Don’t worry if you’re thinking, “How can I get the recommended amount of physical activity each week?” Understanding common barriers to physical activity and creating strategies to overcome them may help you make physical activity part of your daily life.

To make sure you’ll stick with it, pick physical activities that you enjoy and match your abilities.

• Identify available time slots. Monitor your daily activities for one week. Identify at least five 30-minute time slots you could use for physical activity.
• Add physical activity to your daily routine. For example, walk or ride your bike to work or shopping, organize school activities around physical activity, walk the dog, take the stairs, exercise while you watch TV, park farther away from your destination, etc.
• Select activities, such as walking, jogging, or stair climbing that you can do based on the time that you have available (e.g., 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes).
• Invite friends and family members to exercise with you. Plan social activities involving exercise.
• Develop new friendships with physically active people. Join a gym or group, such as the YMCA or a hiking club.
• Convince yourself that if you give it a chance, physical activity will increase your energy level; then, try it.
• Plan ahead. Make physical activity a regular part of your daily or weekly schedule and write it on your calendar.