Dear Stephanie and Bruce: I need your help to stick with my exercise plan. I start the week with good intentions and end it frustrated by not making any progress. What recommendations can you offer for developing an exercise habit? – Deb

Stephanie: It can be difficult to develop an exercise habit for many reasons. My first suggestion is to take a good look at your goal. Is it realistic? Does the amount of time required fit your schedule and is the activity something you enjoy? My second suggestion is to find others with similar goals. Research has proven that individuals who exercise with other people are more likely to attain their goals. Consider enlisting an exercise buddy, a co-worker, friend or family member to join you. Perhaps try joining a group exercise class or a walking/running club. There are many places you can turn to for support – churches, gyms, YMCAs, parks and recreation, even the Internet. Finally, try a few different activities to see what clicks for you. Do you like to be challenged? Do you like the social time or need alone time? Do you want to spend time outdoors? Finding an activity that helps you meet those needs in your life can help make the experience more rewarding.

Bruce: Setting reasonable expectations and finding the best fit with your schedule requires trying different options until you discover what works best for you. For me, I had to grant myself permission to exercise, set attainable goals and practice humility until my actual behavior met the expectations of my desired behavior.

Stephanie: Here is advice from others who have developed an exercise habit:

• Louise, age 50, has been working on her habit for two years. She started with walking, added a mix of walking and running and then progressed to continuous running with a goal of adding one minute to each workout until she could run a 10K. Louise exercises for health and fitness and to get outdoors. Louise stays motivated by signing up for 5K and 10K runs, usually four per year, and strives to improve her finish time with each event.

She found success with exercising in the morning and inviting friends and family to join her with running events.

• Lorie, age 51, has been working on her habit for three years. She started with taking a pilates class, next joined an eight-week exercise group and finally joined a triathlon club. Lorie exercises because she has seen results. She has lowered her cholesterol and lost and kept off 30 pounds. She has found the most success exercising in the mornings and on weekends. She enjoys the social aspect of being in a triathlon club and the variety and challenge of competing in triathlons.

• Steve, age 56, has been working on his habit for 20 years. He started with visiting a gym while traveling and kept it going when he returned home. Steve exercises for health and fitness and to enjoy food without gaining weight. He stays motivated by playing outdoors throughout the year. He found success with exercising in the morning, taking group exercise classes and joining a gym that has branches in the locations he travels to for work.

• Heidi, age 37, began her habit in high school and keeps it going. She started running after school, became creative with different routes to make the runs interesting and would invite friends to join her. Heidi exercises for health and fitness and to compete in triathlons. She stays motivated by striving to improve her finish time with each event and by training and competing with friends. She found success with exercising in the morning, shifting her routine to the evening and weekends when she is time crunched, and joining a triathlon club.

Bruce: Although all four prefer to feed their habit by exercising in the morning, you have to find what works best for you. The key is to experiment, set realistic goals and experience success.

Stephanie: The first step is to get moving. You can do it!

Stephanie Norton-Bredl is the health and wellbeing director at the Auburn Valley YMCA and may be contacted at snortonbredl@seattleymca.org

Bruce deJong is a group exercise instructor at the Auburn Valley YMCA and may be contacted at bruce@bicyclebootcamp.com.