How to Start Working Out to Lose Weight You’re doing a solid job of tracking your food and making nutritional adjustments that work well for you, so now you want to step it up and incorporate some exercise into your routine for added weight-loss power. Here’s the problem: It may feel like there are hundreds, if not thousands, of possible starting points. How do you choose the best way to jump in? The wealth of options — from group fitness classes and gyms to personal trainer sessions and online workouts — can make many people feel like giving up before they’ve even begun. The trick is to think simple and gradual. You’re looking to make exercise into a new lifelong habit that will last after you hit your goal weight, and that requires the same strategy as changing up your food: consistency, predictability and starting where you are. Particularly if you’re carrying extra weight, high-impact exercise can be tough on your joints when you’re just starting to get into working out, says fitness expert Jimmy Minardi of Minardi Training. That makes walking an ideal starting point, especially if you get outside to do it. “Studies have shown that outdoor exercise is associated with greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement, while decreasing tension and depression,” he says. “That can make you more likely to repeat the activity.” An important strategy is to schedule your walks in terms of time and location adds Marie Urban, a regional group traini