Among the 7 F’s of Oola – fitness, finance, family, field, faith, friends, and fun – fitness sounds like one of the simplest to bring into balance.

Eat less than you burn or burn more than you eat. Cut out the french fries and join a gym. Step lively down the path to an OolaLife. Why is this so hard?

But the OolaGuru knows well what many of us face on our journey. Ask him about the time he tried to run to the mailbox and realized, a quarter-mile into it, that his OolaFitness was seriously out of balance.

If you haven’t lifted a barbell since high school or climbed on a bike since who knows when, keep a few things in mind as you embrace this new venture. Remember, strive for progress, not perfection.

Here are some ways to ease your way back into balance:

1. Start with stretches. Do this before and after your workout. A good warm-up will ease your muscles into what lies ahead and a cool-down brings your cardio system back into sync. Skip either and you run a greater risk of experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness.

2. Take it slow. In the beginning, focusing on form. Go with what interests you, whether it’s running, biking or working the weight machines at the neighborhood gym. Remember that there is a good reason for rest days – they allow muscles to heal and strengthen between workout – and take advantage of them.

3. Listen to your body. You know the difference between the soreness that naturally comes with exercise and unnatural pain. If something really hurts, stop immediately and move to another activity. And if your body tells you that you need more sleep, don’t argue!

It gets better. Beyond the natural euphoria that follows a good work out, you might find yourself actually looking forward to that backyard soccer game with the kids. Set goals for yourself, drawing from that inner state of awesomeness, and see for yourself how it affects all the key areas of your OolaLife.

Curious if your life is balanced? Find out with a quick and easy FREE LIFE BALANCE TEST below.