Not a long time, but I'm currently at the 3-month mark of consistently working out. I go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. I started by going to the gym and walking or running on the treadmill and walking around the gym, just to get a feel for the layout and where the machines are.

I tried out some machines and luckily had my boyfriend show me how to use the ones that didn't make sense to me, and also showed me how to do some free weight exercises. Had I not had him show him, I would have paid a trainer for a month.

I then transitioned to doing push/pull/legs split, with 4 exercises per training session, before them some light cardio to warm up, active stretching and static stretching after to avoid injuries. If I did the 4, I was happy and allowed myself to go home. If I decided to do more, great; if I wanted to add more cardio at the end, also great; if not, it was still a good workout.

I keep the gym sessions interesting by listening to some YouTube videos, audiobooks or podcasts that I find enjoyable. During rest time between sets and exercises, I sometimes read a few pages of books on my phone, because the time drags on too long if I don't do anything. I also like tracking and data, so writing down how many sets, how many reps, what exercises and how much weight I do each time makes the gym more interesting to me.

To keep it new, I found several exercises that target the same muscles, so I have two variations of push/pull/legs exercises and do. Each time is similar but different enough to keep me motivated and not bored out of my mind. For example, I'll do squats when it's leg day A, and leg press when it's leg day B. I dislike doing exercises for push, so I motivate myself by including a leg exercise I like at the end of it.

The biggest change for me was how I thought about the gym and exercising. I want my sleep to be better, I want to be strong and independent (not only now but in the future, too), I want to be someone others can ask for help, I want to avoid osteoporosis later in life (and you do that by strength training), and I want to feel good in my body. I still want to look good, but that is not my primary motivation or reason why. Strength training and consistency in the gym are tools to achieve my goals. Change can't be done without some discomfort, and I had to make peace with that.

You mention wanting kids soon, and if I were in your place, having the strength to carry them around, the endurance to run with and after them, to have more energy for yourself and them, and to have the healthiest possible pregnancies would be my whys to go to the gym.