Bottom line up front: you cannot sit all day and expect your body not to start to atrophy.
First, know your personality and your body. I have some friends who are perpetual motion machines. If they don’t get enough activity, they start to get fidgety. For other folks I know, working out is their mental health regimen. Some of my family and friends like doing the work out challenges. For me, it is all about consistency and variety.
Second, recognize your starting point. Like most things, if you want to start a new habit, you need to start small and find something that works for you. If you don’t exercise at all, your starting point is zero and adding 15 minutes of something, anything, is an improvement. If you’re a consistent runner and you have decided to try a marathon, you’ve got a base, but you’re not going to get up to marathon condition in a week. Small increases and consistency are critical.
Third, work with what you have available. Not everyone can spend hours in the gym every day. Some folks have active jobs and some folks have sitting jobs. Find ways to incorporate more movement into your everyday routine. Need a standing desk for your home office? Set your laptop on a plastic milk crate on top of your desk or table. Having walking meetings with colleagues at the office.
I’ve been a gym person for quite a while. In the COVID era, I had to adopt some new strategies. There is a community college a block from my house that has stairs on the outside. When the building was closed, the outdoor stairs were still accessible and I added numerous flights of stairs to my walking routine.
Finally, no excuses. If you find yourself constantly begging off of exercise, find something else you will do.
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