You don’t have to LOVE exercise but discovering your preferences can be the secret ingredient for success. Fitness looks different in every lifestyle, and whether going to the gym is a part of it will not make or break your progress! Fortunately, there are tons and tons of options to try and see what sticks. Running may be a 10/10 in some people’s eye, but couples will be a major red flag for you! Maybe yoga or kickboxing meets your standards better, you won’t know until you try. Developing a plan that is right for you can feel overwhelming if you are new to the world of exercise. Luckily the basics are all you need to know to get started.
Here is a quick and general guide for building your own fitness blueprint.
1. Determine your goals and priorities: everyone needs to incorporate aerobic, resistance and flexibilities into their routines, but the ratios depend on the goal.
Example goals: build muscle, reduce pain, increase energy, socializing, loose weight, run a 5k, etc.
2. Figure out your preferences for each type of exercise (cardio, resistance and exercise)
Examples of cardio: walking, jogging, biking, swimming, dancing, hiking, rowing, ellipticals etc.
Examples of resistance: body weight, TRX straps, machines, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, tires- you name it! If it is something you can lift, push, pull, or carry it will work!
Flexibility: static stretches, yoga, Pilates, tai chi, even stretch therapy sessions
3. Determine what amount of activity is recommended according to your starting point and where you want to go. For more information, visit the CDC physical activity recommendations.
Resistance: Train all major muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders, core, quads, hamstrings) at least 2x each week. This could be 2 full body workouts or split it up across a greater number of days.
Cardio: About 150-300 minutes of activity that gets your heart rate up and your blood flowing.
Flexibility: You should train your flexibility a minimum of twice per week, but realistically it should be done at the beginning and end of every bout of activity.
4. Determine your frequency and duration. Take an objective look at your schedule and identify how often you can plan to work out. Then distribute the amount of activity you should do across the number of times you can workout in a week.
Eg. You want to walk for 200 minutes in a week. But work 8-5 on weekdays. On weekdays, walk for 10 minutes in the morning or on your lunch break and 15 after dinner. Then, aim for a total of about 30-40 minutes each day of the weekend.
5. Pick which activity days will be dedicated to which type of activity.
Eg 1 You dedicate Tuesdays and Saturdays to strength training. Plan for a full body workout on each day.
Eg. 2. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are your workout days. Plan to work upper body on Monday and Thursday then lower body on Tuesday and Friday.
6. Decide where you will work out. Will you join a gym? At home? In a park?
This information is importance for the next step, but the equipment you have available will dictate what exercise options you have.
7. Pick your exercises. Once you know when you will be showing love to certain areas of your body, then you can decide how. See the article on exercises for each muscle group for more information.
Eg. Monday: Chest-bench press, Shoulder- upright row, Back- bent over row
Tuesday: Quad-squats, Hamstrings- good morning, glutes- lunges