25 Ways To Make Exercise Routine

15. Exercise early. My favorite time to work out is between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. Plus, I know that if I work out at this time, nothing will get in the way of the workout later in the day. It's a beautiful time of day, not too hot, and there's nothing like showering and going to work knowing that I've put in a great exercise (and it allows me to feel superior and look down my nose at those lazy bums I work with).

16. Get a workout buddy. Find someone at your level, and commit to working out a certain number of times a week together, at a certain time. This will make you more likely to keep that workout appointment, and workouts can be a lot of fun if you spend them chatting with your buddy. Just be sure to actually work out, and not just chat.

17. Change it up. Sure, walking or running every day can be a lot of fun. But getting some swimming or biking or strength workouts or aerobics or kickboxing into the mix can be a lot of fun, and can also help you get into better shape. They work out different muscles, and step up the metabolism. Variety is the spice of life and all that.

18. Do a little often. You don't need to work out long, and you certainly don't need to be a weekend warrior. Just 20-30 minutes every day. Who doesn't have 20 minutes on their schedule. You? Well, scratch "Walker Texas Ranger rerun" off the schedule and make room for this instead.

19. Just lace up. Yeah, you're dreading the upcoming workout. But don't even think about it. Just lace up and head out the door. That's all. After that, let nature take its course. Just relax and do what comes naturally. Which is exercise.

20. Follow the 10 percent rule. Don't increase your workout time or distance by more than 10 percent a week. This is a very conservative rule, and it can be broken by the best of the best, who know what they're doing, but for the rest of us, stick with this to prevent burnout or injury.

21. Go hard, then easy. If you do a hard workout today, rest or go easy tomorrow. Don't do two hard workouts in a row. The hard-easy approach can also work within a workout itself - run hard, then run slow, then run hard ... you get the idea. This allows you to burn more fat than if you just run medium the whole time.

22. Strength is good. If you're a walker or runner or cyclist or swimmer or something like that, you should also fit some strength training into your schedule. Nothing too intense, but just some core-strengthening exercises that will help your main sport as well as make you healthier and yes, more attractive.

23. Rest. It's important. This is a commonly overlooked factor. If you don't give your body some rest, you will burn out and get injured. Rest is just as important as the workouts in improving performance and fitness. As long as you're doing the workouts too and not just the rest!

24. Listen to your body. This is extremely important - if you feel like you're overdoing it, you probably are. Rest and allow your body to recover. And though you can run through some slight soreness or aches, you should stop as soon as you feel sharp pain or pain in the joints. You'll just make it worse.

25. No pain, no ... problem. Forget the old rule of "no pain, no gain." You don't need pain to get in shape. Just take it easy, progress gradually, and enjoy yourself.

Leo Babauta is the author of The Power of Less and the creator of the popular blog, Zen Habits.