Know Yourself

When you're going to work out, it's important to know yourself or, more precisely, to know your body. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Don't let the problems stop you, but learn to work with or around them. 

I've mentioned that I have arthritis. There are things I could do -- ways I could move -- twenty years ago that I doubt I will ever be able to do again. Not without surgery, drugs or divine intervention. But when it comes to working out, I have learned to listen to my body. If I can't do a particular exercise, I either alter it in some way to accommodate my existing capabilities or move on to a different exercise that will accomplish the same thing. Trial and error. 

Working out can involve discomfort, especially when you haven't been physically active in awhile. You need to ease into it. Start slowly and build. You may surprise yourself once you've been at it for a week or two -- your endurance will improve. But don't hurt yourself by being overly zealous in your fitness quest. Work out smart. It's ok, even necessary, to push yourself. But do it little by little, allowing your body to gain strength as you gain confidence and determination. 

For women, I highly recommend the book Do It Right (The 75 Best Body-Sculpting Exercises for Women) by the publishers of Shape Magazine. You can find it on Amazon.com or on the website for Shape Magazine. This book offers 75 exercises -- some you can do at the gym and some you can do at home. I work out at home, using a stability ball, free weights, a resistance band with handles, and a Pilates resistance ring. Most of the exercises I do come from this book. I like it because there are descriptions and illustrations of the right way AND the wrong way to do each one. This will help you avoid accidentally hurting yourself by doing moves incorrectly. 

So start gradually -- but start!