If you have been meaning to ‘get back into exercise’ for longer than you care to admit, I want you to know something: you are in very good company, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with you.
I hear some version of the same story almost every week. Life got busy. The kids needed you. Work ramped up. You told yourself you’d start on Monday – and then Monday came and went, again and again, until months became years and the whole idea started to feel more overwhelming than the problem you were trying to solve. I have been there myself – many times!
That feeling is real, it is common, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Research consistently shows that among the biggest barriers to exercise for women are fatigue, not having enough time, and simply not knowing where to start. So if that sounds familiar, please stop blaming yourself. The deck has been stacked against you – and the good news is, the bar to getting started is much lower than you think.
How Little You Actually Need to Do
The NHS recommends that adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. That sounds like a lot until you break it down: it is just 30 minutes, five days a week. And crucially, it does not have to be 30 minutes all at once. Three 10-minute walks still count. A 20-minute session at home followed by a walk to the shops counts. The NHS is clear that even small amounts of movement, spread across the day, deliver real health benefits.
You do not need a gym membership. You do not need lycra. You do not need a fitness tracker, a protein shake or any of the things the fitness industry would like you to believe are essential. You need to move your body, consistently, in a way that raises your heart rate a little. That is genuinely all that is required to begin.
Five Steps to Get Started This Week
Here is what I recommend to every client who comes to me saying they do not know where to begin.
1. Start smaller than feels necessary
The number one mistake beginners make is doing too much too soon, burning out, and then stopping. I want you to begin with something that feels almost embarrassingly easy. A 15-minute walk. Something you can repeat tomorrow without dreading it. Consistency is everything at this stage, and a small habit you repeat beats a big one you abandon.
2. Choose something you can actually stand doing
You do not have to run. You do not have to do HIIT. If you hate running, running is a terrible way to start. Walk, swim, cycle, dance in your kitchen, join a class – the best exercise is the one you will actually do. When I started my own fitness journey, I tried a lot of things before finding what worked for me. Give yourself permission to experiment.
3. Schedule it like an appointment
“I’ll exercise when I have time” is one of the most reliable routes to not exercising. Time does not appear – you have to make it happen. Put your sessions in your diary, even if they are only 15 minutes. Treat them with the same commitment you would give a work meeting or a school run. Research on exercise adherence consistently shows that planning is more effective than relying on motivation alone.
4. Do not ignore strength training
Many women focus purely on cardio – walks, swimming, cycling – and skip strength training because it sounds intimidating. But the evidence is clear: strength training is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health, particularly in your 40s and 50s. It helps maintain muscle mass, supports bone density, boosts your metabolism and improves how you look and feel. And you do not need a weights room to start – bodyweight exercises at home are a brilliant beginning. Interestingly, Sport England data shows that only around 23% of women in the UK meet the recommended guidelines for strength training – so if you add even a little, you are ahead of most people.
5. Tell someone
Accountability makes an enormous difference. Tell a friend, a partner, or a colleague that you are starting to exercise. Better still, find someone to do it with you. Classes and group sessions work so well for so many of my clients precisely because showing up for others is often easier than showing up for yourself – at least until the habit is established.
What to Expect in the First Four Weeks
I want to prepare you for something: the first couple of weeks can feel a bit rough. Your muscles may ache in a way they have not for a while. You might feel tired after sessions rather than energised. This is completely normal. Your body is adapting.
By weeks three and four, most people start to notice a shift. Sleep begins to improve. Energy levels during the day lift a little. The sessions start to feel less like a chore and more like a normal part of the week. The scales may not have shifted much – and that is fine. The internal changes happen first. The visible ones follow.
| Be patient with yourself during this period. The people who see the best long-term results are not the ones who worked hardest in week one. They are the ones who showed up again in week four. |
When Motivation Dips (And It Will)
Here is something nobody tells you when you start a fitness journey: motivation is not a reliable fuel source. It comes and goes. The people who make lasting change are not the most motivated – they are the ones who have built a routine that does not depend on motivation.
On the days you really do not feel like it, lower the bar rather than skipping entirely. Do a ten-minute walk instead of a 30-minute session. Something is always better than nothing, and keeping the habit alive through the low days is what separates those who sustain change from those who restart from scratch every few months.
You Do Not Have to Figure This Out Alone
One of the most common things I hear from new clients is that they wish they had asked for help sooner. Working with a personal trainer – even just for a few sessions – removes the guesswork entirely. You get a plan that is built around your body, your goals, your life, and your current fitness level. You get someone in your corner who will adjust when things are not working and celebrate when they are.
At RunMoveTone, I work with women at exactly this stage – the beginning. Whether you are in the Medway area and would like to train in person, or you are anywhere in the world and would prefer to work together online via video call, I would love to help you take that first step. Contact me for a free 15-minute consultation to explore your options.
Alternatively, if you’re already motivated why not get started with our 28-day transformation programme?
If you are not quite ready for that, I have a free guide – 8 Simple Ways to Boost Your Metabolism – that is a great place to start. No pressure, no sales pitch. Just practical information to help you move forward.
Whatever you decide, just know that you do not have to go it alone, and there is no shame in confessing that you do not know where to start – if you do you’ll be in good company!
Symone x
