Your motivation soars when you first commit to a healthy lifestyle, but jumping into challenging workouts without training can put you at risk for burnout and injury. Here are a few ways to slowly build your fitness to reach your long-term goals.

Time

Tracking your exercise duration makes it easy to add more physical activity gradually. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. The time can be broken into segments of at least 10 minutes spread throughout the week.

If you are new to exercise, 10 minutes at a time may be all you can handle. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t complete a 30-minute walk immediately. Start with a duration that is challenging but does not leave you exhausted. After two weeks, try adding a minute to each session. If that is too much, add 30 seconds. If it’s too little, try adding two minutes. Stick with that time for a week or two and then use the same process to add more time.

Distance

If your goal is to compete in a road race, distance is likely your top priority. Whether walking, running, or biking, begin with a comfortable distance that takes at least ten minutes to complete. You might start with a mile walk or run. Each week, gradually increase your total distance by about ten percent. This amount is recommended to limit injury as your fitness improves.

Intensity

The intensity of exercise can significantly change your fitness level. Intensity applies to all types of exercise and it can be adjusted in many ways. With strength training, it may involve the amount of weight lifted, the speed of the repetition, or the rest time between sets. During cardiovascular exercise, the intensity can be varied by speed, incline, and resistance.

Begin with a comfortable intensity until you become familiar with an exercise. Then, begin to adjust the intensity so that the exercise challenges you more. For example, increase the weight of your dumbbells or add intervals to a treadmill walk by increasing your speed or incline. These changes will give you the ability to exercise harder and longer.

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.