2 . In high school, my husband was placed last in both swimming and cross-country running. “At that time, I decided to check out the theater department,” he often jokes. More than a decade later, he’s active — he takes a long daily walk, and spends his workdays moving heavy camera equipment around movie sets — but not athletic. The closest he’s come to running is meeting me at the finish line of a 5K.

According to a new study, his experience is somewhat common. People who have low sports aptitude as children are less likely to be active as adults, according to a new research from the United Kingdom.

The study involved more than 12,000 UK residents that experts have been tracking since 1958. These people filled out forms at ages 33 and 50 about their physical activity habits. Experts from the UCL Institute of Child Health in London compared the midlife survey results to data from the participants’ childhoods to see what early-life factors make someone more or less likely to work out as an adult.

Of all the factors they studied, including things like social status and parental divorce, being bad at sports as a child had the greatest influence on inactivity as an adult. Low sports aptitude increased the likelihood of being inactive by about 50 percent. “To our knowledge, no other study has considered such a wide variety of early-life factors,” the study’s authors write.

The study also found that about 18 percent of people started exercising more between ages 33 and 50. That means if you want to start working out more, it’s never too late to start.

“If you’re new to physical activity, try to find something that you have found interesting,” says fitness manager Anita Golden. He suggests power walking or DVD workouts at home if exercising around other people makes you nervous. Jogging, hiking and bike riding are other good individual activities to try. If you like working out with other people but are worried about your coordination (协调), try group fitness classes that stick to simple moves and basic equipment, like indoor cycling.

“Don’t compare yourself to others — you are your only competition,” Golden stresses.

3 . Have you ever started a fitness program and then quit?     1    . Many people start fitness programs, but they may stop when they get bored, they don’t enjoy it or results come too slowly. Here are four tips to help you stay motivated.

1. Set goals

Start with simple goals and then progress to longer range goals. Remember to make your goals realistic and achievable. For example, if you haven’t exercised in a while, a short-term goal might be to walk 10 minutes a day five days a week.     2    .   A long-term goal might be to complete a 5k walk.

2.     3    

If it’s hard to find time for exercise, don’t fall back on excuses. Plan workouts as you would any other important activity. You can also slip in physical activity throughout the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk up and down sidelines while watching the kids play sports. Take a walk during a break at work.

3. Put it on paper

    4    . Record what you did during each exercise session, how long you exercised and how you felt afterward. Recording your efforts and progress can help you work toward your goals and remind you that you’re making progress.

4. Be flexible

If you’re too busy to work out or simply don’t feel up to it, take a day or two off. Be gentle with yourself if you need a break.     5    .