I have experimented with a significant number of exercise programs during my forty eight years on the planet. I have tried old school and been introduced to most of the "new age" stuff as well. I have discarded many of them because they were either too difficult, ineffective for me, or simply not enjoyable. Below I have tried to summarize some of the most fundamental ways to exercise that I have had success with over the years. They can all be done by beginners and they can also be applied at successively more challenging levels once you get into decent shape.

• Stretching. Beyond the direct benefits of stretching, it is a perfect way to judge your ability to add things to your exercise program. People who are very tight then you may want to focus on flexibility fat the beginning. More naturally flexible people might jump into more aggressive aerobics early.

• Everything revolves around your core. Your core is your stomach, your lower back, your hips and buttocks. Find some core exercises that you enjoy and can do in a short time period about 4 times per week. The best group of core exercises in my mind are Pilates. There is a ton of literature out there on Pilates. Find some you enjoy and you'll see results quickly

• The mental part of exercise is critical to success. First you have to start. Once you get going you have to finish. A great way to make yourself finish is to go out a certain distance, not around the block or a track. If you go out a certain distance then you will be forced to at least walk back. Start with a distance you can manage then increase it slowly every day. Try and do this at least three times a week
  

• Something that really accelerates progress is applying the concept of interval training to whatever you do. Interval training implies that you increase the pace of whatever you are doing for short "intervals", decrease for short "intervals" and alternate until you finish. You could walk for 2 minutes, jog for 1, walk for 3 minutes and jogging for 2 and so on for sets of 8 to 10. It allows you to do an hours worth of walking in 30 minutes or less and it's a better workout. This can be done with weight lifting, stretching and most types of exercise. Intervals keep your heart rate elevated longer and it's a "relative" adjustment so it works for beginners as well as experts

• Any qualified trainer will tell you that exercising your lower body will enhance the benefit of your upper body and cardiovascular work. My favorite is jumping rope. Although this is a more advanced exercise for most people, I would buy one as soon as you feel it may be attainable and hang it up as a challenge. Other simple exercises might include lunges, walking backwards and stepping up and down on an inclined device or jumping jacks.

• Buy the best equipment. It is amazing how much difference a good pair of athletic shoes can make. If you skimp here, your chances of hurting yourself or at least discouraging yourself is much higher

There are plenty of nutrition and weight loss experts that tell us that counting calories and weighing portions are two of the best ways to lose weight.  I do not disagree, but I do think that most people cannot make these things a part of their daily routine long term.  I think most people are too rushed and too preoccupied to do these things regularly and therefore give up and fall back into old habits which makes it almost impossible to maintain a healthy weight

It logically follows that losing weight and fitness in general is best achieved by developing habits and practices that become  a long term routine.  A set of habits that becomes part of your lifestyle makes weight loss and weight maintenance easy.   The work that once was impossible becomes as simple as remembering to turn off the lights before you leave the house

I have had great success thinking in terms of methods and groups as opposed to details.

Here are some methods and groups that have helped me maintain my weight well in to my forties. Once you try some of these and start thinking along these lines, I bet you will add to them, modify them and come up with some others on your own

Methods

• Chew your food - every bite 30 times ( most people don't do near this!). You will eat less, get full quicker and absorb more of the nutrients in your food
• Provided it's natural--If it's colorful it's good for you. If it's white it's not. The deeper the color the better
• Read the ingredients labels-If you can't pronounce it don't eat it.
• Fresh is always better than frozen, but frozen fruit and veggies are better than fries
• Get a blender-You can throw fruits and veggies and skim milk or water into it and make healthy drinks for any meal fast. The other benefit is that it's "prechewed"!

Groups

• Good carbohydrates (green veggies, whole grains, red potatoes, etc..)
• Bad carbohydrates (cakes, cookies, white bread, etc..)
• Lean meats for protein (fish, chicken, turkey, etc..)
• Fatty meats (bacon, sausage, etc.)
• Good fat (nuts, avocados, fish oil etc..)
• Bad fat (most animal fats or anything with high saturated, hydrogenated or trans fat on the label-period)

Most people get too caught up in the details of exercise and weight loss, become discouraged and give up.  I firmly believe that these tips above make eating healthy much easier and increase the likelihood that you will stick with it for the long haul

Give them a try and let me know if it works!