How to Get Fit and Make It a Habit Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.
Jump-Start Your Fitness
Check out the best ways to get started keep going and form a lifelong fitness habit
It's never too late to get in shape. Colin Hawkins/Getty Images You may have heard that the hardest step in a new program is the first one. But we now know the first step is the easiest — we've taken that one step dozens of times, and we bet you have, too. No, it's the 10th, 11th or 53rd step that's really tough. Stumble here, we've found, and you're even less likely to start again, because life is full of obstacles to our best intentions. Catch the flu, take a cruise or deal with a few weeks of crazy at work — and we find ourselves heading for the lattes instead of the Pilates. Here, we offer you three simple steps to a fit life, along with easy-to-follow tips on how to get started, keep moving and make it a habit. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. 1 GET STARTED
Schedule a wake-up call
Use an alarm clock to wake yourself, but set your coffeemaker for the same time: The smell of coffee brewing will help motivate you to get up and get moving. What's more, coffee not only improves your mood and the chances you'll get out the door, but also makes you burn up to 15 percent more calories for three hours after , and boosts endurance, too. Be a spin master
Don't know where to start? Consider taking a spin class. The camaraderie and music can make you forget you're working out, and you can control how hard you work, allowing you to ease in, says Shannon Colavecchio, CEO of Badass Fitness in Tallahassee, Florida. Another way in: Try the "AARP 15-Minute Workout" below, followed by the "World's Best Stretch" video. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Rock some new duds br
Nothing motivates you to take up or a fitness class like some new home-gym items or fitness wear. Forget the black yoga pants or sweats and get into a sleek new running top or body-flattering spandex leggings. Fun new gear can also help increase your willingness to keep training, says Hajo Adam of Houston's Rice University; he studies the effect of clothes on psychology. Know thyself br
Fitness isn't going to become a habit unless you make it easy on yourself. Part of that is knowing what works for you. "If you don't enjoy doing it, you won't continue," says Christine Whelan, a behavior-change expert affiliated with AARP's Life Reimagined program. If you need music, make a special playlist just for your workouts. Sample various gyms and pick the one where you feel the most comfortable. 2 KEEP GOING
Get intense
Once you've been at it for a month or more and you're beginning to see results, kick your workout up a notch. Add a minute of jogging for every 10 minutes of walking, do some step-ups in between sets of weight lifting, or do whatever is a little harder in 30-second bursts. Short bursts of intensity while exercising can improve , raise metabolism and lower blood sugar; they can also enhance motivation, recent research published in the Journal of Physiology shows. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS