How To Get Started Again?

Question
Hello Rick,

Looking through your website is very inspirational and that's what I need in my life right now. I am a 19 year old female at 5'4" who weighs 132 lbs. I used to be down to 122-123 but after going to college for this first semester, I've gained weight mainly because of lack of time to go to the gym and bad food.

I had a very healthy diet at home (my mom is a nurse and shops only at whole food stores). At school, I still maintain only a bit of a healthy diet. I have taken cheese and dairy out of it for the past year (really helps me feel less tired and less acne) and I still eat chia seed in the morning for protein. The problem is that the foods served are a lot of the times greasy or 3/4 carbs and 1/4 protein. I do have salad but I also have begun having more sugar.

I've made it a necessity to start going to the gym (can be difficult as a music major with a busy schedule) but I get so exhausted at the end of the day when I actually have time. Now that I'm going to be really trying to motivate myself to go, I am confused on how to get back into it.

I plan on going every day (I've made myself a ritual to stick to) but I don't know what exercises to do and when. All I know is that it is important to alternate muscle groups every other day so you give them a chance to recover. I can jog and increase/decrease speed for 15 minutes on the treadmill. Could you help me in making a plan and how to increase it over time to lose weight and tone or point me in the right direction? I don't know what exercises will initiate the process of change and what will keep me stagnant.

I really appreciate it and thank you for making your site available. A lot of the tips have been extremely helpful for me.

Sincerely,
Monique

Answer
All of the different exercises that you need to do are on my web site. Just mix things up. Try to do a little better every workout. If you run for 20 minutes today, try 21 minutes tomorrow... or try running a little faster (easier to see with GPS or a treadmill). Try to lift a little more weight each time. After 4 or 5 weeks with the same routine, vary the exercises a bit. It sounds like you are on the right track.

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