How to Start Your Exercise Regimen (Get Moving!)

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Gearing up to get your booty in gear? Start a new workout routine by exercising for 60 minutes on at least three days a week. If finding 60 minutes sounds like an impossible task, feel free to break it up into two 30-minute sessions or even three 20-minute increments. The type of exercise doesn't matter, just get moving and break a sweat.

How Hard Should I Work Out?

Exercise with an intensity that causes you to breathe through your mouth and sweat moderately, but allows you to speak easily. This is called the Talk Test. According to the exercise experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "If you're doing moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing, during the activity. If you're doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath."

If you haven't exercised in a while, it may be a challenge to find that perfect working-hard-without-going-into-cardiac-arrest-or-falling-asleep zone. People who exercise frequently know how to pace themselves to get the most out of their workouts without overdoing it and burning out. Folks who don't exercise very often tend to either take it too easy because they're unaccustomed to breathing hard, or they sprint like jackrabbits, exhaust themselves, and give up in discouragement.

Your goal is to be the person in the middle of the pack. Fast and furious will wear you out. Slow and sluggish is a waste of time. Try to be strong and steady for your entire workout. Don't be the tortoise or the hare. Be like a steadily trotting horse.