It’s never too late to get back into shape, no matter how long since you last exercised. You can reach your fitness goals with meaningful changes and setting smart goals. However, if you’ve been sedentary for a while, you need to understand how to introduce activity safely. Learn how to start exercising when you're out of shape to minimize the chance of sustaining an injury while setting yourself up for success.

10 Steps to Start Exercising When You’re Out of Shape

Whether you’re beginning an exercise routine for the first time ever, or returning to a fitness program after a long time away, it’s important to take it slow and listen to your body.

Consult Your Doctor

Get an assessment of your current fitness level along with advice on which types of physical activity are best for you. Speaking with your healthcare provider before beginning can help you come up with a plan that takes into account any physical limitations or concerns you may have.

Set Goals and Make a Plan

Think about what you want to achieve with your new fitness plan. This could be improving your health, losing weight, getting toned, improving your flexibility, or another goal. Stay realistic with your goal setting. Break larger goals down into smaller chunks to make them more attainable and avoid getting frustrated.

Make a plan to accomplish your goals. Consider what time of day is better for you. Depending on your schedule and preferences, you may want to wake up early to get your exercise routine in before work, or you may prefer to work out in the evenings. Mark your calendar with your chosen exercise days and commit to following through. Start with just two days a week and gradually increase to five days.

Evaluate Your Starting Point

Once your doctor clears you for physical activity, you can record your starting points. Make note of your baseline fitness levels. Markers like the time it takes you to walk a mile, how many situps and pushups you can do, and whether you get out of breath after walking upstairs are all important. As you increase your energy, muscle mass, and cardiovascular health, you’ll begin to notice these become easier and take less time.

Start Walking

Walking is a great way to ease yourself back into exercising regularly. Start to walk for 30 minutes each day. If that feels like too much all at once, break it into smaller increments of 10 minutes three times per day. Walking is good exercise on its own, and it can help you build stamina for more challenging activities later on.

Warm Up and Stretch

Keep injuries at bay with a gentle warm-up, stretch, and cool down each time you exercise. Jumping straight into intense activity can cause damage to your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Spend a few minutes warming up your muscles with a walk, some jumping jacks, or other light activity. Once the muscles and joints are pliable, you can do some stretches to improve your flexibility and range of motion.

Incorporate Strength Building

Strength exercises help you build muscle and provide some amazing benefits. Begin with bodyweight moves to ease yourself into strength training. Simple exercises like lunges, squats, and push ups are effective and require no equipment. When you can perform bodyweight exercises without trouble, start to add in light weights. Gradually increase the weight as you progress.

Get Your Heart Pumping

Cardio is ideal to strengthen your heart and improve endurance. Incorporate some cardio three to five days each week. Mix it up to avoid boredom. You can alternate sessions at the gym with playing sports, going for a run, or even having a dance party to get your heart pumping while having fun.

Take Time to Rest and Recover

It’s tempting to dive into a new exercise routine and give it your all. However, it’s best to take plenty of time to rest. Not only will pushing yourself too hard burn you out quickly, but it also puts you at risk of getting injured, which will only slow your progress in the long run.

Incorporate rest days to give your body time to recover. Plan your workouts in advance so you can alternate muscle groups. Focus on a different area of the body so you don’t overstrain one particular area.

Along with taking a rest from strenuous physical activity, make sure you get lots of sleep. Your body repairs itself when you’re at rest. Getting adequate sleep keeps you in good shape and gives you the energy you require to exercise.

Keep a Positive Mindset

Any exercise regimen will have its ups and downs. It’s normal to hit a plateau, slip up and miss a day, or face any number of obstacles. The key is to stay positive and not let temporary setbacks derail your goals.

Treat yourself with kindness. Remind yourself that mistakes and challenges are a normal part of the journey. Instead of dwelling on them let it go and continue to put in the effort next time. Keeping a positive mindset is a huge part of your success.

Celebrate Your Progress

Working out and improving your health is a challenge. It takes time, but the results are worthwhile. Stay motivated by celebrating your achievements along the way. Reward yourself for meeting milestones, both small and large. Focusing on what you’ve accomplished is an excellent way to remind yourself how far you’ve come and energize you to keep going.

Helpful Tools When You’re Learning How to Start Exercising When You’re Out of Shape

Document your starting point and your progress by taking accurate body measurements. Weight is just one aspect of health and does not determine your success. The ZOZOFIT app scans your entire body to give you a full picture of your current standing and progress, while the app lets you easily view your data, make comparisons, and track your progress.

If you’re wondering how to start exercising when you’re out of shape, the above steps will help you on your journey, and ZOZOFIT will support you in your goals with essential data and valuable tools. The unique 360-view lets you rotate and zoom in on 12 body measurements, while body fat percentage calculations give you great insights into your body composition.