1 . Trying to motivate yourself to exercise can sometimes feel like a fruitless attempt. Here are some tips on setting your mind on getting active, and getting fit.

Make your fitness goals known. Tell your family, friends and co-workers about your fitness goals and encourage them to ask you how your goals come along.     1    

Make an appointment with your doctor. Ask the doctor about your health condition and how becoming more physically fit can help you become healthier.     2     A government study found just three hours of advice by doctors over two years helped improve couch potatoes’ physical fitness.

    3     If you’re new to exercise, it’ll be better to have a fitness professional set your goals rather than doing it alone. That means setting the weights on machines for you, determining how long you should walk or run, or giving you a time limit for the running machines.

Consider healthy living, not just workouts. Even if you spend three hours a week in the gym, what of the other 100-plus waking hours each week? Fit people keep energetic during their entire day.     4     You can simply stand up and walk around whenever you get on the phone and always take the stairs, not the lift.

Do it for charity.     5     If you fall into that category, then find a way to use your charitable nature to motivate yourself to exercise. For example, donate & 1 for every mile you walk. Or commit to several fund-raising events that involve walking, biking, dancing, or a sports match.