The most important thing to decide if you are on a campaign to get in shape is do you want to be an olympian, or do you want to be a healthy person?

For an olympian, working out is his or her job. For the rest of us, working out doesn't have to be full of the same work-related stresses that we fight with the rest of the day.

If you are competitive to a fault, work out alone and don't cheat by wearing gizmos that log how far and how fast you go. You are much more likely to work out regularly if you feel like you can enjoy yourself at the same time.

Some of us feed off of competition; if you are one of these, go for it. Work out with a partner who is in better shape and see if you can't keep up, and eventually, pass them up. You may lose a few friends, but you'll be running marathons before you know it. (Watch your heart rate; if you can't comfortably talk for most of the time that you are working out, your are going at it anarobically, which means you aren't getting enough oxygen to the muscles, including the one pumping your blood.)

Try to do something for 20 minutes every day. Walk to work, buy a couple of panniers for your bicycle and shop on two wheels, or play with your kids when they come home from school. The idea is to do anything that is pulling oxygen into your lungs, in nice deep breaths, and that gets the blood going.

If you love to socialize, take a class in jazz dance, or join a walking team. Your friends will be looking for you if you don't show up, and a little guilt goes a long way to get you to class.

Yoga is an excellent alternative to hyper exercise classes, and hardly anybody wears skimpy leotards. There are a few different types of yoga, and you will be happier with the class if you choose the one that best suits your needs.

Ashtanga yoga is very intense, and fast paced, but still includes all the beautiful breathing, and elongating of the muscles. Eventually, the repetition of the poses makes them much easier. Iyengar yoga is smooth and detailed, and it isn't uncommon to have a restorative class once during the month, which can take place blissfully on the floor. There is also the sweat lodge yoga, very much in fashion, which includes working out at a crazy pace in sauna-like temperatures. To me, this seems like the anti yoga. Why not just run 15 miles in a plastic suit, and keep your money for a movie?

Specifically designed yoga classes for pregnant women are some of the best things going. Always be sure that you have a qualified instructor and check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

If you happen to be new mother, throw away anything they hand you in the hospital that says you should be doing sit ups the day you come home from the hospital. I was reduced to tears when I read the horrible handy tip that I should be exercising my flab when I could barely make it to the bathroom. Give yourself a couple of weeks, and then go at it gradually. Plain, old walking with your baby in his or her carriage or snuggled into a baby carrier is the easiest challenge to take on, and it gets you out of the house for a minute. When you are ready, 10 sit ups a day are as good as 50, to get you started.