Remember when you were a child and exercise was fun?  Moving, running, and jumping until you were out of breath was no problem, and you could not wait to get up and do it all over again the next day! Why?  Because you were having fun!  You were not thinking about the health benefits - you were just out having a good time!

As an adult, you may be stuck in an exercise rut, be lacking motivation, or are having trouble finding the time or energy to exercise. You already know there are many great reasons to exercise, from improving energy, mood, sleep, and health to reducing anxiety, stress, and depression.  But if knowing how and why to exercise was enough, we'd all be in shape. Making exercise a habit takes more-you need the right mindset and a smart approach. Whatever your age or fitness level, even if you've never exercised a day in your life before, there are steps you can take to make exercise less intimidating and painful and more fun and instinctive!

Start so small, it's microscopic!
By setting goals that are too tough to reach, you're setting yourself up to be disappointed.  If you don't achieve the goals you have set, you will become discouraged.  Set smaller easier to achieve goals and work your way toward bigger goals.  Start so small that it is easy.

Join a class.
There are countless options for joining a group that encourages exercise.  Take a cycling class. Join a martial arts dojo. Find out if your city has a local group of runners.  Meeting other people who are also trying to exercise is a great way to enjoy yourself and stay inspired!!  Even if you don't join something, try to befriend other fit people.

Dress the part.
Go exercise-fashion shopping! Start with your shoes. Go to a fitness store and have a salesperson help you find the perfect shoe. Each type of shoe supports your foot differently, so you need to make sure you have a correctly fitting shoe.  Bring in the shoes you currently wear; the wear marks will tell the salesperson how you run. New shorts, tops or other accessories can help create excitement about exercise, too!

Get a partner.
Having someone to work out with makes it much more fun and will keep you motivated to exercise.  You might find yourself looking forward to it!  Not only that, having a buddy makes it harder to skip your workout - they will be there to hold you accountable!  Let them encourage and motivate you when you don't feel like exercising, and do the same for them!

Record your progress.
While you might start exercising with major change in mind, try challenging yourself to incremental goals. Thousands of people obsessively chart the stats of their favorite baseball, basketball or football players and teams. Do the same for yourself! Create a wall chart and log your exercise activity, vital statistics (weight, measurements, best times, maximum lifts, etc.). Chart every detail of your exercise routine for a month. You'll feel great as the information gets up on the wall.

Reward yourself.
Offer yourself rewards for any small achievement!  You don't need to go overboard - just small rewards for reaching small goals!  For example, take yourself out to a movie you have been wanting to see if you achieve your goal of working out three times in the week.

Find a role model.
Is there someone you aspire to be like?  Who do you know that sticks to a fitness plan?  What is it about them that you admire most?

Make it Fun.
If you don't like your exercise routine, change it and make it more exciting.  Keep trying new exercises until you find something you love!  Even better, "play" something!  Play soccer or play tennis or anything else you enjoy!

Mix it up.
Anything you do over and over every day is going to get boring, no matter how motivated you are to succeed.  Find several different exercises you enjoy.  Try swimming on Monday, dance class on Wednesday and a Pilates tape at home on Saturday.  Whenever you find yourself getting bored with a workout, replace it with something else you enjoy, and go back to it again when you are ready.

Listen to fiery music!
Everyone has that go-to song that gets you "in the zone," and there's science to why it works. We associate certain songs with memories, often relating to the context in which we originally heard them, such as the first time you watched Rocky. Channeling that memory - or even just the emotion of the singer - boosts the motivational power of the song, and has been shown to improve physical performance.