>I'd love to know how you pulled this off...

Here is what worked for me. Maybe some or all of it will work for you.

The foundation rule is: I will not injure myself. (I'm pushing 50 and don't heal like I used to)

To avoid all-or-nothing thinking I explicitly decided against making this a lifetime commitment. Instead I would re-evaluate at 4-week intervals if I wanted to continue. Knowing there was a GO/NOGO milestone in the near future really helped me get through the first few weeks. (After the first few cycles I had integrated the jogging habit into my lifestyle and didn't need the GO/NOGO milestones anymore)

Then, I sat down and figured some stuff out in advance. Namely:

1) Deciding (and committing) what days and times I will jog.

For my schedule, Tue/Thu/Sat mornings before work was best.

2) Decide what I will do if the weather is bad, or there is some other reason why I could not go at the scheduled time.

3) Define a set route to follow.

I follow the same route every time. I never need to think about it and I don't get bored since there are several unique stretches of environment along my route. Also all the plants and things change through the seasons which is something to notice and appreciate.

What worked best for me was to follow a set path until mid-way through my run, then turn around and retrace my steps. (Setting a countdown timer on my watch to beep when I was halfway through the session, rounding the session time up a bit if necessary.)

4) Follow an established program.

I chose the popular "Couch to 5K" program. Using the "NHS Choices 5K" podcast with Coach Laura.

5) Set the bar for success as LOW as possible.

For me, a run "counts" if I put on my jogging clothes and shoes. Then step outside my front door and walk even a single step away from the house. Seriously. I can turn around right then and go back inside and it counts as a win.

For my personality, consistency and reliability are FAR more important than time spent or distance travelled.

6) Accept that I'll need to repeat episodes. Let go of needing to progress through the program at the pre-determined pace.

The important thing was getting out and moving. The program is advertised as taking 9 weeks. It took me a lot longer than that but I accepted that up front so it didn't bother me.

--

I quickly found that carrying my phone in my hand was uncomfortable, so I bought an armband holder for about $10.

I also found using wired earbuds was a hassle (the wires) and maybe dangerous (they block environmental sound). So I bought a pair of "AfterShokz" bone conduction headphones for about $150. They're great and I'm glad I got them.

Finally, I should note that I only started the jogging plan after I got my weight down to under 200lb. For that, I went with the "Slow Carb" eating plan since it was simple to follow, seemed sustainable long-term, and gave me a "cheat day" once a week. Honestly, as far as I can tell, just about any popular eating plan will work. So if you need to lose some fat (like I did), just pick one and try it for a few months to see if you like it.

https://archive.org/details/genghiskhantheem035122mbp/page/n...

  One day in the pavilion at Karakorum he asked
  an officer of the Mongol guard what, in all the
  world, could bring the greatest happiness.

  "The open steppe, a clear day, and a swift horse
  under you," responded the officer after a little
  thought, "and a falcon on your on your wrist to
  start up hares."

  "Nay," responded the Khan, "to crush your enemies,
  to see them fall at your feet -- to take their 
  horses and goods and hear the lamentation of 
  their women. That is best."

Tentatively planning to move back next year or maybe the year after.

May I contact you for some advice? (There is no public email in your HN profile so I'm asking here in a comment)

If you have stocks in a pre-tax retirement account like a traditional IRA in the US (or RRSP in Canada?), now could be a good time to sell them, move the money into a post-tax account like a ROTH IRA (or TFSA?), then buy the equivalent number of stocks there.

You will pay reduced taxes because the value of the stocks is relatively low, then pay no tax when you finally withdraw from the ROTH. (All else being equal and imho, the market is likely to recover over time)

That is, if you don't mind the risk that the market might massively rebound in the middle of the transaction.

There are a bunch of assumptions here. Do your own research and don't blindly believe a stranger on the Internet. Make sure you understand the taxes, fees, penalties, or whatever you will have to pay.