As scores of Americans vow to lose weight and get fit at the start of another new calendar year, many of us find ourselves thinking, “This is going to hurt.”

The thought of the pain we’re going to endure, and the dedication that’s required to see results, make many of us give up on reaching our goals just weeks into the process.

The universal way of thinking about exercise goes something like this: Work out hard. Push ourselves to the limit. Subscribe to a “no guts, no glory” mindset that involves buckets of sweat and near exhaustion.

Maybe it’s time to make peace with our exercise routines.

“There is a myth that you need to sweat to get a good workout,” said Michael Moody, a Chicago personal trainer and author. “People want to feel sore or be breathless. That way they know they did something.”

In reality, he said, “You don’t have to push yourself to that point.”

There are ways we can exercise, elevate our heart rate and derive benefits without punishing our bodies and risk injury or burn out. There are ways to work out without working up a sweat.

This is good news to Sarah Stephens, a senior accountant who became a stay-at-home of two young boys.

“I hate to sweat,” said Stephens, of Eagan, Minnesota. “It’s disgusting.”

Plus, she said, “I’ve never been one to work myself to exhaustion.”

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It is about balance, she said. 

That balance is part of embracing a healthy lifestyle that includes staying active and getting the proper amount of rest. Balance, strength and flexibility are the key components to a robust life, said Moody, the personal trainer.

Know your own body, including your boundaries. “Become a human scientist about yourself” and design a customized plan, he said.

To take advantage of the “no-sweat exercise movement,” Moody recommends the following:

  • Use a blend of “functional fitness” in daily activities and circuit training that involves nonrepetitive movements.
  • Try the stair master or elliptical, or go biking to elevate your heart rate. Each offers cardiovascular benefits, yet is not so strenuous as to leave you completely spent.
  • Do not do the same exercise every day. “A workout should involve a number of different movements. It mimics what we would do naturally if we weren’t so sedentary,” said Moody.
  • Play team sports. This option has the added benefit of camaraderie.

Walking is also a great way to maintain fitness, said Maggie Rechtenbaugh, an exercise specialist at Sanford Wellness Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

A lot of people don’t have time for the gym. But taking a short walk in the morning, at lunch and at the end of the day — known as segmented exercise — is good for you, according to Rechtenbaugh. If you can’t take 30 minutes at one time to work out, “Doing three 10-minute walks is just as beneficial.” 

She recommends walking around the block several times at lunch, stretching at your desk, squatting to pick things up, walking instead of driving, and taking the stairs, making sure to keep your core tight and focusing on your posture. All of these are beneficial. 

Related: How to Exercise at Work

Water exercise also suits some people, and there’s little chance of breaking a sweat. Yoga, too, can a good place to start. It focuses on flexibility, balance and strength.

Improve your balance by standing on one foot while brushing your teeth or doing the dishes. Build endurance by shoveling your own snow or doing your own yardwork.

That’s exactly what Stephens, the stay-at-home mom in Minnesota, has been doing.

She said she’s always preferred to incorporate exercise into her daily routine instead of taking time to go to the gym. She walks a lot, takes the stairs, plays actively with her children, and lifts weights – “I’m lifting two 30-pound kids!” she said.

Before having children, Stephens worked out fairly regularly, with occasional backsliding.

“I’ve always been physically fit, but I’m not athletically minded,” she said.

Related: The Truth About Exercise

Three years and two kids later, she has grown new muscles from being on her feet most of the day and the overall work required to take care of her family. Over the past year, Stephens has lost 40 pounds, mainly through diet. Her exercise routine has been dictated by the needs of her kids. She combines that with sporadic bouts on the elliptical with short stints at abdominal workouts. 

To augment further weight loss and get in even better shape, Stephens and her husband have decided to purchase an elliptical “to celebrate our January birthdays,” she said. 

To see physical changes in your body, you may have to break a sweat from time to time. But “exercise doesn’t need to be a punishing type of activity,” said Rechtenbaugh. “It doesn’t need to mean coming to the gym and pouring sweat four to five times a week.”