You need to have a readiness for change, and know why you are doing it first, she said. This involves contemplation (thinking about getting in shape and why it is important to you); preparation (buying new running shoes, exercise attire, etc.); action (attending a gym, using a home exercise machine); and maintenance (sticking to your plan). Maintenance is the hardest part of this equation, make sure you are ready to take on your plan — and why, then figure out what motivates you the most.

#2 Goal Setting

The first step to managing your goals is to write them down, One suggestion is to write yourself ‘get active’ notes and put them where you will find them easily, such as in your pocket or on the fridge. It’s also important to frame your goals in a positive way — negative self-talk sets you up for failure. So, instead of saying ‘I must lose 30 pounds,’ say, ‘I will choose what I eat.’

#3 Daily Activity

Your activity throughout the day accumulates — it’s not just about going to a gym. Therefore, even something simple like reducing the time spent sitting can have a profound cumulative effect, even though it may seem like a very small change. We have to look at how much we sit, because that is our biggest problem. Taking frequent stretching breaks at our desk at work, or using commercial breaks to stretch or walk around the room when watching TV are good ways to incorporate some extra movement into your day. Put the remote on top of the TV so you have to get up to change the channel. Go out and talk to friends instead of chatting on the Internet. Your daily activity should tie in directly with the goals you set in step two.

#4 F.I.T.T.

Formula: In order for an exercise program to be successful, it needs to have all the elements of the F.I.T.T. formula. These letters stand for the words: Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. So, in other words, it is important to set and maintain your goals around how often you exercise (frequency), the intensity of that exercise (how heavy are your weights, how many reps are you doing, are you working within your target heart rate) how long you sustain the exercise for (time) and what type of exercise it is (e.g. weight training, aerobic exercise or stretching).

#5 Commitment

As mentioned above, the hardest part about an exercise program is maintaining it. A commitment to fitness requires many things including willpower, reason, reinforcement and time. It’s helpful to look at the things right now that are standing in the way of you maintaining your fitness goals. For example, if you find you don’t exercise enough because you are too tired, try looking at exercise as a way to increase your energy. If time is your main enemy, commit to set times each week, and keep the commitment — even if it’s only for a few minutes. Frequency is a more difficult (and therefore, more important) commitment to make than duration, because once you have the habit of exercise down, it becomes easier to find the time in which to do it, and scheduling around it becomes second nature.

#6 Healthy Nutrition

Good food should go hand in hand with exercise, those who care about fitness also care about what they eat. So, obviously it’s essential to choose our foods wisely, but it’s also important to remember to eat enough. Many people who want to lose weight try to do so with fad diets, which can be quite harmful and wreak havoc on the metabolism. ‘Food is fuel — it’s not an enemy. We need good, healthy food.’ Proper hydration — making sure you drink enough water — is also key when exercising. Dehydration can cause fatigue and muscle cramps even before thirst is an indication.

#7 Rest and Recovery

Many of us think that the word ‘rest’ is counterproductive to fitness. Often when we start an exercise program, we are so focused on the activity that we don’t listen when our body says ‘enough.’ In fact, one step that is often overlooked in a fitness program is rest and recovery. Getting enough sleep is always important for health, but we should also remember to take breaks when working out. This crucial step is necessary to give hard-working muscles a chance to rebuild and restore themselves.

If you’re a beginner, start with a circuit routine in which you do 10 to 12 exercises one after the other, 10 to 15 repetitions per set, with little or no rest in between. Do two or three circuits.

If you’re more advanced, try supersets. In these, you do two exercises back-to-back, rest 60 seconds, and then repeat once or twice. There are many ways to do supersets, but for fat loss, I’d like to see you use as much muscle as possible. One way is to pair exercises that work completely different muscles, such as squats and seated rows.

Build muscle: For most men, I recommend exercises that allow you to do eight to 12 repetitions per set. You can do them as straight sets-complete a set, rest about 60 seconds, do the next set of the same thing, and keep going that way until you’ve finished all your sets and are ready to move on to the next exercise.

If you have more experience, try super sets, but not the way you did them for fat loss. Pair synergistic exercises-two moves that work the same muscles. Usually, the first is a compound move to work a lot of muscles, the second a single-joint exercise to focus on one large muscle. So barbell bench presses might be followed by dumbbell flies. Shoulder presses could lead in to lateral raises.

Gain strength

There’s no secret here-heavy weights, low repetitions (usually three to five per set for the most important moves, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses), and longer rest (up to 4 minutes) between sets. You don’t have to do every exercise this way, of course. Start with low reps on your main moves, then do more repetitions with lighter weights and shorter rest periods on less important ones.

Power Push-ups

Your goal: 10-15 repetitions of each. Focus on proper technique: Straight back, tight stomach and butt, continuous movement and full extension of the arms.

• Standard Pushups: Lie face down on the floor with your palms at shoulder level, fingers pointing forward. Push yourself up until your body weight rests only on your palms and toes. Lower yourself and repeat. To accent the chest, place your hands wider than shoulder-width; to target the back and triceps, bring your hands close together with thumbs and index fingers touching.
• Incline Pushups: Stand facing a wall, about 2-3 feet away, arms straight out in front of you. Touch the wall with palms flat and support your weight. Slowly lower your chest to the wall., keeping your knees and back straight. Push back out and repeat.
• Decline Pushups: Support your body weight on your arms and elevate both feet behind you on an exercise bench or a chair. Keep your knees locked and your back straight as you lower your chest to the floor and push back up. Repeat.
• Chair Dips: Place two benches or chairs of equal seat height shoulder-width apart. Kneel behind them, place one hand flat on each seat, and extend your legs behind you so your weight is evenly supported by your arms and feet. Lower your upper body just below the level of the seats, or as low as you can without pain. Hold for a second, then raise yourself back to the starting position. Repeat.
• Bent-knee Pushups: (This is a tough one. Warm up your muscles first and concentrate on your technique.) Keeping your back straight, support yourself on your knees and palms. Your arms should be straight and shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower your upper body to the floor, keeping your trunk straight. Rise back to the starting position and repeat.