Restarting an exercise habit

If your exercise lull lasts more than a few weeks, ease back slowly to avoid injury, particularly as you get older. "Your brain may not think of it as starting over, but your joints and muscles do," says Joseph Houmard, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and director of the East Carolina University Human Performance Laboratory in Greenville, N.C.

A reasonable starting point is 15 to 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise every other day. Use your day off to gauge what your body can tolerate, Houmard says. If you feel tired or achy, cut back on intensity or time. Once you've established a comfortable level, maintain it for a few weeks before gradually ramping up. Take it easy with strength training, too. Start with less weight than before and limit lifting to no more than three days a week. And give yourself at least a day between sessions.

Luckily, resuming a stalled exercise routine is easier than starting from scratch, since gains made during earlier training seem to return quickly. And having experience with exercise provides an emotional boost: You know how to pace yourself and what to expect.

This article first appeared in the May 2008 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.

Read more on workout needs for every age (free) and the 10 extra perks of exercise (free), and find out what exercise can do for your mental health (subscribers only).