Baby steps. So, you’re a complete beginner. Maybe you’ve never worked out before, or maybe you haven’t exercised since high school and you’re afraid to admit how many years it’s been. Whatever your reason or excuse, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that you’re here now and ready to take control of your health.

If you Google “how to start working out,” you’ll find a million different programs and a million little nuggets of advice from professionals — and from people who think they’re professionals. It can get overwhelming fast.

Let me save you the trouble and give you the real recipe for success:

Take one step at a time.

Yes, it’s true that you need to walk more, take more steps, workout, eat more protein, and drink more water… but holy crap, that’s a lot! That much change at once will make anyone want to quit before they ever really begin. And quitting isn’t the goal. Building sustainable habits is.

So what do we do? Baby steps.

Take ONE of those goals and focus on that, and only that, for two to three whole weeks. Example: let’s start with water. You’re going to drink 30 more ounces of water than you normally do every day, for two to three weeks. That’s it. Just water.

After those weeks, you can either add another 30 ounces to your daily intake or say, “Okay, I’ve got this down.” From there, maintain that water habit and then add a new goal—like going on two walks per week. Stick to that for another few weeks.

So, do you see where I’m going with this?

We’re taking baby steps that lead to long-term change.

Questions on where to start? Just follow these simple steps, take it one goal at a time, and you’ll be on the right path before you even realise it.

NellieFaith and Fitness