If you have not exercised recently and if you are significantly overweight it is important that you do not do too much exercise or exercise too hard initially. Doing too much exercise too soon could lead to injury or make you less likely to want to continue with exercise.

You may want to start with just increasing your daily Physical Activity level. If you are able to do these activities without too much difficulty begin to incorporate 5 minute walks throughout your day, as often as you feel possible. When you reach this point you will be following the FITT principle of cardiovascular exercise:

Frequency – 5 to 7 days of the week. You need to eat everyday (calories in), therefore you need to move your body everyday (calories out) to balance the calorie equation.

Intensity – Moderate to somewhat hard. Have enough breath to carry on a conversation, but not enough to sing a song.

Time – Start with several 5 minute bouts. You will need to work up to a total of 60 minutes per day, but it does not all need to be done at once.

Type – The type of exercise you will actually do is the best to do. Walking is what is most often recommended as it can be done anywhere, does not require that you learn new skills, only requires a good pair of walking shoes and a water bottle.

* It is recommended that your see your physician before starting an exercise routine, particularly if you have not exercised recently.