SET REALISTIC GOALS

When you have decided what your major goals are, such as fat loss, muscle gain, cardiovascular fitness, etc., you need to have a sense of perspective about how long it will take to reach them. For example, if you are attempting to lose twenty pounds of body fat, don't expect to do it in a month. A normal loss of body fat per week is one to two pounds. After the first few weeks, most weight loss over that amount per week will come from muscle tissue. The body will always try not to burn fat if it can - so keep the weight losses slow and steady, and you will optimize fat loss and will minimize muscle loss.

Another example of an unrealistic expectation is being able to gain thirty to forty pounds of lean muscle mass within a year. Although some muscle publications might suggest that this type of gain is possible, a realistic goal in lean muscle gain in a year is more like ten pounds. Thirty and forty pounds of gain suggests either extra body fat or the use of anabolic steroids. Extra body fat is unhealthful, and the use of anabolic steroids can cause severe illness and death.

FIND EXERCISES AND EQUIPMENT THAT YOU ENJOY

There are plenty of both weightlifting and cardiovascular exercises that can safely and effectively help you to reach your fitness goals. Any exercise that you hate or that causes unpleasant stresses on your joints won't be done for long. No matter how much hype a particular exercise or piece of equipment is getting, if it feels wrong and uncomfortable for you - forget it. Personal preference of equipment and exercises is alright as long as it helps you reach your goals. A professional personal trainer can be of great assistance when questions about equipment or routines arise.

MAKE FITNESS A COMFORTABLE PART OF YOUR LIFE

If you are a "morning" person, don't try to drag yourself into the gym at the crack of dawn and expect to have a pleasant experience. By the same token, if your energy at the end of your workday is typically nonexistent, your workout may not be as productive as you'd like if you hit the gym in the early evening. A possible alternative to both these situations is the midday workout. Taking lunch hour for a quick and vigorous workout can be much more energy producing than a heavy lunch. No gym near your work? A quick thirty minute walk near your workplace can also be energizing.

LEARN TO READ YOUR ENERGY LEVEL

If fitness is to be considered as part of your life, you also need to learn how to read the ebb and flow of your body's energy. Some days you feel tired, weak, and sluggish for no apparent reason. Your workout that day can be backed off a bit to accomodate your lack of energy. Do exercises you especially enjoy, keep the intensity down, and cut some time off the whole workout. This way you still get something done without killing yourself. On other days you feel energetic, strong and "up". On those days you can push the limits harder, and let your enhaced energies lead you to greater achievements. A few extra sets of an exercise, some added weight to an exercise, or an extra ten minutes on the treadmill are appropriate on these days.

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