If you’ve pretty much been planted in the couch cushions, here’s how to start exercising and establish a fitness routine you’ll actually stick with.

If the only workout you’ve done over the past few weeks is beating yourself up for being lazy, it’s time to forgive and move on. We asked weight loss experts and personal trainers for their best advice on how to start exercising again after a lull. Here’s how to get up, establish a fitness routine, and stay motivated long past waning New Year’s resolutions.

Take Some Selfies.
In order to accurately track your progress, it’s helpful to identify your starting point and then define your goal. Straws suggests taking measurements of your body and some photos so you’ll be able to see how far you’ve come. Throw on a sports bra and shorts (or a bathing suit or whatever you feel comfortable using), then take a video with your smart phone to capture your body from all angles. You can turn the video into still photos by taking screen shots. Do this every two to four weeks to track your progress, Straws says. You might also want use a tape measure and track measurements in your biceps, waist, hips, bust, and thigh areas so you can see you’re losing inches, even on weeks when it seems the scale hasn’t budged.

Start Small.
So you haven’t lifted a weight since the week before Halloween? Give yourself a break. “People want to go back to where they were with their fitness a few months ago, but they can’t,” says Liz Josefsberg, CPT, a weight loss expert who worked several years as the director of brand advocacy for Weight Watchers. The first week you’re easing back into exercising, start small. Know that any movement is good movement. Commit to doing 10 minutes of an exercise video or walking for exercise three days this week. “This will help you establish behaviors and create the habit you want to have in place,” she says.

Make One Change at a Time.
The first week you intend to exercise, look ahead at your schedule and establish modest changes to your routine. On Sunday night, commit to getting your exercise clothes out for the next day and then setting your alarm to wake up 30 minutes earlier on Monday. “Set the bar low with new behavior modifications in order to make changes that’ll last,” says Josefsberg. She doesn’t even suggest exercising that first Monday. Just prep the night before and wake up earlier. Then on Tuesday morning, slip on those exercise clothes and do 10 minutes of one exercise DVD, suggests Josefsberg.

Write down five ways you are going to be healthy today, Straws says: “Written words are powerful!” Your daily success list could include things like not drinking soda, eating more vegetables, doing 30 minutes of walking today, taking the stairs in your office once a day, and drinking more water. Keep them small and achievable so you’ll be motivated by your daily victories.

Plan Out Your Mornings.
Starting a morning workout routine is just like establishing any other new habit: It requires some plain-old hard work and dedication. Try these tips from Josefsberg to make it stick: Prep your coffeemaker to go off tomorrow morning when you wake up, pack your lunch the night before or ask your partner to help out with making lunches for the family, decide which workout DVD or routine you’re going to do the next morning, lay out the work clothes you’ll wear and get them ready the evening before, and consider buying dry shampoo so you can save time in the shower before you start your workday. Look at each week ahead of time and plan exercise accordingly. If you have an early-morning meeting, be realistic and understand that you probably won’t work out that day. Advance prepping and planning can eliminate decisions about your workout, clothes, or what you’re eating that day—freeing up time to actually exercise.

Overcome Your Fear of the Gym.
The gym can be an intimidating place for many of us, and if you’re overweight, obese, or just plain inexperienced you might be afraid that people are staring or judging you. “Most of the time, everyone at the gym is focusing on themselves, even the fittest, most attractive person you’ll come across,” Straws says. Start with cardio machines to build up your comfort level, or bring some weights to a quiet area of the gym or an empty studio to start training by yourself, he suggests. You could also ask the personal trainers at the gym for help getting set up on certain equipment to make sure you’re using it properly.

Expect to Fall.
Here’s the reality of any journey, whether it’s business, relationships, diet, or fitness—you’re going to make mistakes and stumble along the way. There will be times when life will get crazy and you’ll temporarily be derailed, says Straws. “Everyone falls. It’s part of the experience and you should expect it. But the difference between failing on a diet or fitness routine and succeeding is that you pick yourself up from the fall and keep going, or you use it as an excuse to quit,” he says. Just like you would if you were faced with an issue in the workplace, identify the problem and take action to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Make New Habits.
If you can nail down a few fitness habits—whether that’s getting up a few mornings a week or even showing up to the gym when you don’t feel like it—you’re more likely to be successful. “Habit is 75 percent of the challenge with exercise,” says Sukala. Once your mental game is on point and established, the physical aspect of following through with your intentions will be easier, he says.