feel better, or have more energy, you are more likely to achieve it if you commit it to paper.”

She stresses it is important to build up slowly, “for some people, starting with ten minutes a day is enough. It’s not really about the time; you just need to move more.” Her motto, “Move More, Live Better” explains succinctly why adding exercise to your weekly routine is a worthwhile investment of your time.

Setting Up a Support Team

The second most important ingredient when starting an exercise program is being accountable to somebody else. Tracey stresses putting a support system in place. She recommends telling your family, friends, and colleagues about your new exercise commitment and asking them to check in with you to see how your program is going. She explains that “the more people you tell, the more motivated you’ll be to do it.”

Working out with a friend or family member helps you build in a support system.  An added benefit, notes Tracey, is that “people do better when they exercise in a crowd,” and Michelle points out that “finding a buddy to workout with is ideal, because you’ll help your friend stay motivated and engaged on her down days and vice versa.”

Helpful Motivation Strategies

Michelle reminds us that exercising doesn’t have to be a chore and can be quite enjoyable. She recommends setting up dates to do something active with a friend or loved one. Just getting outside and walking is a great form of exercise and you can catch up and visit, while getting your body moving.

Tracey encourages you to focus on how good you feel, both mentally and physically, after you exercise, and to tap into that thought every time you want to skip a workout. Visual images can also be a powerful tool to help keep you motivated. And remember, once exercise becomes a habit, it gets much, much easier to do.

Tracey also recommends using books and videos to help you track your progress. The structure these tools provide will help keep you motivated to reach your goals. Don’t let fear of the unknown hold you back; take Tracey’s advice—broaden your horizons and try something new to get in shape. To keep it all in perspective, Michelle reminds us that it doesn’t matter how or where you work out; the goal is moving more than you are moving now.

Setting Realistic Goals

Tracey stresses that setting realistic goals is the key to following through with an exercise program. The first few weeks, be prepared for your new exercise program to be an up and down experience. Tracey also recommends breaking your main goal into small achievable mini-goals and taking pleasure in meeting your milestones. She suggests taking a picture of yourself when you start and periodically referring back to it to see how much progress you’ve made.

She cautions that you shouldn’t focus just on losing weight. As you incorporate exercise into your everyday routine, you will increase your muscle mass, which will make you weigh more, but you’re going to look slimmer and be more toned. Besides improving your appearance and increasing your energy level, look for exercise to improve your cardiovascular health, to combat the risks of heart disease, and to set a good example for your children and loved ones.

Making Exercise Nonnegotiable

It’s inevitable that at some point in the months ahead, you’ll get sick and be unable to exercise for a few days or even a few weeks. Don’t overdo it when you return to your routine. Michelle suggests you start your program at week one again. It’s very important to start back slowly, after a few days of exercising, you’ll be able to resume where you left off.

Another possible obstacle is taking vacations, but they don’t have to throw off your exercise routine. Michelle recommends that before you leave, you plan how to incorporate exercise into your vacation. The plan can be as simple as committing to walking for 20 minutes three times during your week away.

Investing in Your Future

American women are commonly living into their 80’s and 90’s. While you can’t change many things about your body, like your height, you can increase the odds that you’ll be able to enjoy a healthy body well into your golden years.

A wise sage once remarked that the only constant is change. Once you hit age 35, if you’re not exercising, 7-9% of your muscle mass converts to fat each year! Invest in yourself today; it’s easy because you have the power to make sure that as the years flow by and your body changes, you maintain an exercise program that will give you something worth more than gold—physical independence.

As Scarlett O’Hara famously said at the end of Gone With the Wind, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” Get started with an exercise program today, so that all your tomorrows will be filled with good health and physical well-being.

~Amanda Miller

Michelle Dozios is an internationally recognized fitness expert who has sold in excess of four million videos. She is the co-owner, with her husband Phil Dozios, of Breakthrough Fitness, a personal training and Pilates studio in Pasadena, CA. She loves helping people live healthier and more active lives and has always relied on proven, safe, and effective exercise programs. For beginners, she recommends: Slim, Strong and Sexy Body Sculpt; Fat to Firm Fast (3 exercise levels in each DVD); Walk Your Way Slim; The Ten Minute Solution.

Tracey Mallett is an international fitness expert, author of Sexy in 6, and star of numerous fitness DVD’s. Her passion is to help and motivate women to find their path to success with quick, simple, practical, healthy fitness solutions and sound nutrition. She is the co-owner, with her husband Chris Mallett, of ATP Specific Training and Physical Therapy in Pasadena, CA. She reaches over 21 million viewers who watch her workouts on Exercise TV. For beginners, Tracey recommends: Tracey Mallet Quick Blast 4 Pack; Tracey Mallett 6 Minute Quick Blast Method: Total Body Fat Burner; and, Tracey Mallett: 6 Minute Quick Blast Method: Total Body Calorie Blast.

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