Speaking from experience, if you really want to make a change, now is the time! It can be done. I'm living proof! The earlier you start down this new road, the more time you'll have to enjoy it and the less you'll be saying, "Oh, if I had only...."

Find some activity they like, and set a concrete goal relating to it.

When we were starting at tris, it was most likely to finish a sprint triathlon...but not everyone wants to be a triathlete. Even if they want to get into something less directly aerobic. For a lot of people, any activity is a step up. Tell them to think about either something they've always thought would be fun to do, or an activity they used to be involved in (ie. basketball, or some team sport). They can set a goal to join an adult league (and not for the beer), or play a certain amount of pickup games/month. Some real goal to work toward...and tell them to have fun

+1 to jsk. that was exactly what i recommend to everybody i talk to. if you don't enjoy what you are doing, then you won't stick with it. losing 20 lbs isn't a bad goal to have....but if you can't find someway to make it pleasurable, statistically, you will fail...also do research online to find a forum that is involved in that sport. any sport forum will also have a health/fitness forum, if not a whole section designated for it. the internet is loaded w/ bad advice for everything....but at the same time, it's filled with very informational info on just about anything, it just takes digging sometimes. don't be afraid to ask for help from people who have been down the road you are going down and have achieved results that you want to achieve...ie: don't ask the 225 lb bodybuilder in the gym how to improve stamina for boxing or how to be successful in a lightweight MMA career. some people have interests in different sports, and are knowledgable in alot of different things, but more often than not, when somebody finds something they love, they pursue that with everything they have and don't look for other things.

1. Find something about working out that you enjoy. If you like something you are more likely to do it.
2. Write down a measurable set of reasonable goals. If it is written down you are less likely to skip or quit.
3. Find a plan that is reasonable for your current physical state that will allow you to meet your goals.
4. Don't expect too much too soon.
5. Don't compare yourself to others who have been working out for months or years. The contest is with yourself.
6. Analyze what you are eating, but don't out of control with your dieting. Eat what you like at certain times each week.
7. Make friends at the gym or join a running/tri club. It is hard to miss if others are expecting to see you there.
8. Don't let socializing interfere with working out. Agree on time norms for conversation.
9. Don't keep the same routine for extended periods of time. Maybe the #1 mistake I see with my friends and family. They wonder why they are not making gains or losing weight, but they never vary the workout or the intensity.
10. Educate yourself. Subscribe to a magazine, search the net, ask questions, or join a forum.

These were the ideas I shared with the YMCA members I spoke with last spring.

Trifuel is a great place to find out what to do and how to do it.

At the risk of getting all pop psych - the why part is the kicker, IMHO. And that we can't help you find.

I am living proof. that's it. women "resolutionists" have come up to me at the gym after not having seen me for a while and just oooh and aaah at how I look. And the questions pour in. "how did you do it?, how do you get up that early?, how do you run that far?"..... and all I say is, "if it's important to you, you WILL find the time, motivation, energy, alarm clock..." and I tell them I started run/walking an annual charity 5k before I had my 1st child, and when I was done having my 4th, my goal was to run the whole thing, and I did, and that accomplishment made me want to see what else I could do, and so it went, slowly but surely, building. But start small, and celebrate each accomplishment as a goal achieved. How can that NOT be addicting?!

sign up for a race and tell people = initial motivation

set your first PR and think about what could have gone better = second race motivation

set your second PR and realize how much you have to improve = addiction to exercise

Advice I pass on to new folks:

To go somewhere, you have to start by taking steps on a road leading in that direction. As long as you're walking on that road, however slowly, you're going there. If your road is fitness and you go for a walk today, you've taken a step on that road. Just make sure to take another step tomorrow and another the next day. If you get detoured or have to stop, just get back on the road. You'll get there!

Set a real goal. Make it something tangible that you will accomplish on a given day in the future. It can be a triathlon, a 5k walk, climbing a local hill, kayaking across a local lake, doesn't matter what it is. Making it a real thing with a real date makes it something you will want to work towards. If you need help making a plan to get to that goal on that date, by all means ask someone for help, or find a book, website, or other resource.

More than any of this though, I've found that the best way to help people is to do more than talk but to get involved with them. Several years I have coached a group of first-time women triathletes, mostly moms, to doing their first sprint triathlon. This was something that was largely informal, but I've gone out on runs at a 13 minute pace, encouraged, walked, rode my mountain bike, swam in circles around them at the lake or kicked next to them with a kickboard so that they felt comfortable swimming in open water. Being with them through the journey and on race day really makes such a huge difference in someone's experience. To me, that's the best way to lend encouragement.

Many years ago, the first person I knew who did an Ironman was my boyfriend at that time. He had been 240 pounds when a co-worker who was a very fast runner offered to go running with him. This guy ran/walked with him until he eventually started training on his own. Eventually of course he got in awesome shape, became a triathlete and then an Ironman. Without that runner taking the time away from his own self-involved training to train with someone slower and out of shape, he might never have made that transformation.

Whenever we can find the time to help others realize their goals, I think that's the best way to truly help others find fitness and a love of activity or sport.

If somebody asks me questions I just tell them what worked for me and how to start out with some simple goals and build upon that.
Then work on a long term goal and some short term goals get you on the right path.

I have my plans and such but I am definitely a Type B personality, I kinda go with the flow.
I like having fun with it.
Many people start out and go to hard and don't see results and forget to have fun.

Dear New Year's Resolution folks,

If you are going to quit in a month, can you do it now instead? It won't really make a difference to your health, and you're just making it too crowded in the gym/pool. It might even save you money, and it will definitely save you time!

If you're serious about your health - and I sincerely hope you are - then you have to find something you enjoy, that you can imagine doing over and over for the rest of your life. For me, I enjoy cycling, running and swimming, so training is enjoyable. If it's not enjoyable, try something else until you find something you can stick with.

And +1 to the people who say sign up for a race... if you enjoy running, cycling, and swimming then that's a great way to keep you motivated on the days you're feeling like staying on the couch.

Thanks!
jono