Even light exercise is good for you, so don't get discouraged!

When starting out exercising it is crucial that you enjoy what you are doing, so pick an activity that you like -walking, cycling, or sport for example, to get started, and worry about what the best exercise is later.

Most people have a tendency to jump in the deep end when it comes to exercise routines - to pick the most difficult one they can find and often one that doesn't include activities they enjoy. This is a big mistake, because people start out excited they will keep it up for the first few days, but after a few weeks with the momentum and excitement gone its very difficult to keep going.

The upshot of this approach is that people lose momentum, begin to hate their exercise routine and eventually quit altogether.

This is something that you should make sure that you don't do.  Any exercise is better than no exercise at all, so if all you feel up to doing is walking, then you should walk. Study after study has shown that even people who do only twenty minutes of exercise as little as three times a week have better health than they would otherwise.

Obviously once you get settled into doing some exercise you'll want to begin to step up your routine. A good example is if you like cycling then go for a short cycle ride every second evening, after a while you will notice you can cycle for longer without getting tired - this is your fitness increasing. So when you reach this stage you might want to try cycling further or maybe cycling more frequently.

If you feel you are well settled into an exercise program, then to advance you should begin to expand it. If, for example, you walk a certain distance three times a week, aim to walk it four or even five times a week, or maybe increase the distance you walk so as to maintain the challenge.

Try to vary your exercise also, this will help avoid boredom. If you become bored doing your exercise then you will begin to get sick of it. So liven it up by doing different exercises.

A total body workout will exercise all the major muscle groups in your body. It is really the most effective workout you can get. To avail yourself of a workout like this, you could purchase a combination exercise machine for your home so you can exercise there. Alternatively you could join your local gym.

Whatever happens, don't get discouraged!  Some days you might not feel like exercising - that's to be expected. However, if you do decide to take a day or two off, make sure you get right back into your routine as soon as possible.  Missing a few days won't ruin your exercise schedule, but quitting will.

Even if you end up breaking your routine and stop exercising altogether there is still hope and potential to get back into your routine. Begin to do your exercising again, at whatever level you're comfortable with; after all any exercise is good exercise. So if you are setting out exercising, or just considering a new path or routine, the best of luck!

Peter Hilsper is webmaster and editor at ROAR http://www.roarexercise.com/ which is crammed with the best in health information, links and articles.