Ask the Expert: What's the Best Way to Get Started with Exercise?

So the question we get a lot is, how do I get started? All of our participants, as I said earlier, are sedentary. So we've learned how to help participants get started. And so this is our recommendation from what we've learned so far. Number one, start slowly. Start slowly. Whatever you're going to do, start slowly. Many folks who start exercise and stop have started too quickly, done too much, and too short of a period of time. So start slowly, find a partner. We're learning that one of the best parts of exercise is being able to share that with someone else. And that social component may be a critical component of the benefits. So find a walking partner. Find a family member who's going to support you. Just kind of cheer you on if not going to do it with you. So that's number two. Number three, find an activity that you enjoy. If you try to do something that you don't enjoy, it's not going to last. So it's really important to find something that you enjoy. Remember, if you start slowly, you're more likely to enjoy it because your body will learn how to respond to that exercise. So that's really my recommendation. And then, you know, from there, it can go in all different ways. So I think the key is finding something that you like, doing it with someone and make it gradual so that your body can adjust to the new change that you are asking of it so that you will not have as many pains. And then we've learned that when you do this slowly, you begin to feel the benefits yourself. It's become self-reinforcing. So you feel better as you start to exercise.