by Brenna Mae

Created on: April 21, 2009

Every exercise program you may come across has been proved by someone to work. If that's true, why hasn't it worked for you? Without a personal trainer, and with a busy schedule, a loss of good self management may be the culprit. This is, of course, understandable. We'd all like our number one focus to be our bodies, but the fact of the matter is- it's just not.

That doesn't need to stop you from looking good, though. In this article, you'll be shown how to effectively start an exercise program that will work for you. It won't share fitness 'secrets', the latest celebrity workouts, or the same information you learned in high school P.E. This step-by-step guide will share how to go about creating a custom and effective exercise program to suit your personal lifestyle.

1) Start changing your eating habits
You may be thinking, "This is for effective exercise, not effective dieting." Well, it's not about dieting. Sure, eating healthy may help you slim down, but the main point is to correctly fuel your body for effective workouts.

The first step is to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration which will keep you clear-headed and motivated. Slowly adjust from soda or other caffeinated and sugary beverages to water. You may feel sluggish and tired the first week or so, but after the withdrawal is over, you'll start to feel better than you did at the beginning. It will actually help you stay awake, focused, and help you avoid slacking off at the gym.

After you've made your body accommodated to no caffeine, it's time to start thinking about food. Start looking at labels and avoid saturated fats, while getting enough good fats. Look for high-protein and high-fiber foods (That you'll actually be willing to eat).

By checking labels, you may discover pleasant surprises for some of your favorite foods. You may also discover unbelievable health risks for something you thought was 'healthy.'

Remember, this phase is not about dieting, so don't think of it like that. It's to get hormone levels and body activity back on track, which will result in a more effective workout once that time has come.

2) Start stretching daily
Look up a few videos online for complete stretching sessions. Stretch out all of your muscles. This will help loosen them and even strengthen a few. This shouldn't cause a drastic lifestyle change, but with healthier eating habits and now daily stretching, you're slowly working into an exercise program that you'll be more likely to keep long-term.

3) Go to the gym, or

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