Get Started Exercising Now

So you're overweight, "fat" - to be honest - and you want to start exercising. Before you take off like an overlarge airplane and start preparing for the Olympics trials, stop right there.

You may have it all figured out by now, after checking with your friends, the media and finally that fickle fiend known as the bathroom mirror, that a regular exercise program is the only way to fly when it comes to permanent weight loss. That entails working out or otherwise flexing your physical and psychological muscles on a regular basis, perhaps three times a week, or maybe even once per day.

But therein lies the rub. How do you get started? How often do you exercise? Most importantly, if you've been very sedate or at least somewhat off your feet for awhile, what's the safest way to begin an effective, weight-loss centered exercise program?

Beginning a Righteous Program - Realistically

First of all, follow the old saw about consulting with your doctor. Don't start thinking you can just begin running around the block. That's why the medical profession exists, to advise and keep you safe. Your doctor will recommend specific types of exercise tailored to fit your own individual lifestyle, personal health needs and concerns. But you don't need to make it entirely clinical when you begin an exercise program.

Most importantly, you need to pick something you're going to stick with. What do you like in the way of sports? If you're people-oriented, you should look into joining a team sports program of some kind in your area, one created for adult participation. You can look for a local softball league, take a beginning aerobics class at a fitness center, or play regular games of basketball at a gym with your buddies. And then there's golf, the perennial favorite of people who want to perform fun and interesting mild exercise. All you have to do is motivate yourself and perhaps some friends to get started. Or if you're a loner, you can take up an individualized sport such as bicycle touring, which can also be done in small groups, or laps swimming at your community pool.