If you have not exercised in a long time you might be apprehensive about getting back in the game. It can be a little intimidating to know exactly where to start and this might be the reason why you are shying away from even the beginning. 

The truth is many people fall off the exercise wagon, but there are some ways to get back on without missing a beat. Here are 3 ways you can get back into exercise if you haven't done so in a long time.

Set Realistic Goals 

The first thing you're going to need to do is to make sure that you are setting realistic goals when it comes to what you can achieve. You have to look at your current fitness level and your lifestyle as well. 

If you're not taking these into consideration then you're setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. For example, a realistic goal may be to walk for 30 minutes or even 15 minutes three times a day and then you can gradually increase it as you become more comfortable with your routine. 

Make sure to always break down your goals into smaller milestones and always celebrate every achievement because it matters. 

Do Activities You Enjoy

It can be easy to think that exercise is all about formality. This is not necessarily the case. You can throw in some activities that you enjoy to make things a little bit more exciting. 

This will push you to get up off the sofa leave those potatoes behind and get moving. Consider dancing, hiking, martial arts and playing sports. 

All of these are forms of exercise and if you engage in them regularly over time you will become fit. None of these involves going to a gym or standing in front of your TV moving to a fitness instructor on YouTube. You may find that these types of activities will keep you motivated. 

Schedule It

One way to make sure that you stay connected is to schedule things to your busy schedule. Just as you would schedule a doctor's appointment or go anywhere that you deem important, scheduling exercise time as well.

For example, if you have a subscription to exercises at a studio such as HOTWORX make sure that you set reminders on your phone. When these alarms start going off you'll get a move on. 

If you have more than one device you can put it on there too. That means even more alarms to get you up and running to your fitness appointment.

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to be kind. Get out of your head and stop giving yourself a lashing for not following through. 

While you should always be disciplined and you must try to achieve what you set out to do, there are times when life gets in the way and there's no way around it. If you fall just get back up and start all over again.