Almost all adults experience weight gain as they age. So, some added pounds sort of go with the territory as we get older. But now you are looking at more than just a few pounds. OK, then--what to do?

Time to take charge of your body and its appearance. Time to get fit, you decide. But where to start? And what form of exercise combined with diet is best to control one's weight and contribute to one's personal health?

Fortunately, there's a myriad of information out there to help you get started. But before we refer you to some of these resources, consider these tips:

• Start slow and don't overdo. While exercising muscles that are not use to being used may bring on mild temporary discomfort, exercise that is painful means you are going too far, too fast. Back off and take a slower approach as you build strength and develop endurance.
• Find or pursue forms of exercise that emphasize cardio development. That is, exercise that pushes your heart rate into the appropriate target heart rate zone for your age and general physical health. (See Target Heart Rate Calculator for a calculator to determine what your target heart rate should be).
• Incorporate stretching the major muscle groups into your exercise routine, both before and after exercising. Many forms of weight training and other exercise cause muscles to contract. Stretching those muscles afterwards helps to add to your body's flexibility and counter acts the contracting of the muscles previously exercised.
• Pursue forms of exercise that you enjoy. Let's face it: a lot of us are always looking for an excuse to not do what we know we should to help ourselves physically. But, if we enjoy the activity and really look forward to it, then that motivation helps to overcome our tendencies to back slide and not get in our workouts.

We'll be adding more tips in this space in the future, all designed to help you achieve your level of fitness.