1. Show up: Retrain yourself to make exercise a habit that’s as regular as brushing your teeth. For the ?rst month, just strive to get the gym, class or workout.

2. Put your workout in your PDA: If you leave exercise to chance, you won’t fit it in. Make workout appointments that can’t be broken. Either carve out the same times every week and stick to that schedule or, if you don’t have a set routine, plan a week or even a month ahead.

3. Sign up for alerts: Some gyms, like Equinox, will text you reminding you to attend the class you signed up for. Just another reminder to help you make fitness happen. Another effective tool: cell phone alarms.

4. Look at your lifestyle: A one-hour daily workout leaves 23 hours for unhealthy habits, such as eating too much and not getting enough sleep. To succeed, think about improving every aspect of your lifestyle.

5. Take off 10: Your metabolism is slower now, and it’s easier to gain weight. To counter this tendency, burn 10 extra calories an hour. Two minutes of moderate activity, such as jumping jacks or stair walking, will do the trick.

6. Permit no pain: The over-40 body needs variation in movement or it will suffer wear-and-tear injuries (and boredom). Vary your routine. And never work to the point where your joints hurt.

7. Make the time to exercise: If your commute leaves you with no free time, try to fit exercises into your workday. Find simple strength exercises or stretches to do while seated (on a train or bus), climb the stairs for ten minutes on your lunch break or walk swift laps around your building for about 20 minutes before you get into the office.