While I'd always been active when I was younger, my activity was mostly walking to and from class and playing basketball. I'd never had a real gym routine that lasted for longer than a few months and I'd never felt particularly comfortable using all the gym equipment. 

I decided that if I was going to be serious this time, and get a program that I would really believe in and I would hire a personal trainer to keep me going week after week. While this was a splurge, it was worth setting the money aside. The trainer helped orient me to the machines, helped me pull together a workable program that I could stick with, and helped make things fun while I was getting started. 

Here's what we did:

• When I first get to the gym, I stretch every major muscle.

• I spend about 30-50 minutes warming up on a treadmill or elliptical machine. At first, I just walked quickly, but now I run much of the time.

• I do a complete circuit of weight lifting (medex or nautilus) machines.

• The medex machines are great, but it's also important to do some free weights. My trainer showed me the basics of free weights.

Now I work out on my own, but every so often I have a refresher visit with the trainer and he helps me advance based on how far I've come.  It's fun having a cheerleader to mark my progress and congratulate me.  The side benefit is that now that I've been working out for a while, I look much better and feel more energetic.

I have no relationship with the solutions or businesses I describe and created this site only to inspire others.  If you're interested in trying some of the same solutions I used, please consult your doctor. 

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