Regular exercise has been shown to not only have you looking your best but feeling your best too. Science and studies prove that when you exercise, endorphins are released in your brain and can be a major game-changer for your mood. Physical activity can also reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight – and even improve your sleep habits and self-esteem.

While the benefits of exercise are clear, figuring out how to get started isn’t always. Making exercise a part of your everyday routine takes a great deal of determination and discipline. If you are considering starting your walk on the path of wellness, keep reading to learn how to begin and how to stick with it.

1. Start small.
When beginning anything new for the first time, it’s best to set short-term, attainable goals. Not only does this increase your chances of success, but it will also motivate you and keep the good momentum rolling! Upon reaching your initial goals and as your fitness capabilities improve, your goals should get appropriately more challenging as you move forward.

Maybe your goal is to run a 5k that’s three months away. Should you go out and immediately run three miles the first day you start training? Of course not!

Try setting a goal of running a half mile the first week, a full mile the next week, a mile and a half the week following, and so on – or however long it takes you to progress to your goal of three miles. These little milestones will be much more realistic, and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment as you complete each step.

2. Identify a form of exercise you enjoy and can maintain.
Have you ever wanted to start exercising, but your brain immediately starts to associate it with feelings of uncertainty, hesitation, or discomfort? If exercise is new to us, then these feelings are normal – our mind and bodies naturally gravitate to what is going to be easy and painless. However, if we are doing activities and movements we enjoy, we are much more likely to put in the work for those elevated emotions and a healthier body.

Let’s say you don’t feel comfortable going to a public gym right now – there are a plethora of bodyweight exercises on YouTube and the web that you can do from the comfort of your own home with little to no equipment.

Maybe you love to spend time with your family or friends outside of work – offer the idea of a hike or bicycle ride to get outdoors and get moving.

Or perhaps you love the community element of the gym, but don’t love heavy weights or machines – consider joining a yoga class, or another group fitness class (as social distancing permits) in order to get your social and physical fix in one place.

3. Celebrate your small wins.
So you’ve decided on your exercise(s) of choice and you’ve set your short-term goal(s). This alone deserves a pat on the back – but let’s think ahead to that beautiful moment when you achieve your first goal.

Instead of simply saying, “Hey, I did it,” go for something a little more rewarding such as a relaxing bubble bath or massage, a new pair of shoes, or a new outfit to exercise in. Maybe you’d rather share your achievement with your family and friends who have been encouraging you – whatever is going to help give you that sense of pride and reward you need to keep up the good work is what you want to aim for.

We know by now that routine exercise can make significant differences in your daily life and overall wellness – but we also know it isn’t always easy getting started and sticking to it. However, when you combine motivation and determination with a list of short-term goals and rewards, you’ll be exercising daily out of the pure enjoyment of it!