Time to get off your ass and build that body you’ve always wanted? Time to eat right and exercise — for real?

For total exercise beginners, consider starting with 2-3 sessions, aerobic exercising or light weight lifting,  per week.

Aerobic exercise increases the health and function of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system — it needs to be rhythmic, continuous and involve the large muscle groups (primarily the lower part of your body.) Walking, jogging, cycling, aerobic dance, and stair climbing are examples, as well as cross-country skiing, rowing, and swimming.

Strength training is exercising with progressively heavier resistance to build or retain muscle. You will lose up to one-half pound of muscle every year of life after age 25 without working out. An increase in muscle tissue causes a corresponding increase in the number of calories your body will burn, even at rest.

When you begin to exercise, to avoid injury, you also have to stretch.

Flexibility is a critical element of an exercise program — it increases physical performance, decreases risk of injury, increases blood supply and nutrients to the joints, increases neuromuscular coordination, reduces soreness, improves balance, decreases risk of low back pain, and reduces stress in muscles.

If you enjoy working out at home then you may want to consider investing in a larger piece of equipment such as a treadmill, ski machine, stationery bicycle, or elliptical trainer.

If you’re beginning an exercise program, participate in a cardiovascular activity (walking, aerobics, cycling, etc.) for 20 minutes, three times a week and add strength training exercises to your workout, twice a week. Schedule your strength training workouts with 48 hours rest in between to allow your muscles to recuperate and repair after each workout.

Getting fit is not an overnight proposition, it’s a lifestyle commitment, and most external benefits won’t become visible for the first four to six weeks. Enjoy the internal benefits you’re experiencing such as increased energy, less stress and anxiety, higher self-esteem, and an increased feeling of well-being.

It also helps to find a fitness partner to motivate you, start an exercise log to keep track of your progress, schedule your workouts on paper, and don’t measure yourself on a scale more than once a week.

Exercise should be part of your lifestyle, not something you take up then drop. You’ll find the benefits are many.