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DENVER – If you are thinking of getting off the couch and starting an exercise routine, it can be overwhelming. But personal trainer Jourdan Baldwin has a few simple steps to get you going.

TIP #1: HAVE SELF COMPASSION. Jourdan said, “The first step to getting off the couch is to develop a sense of self-compassion. If you come from a place of guilt or shame, that can do some motivation for the short term, but won`t keep you going for the long term.”

TIP #2: FIND A GOAL OTHER THAN PHYSICAL. Jourdan said, “If you can find anything else like health preventative care, stress release, anxiety, depression rather than I want to look like this or this person, that will keep you going for the long haul.”

TIP #3 PICK REALISTIC FITNESS PROGRAM. “Building a fitness routine is something that is incredibly personalized and individualized to you and it`s best to build on skill after skill after skill rather than just jumping in trying to do it all at once.”

TIP #4: FIND EXERCISES YOU ENJOY. She said, “Find something you do like. If you don`t like the activity, you won`t keep with it.”

TIP #5: DEVELOP A FITNESS PROGRAM. “When you find your activity, stick with it for 3-4 days a week for 10 minutes. Every week, add five minutes on until you get to 30 minutes. Once you get to 30 minutes four times a week consistently, do that for a couple of months to develop that habit.”

TIP #6: DON’T FALL FOR QUICK FIXES. She said, “Anytime something is a quick fix or claims to get you to where you want to be in two weeks or less, is a huge red flag.”

TIP #7: TAKE FOODS OUT OF YOUR DIET THAT DON’T MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD. Jourdan said, “If there`s food that makes you bloated, gassy, heartburn, start cutting them out of your diet, start replacing them with better foods. Over time, you will not even want those processed foods that lead to weight gain and high cholesterol, you will want the healthier foods.”

TIP #8: LET BAD DAYS PASS. She said, “There`s no day that will ever be perfect you`re not feeling like a failure, you`re able to move on the next day because you are growing with the process instead of coming down hard on yourself.”

Jourdan is a trainer at Pura Vida in Cherry Creek. She also has a fitness app. Find information about her 30-day Bikini Body Challenge here.