How to Create a Workout Routine

So, you say you want to become a healthier person? Well, there are two main factors that go into creating a healthier you, diet and exercise. Diet and various types of exercises you can perform or participate in I have addressed in numerous previous posts.

In this post, I’ll be discussing how to actually create an exercise routine. How to carve time out of your busy day. How to make it stick and what general types of workouts you should be doing in order to create that healthier version of yourself. If you are new to the workout scene, please consult with a medical professional prior to embarking.

Perhaps the first step in creating a workout routine is determining when, exactly, in your day you can fit in some exercise time. And it does not have to be the same time every day. Although, exercising at the same time each day does make things less complicated.

On the other hand, life always intrudes with more pressing issues, which makes it difficult to maintain that daily workout schedule. The best advice I can give here is to be flexible. Don’t stress if work or family causes you to miss or reschedule a workout. Look ahead as much as possible to looming issues and try to schedule your workout routine around them.

Perhaps the easiest way to schedule exercise into your daily routine is to get up earlier in the morning and get it done first thing. Of course, this SHOULD entail getting to bed earlier as sleep is just as important as exercise and diet for your well-being. For others, exercising after work is the better solution…so long as “after work” is not 8:30 in the evening.

As much as possible, avoid exercising three hours prior to bedtime as exercise invigorates the body and mind and it takes at least three hours for both to get ready for sleep. One last thing, write your exercise times into your daily schedule a week ahead of time and then post that schedule at various locations in your home/office as a motivational reminder. We tend to desire to complete things when they’re on a to-do list.

When it comes to exercise, most experts divide it into two broad categories, strength training and cardiovascular. Strength training involves using resistance to strengthen and build muscles, connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) and bones. Cardiovascular exercise is the process of using endurance training to build and strengthen the system (heart, lungs and arteries) within your body that transports oxygenated blood to those same muscles. Most exercise experts place equal value on each one. Therefore, both should be included in your exercise routine to attain a healthier you.

Back to those exercise experts…they state that we should engage in at least 1.5 hours of strength training per week which should be broken up into at least two sessions with two days rest between each workout. During these workouts, you should strive to work all the major muscle groups (legs, chest, arms, shoulders and back) once per week. Remember, you’re not entering a body building contest. Your muscles will benefit from simple body weight resistance exercise like push-ups, squats, and planks.

As for cardiovascular exercise, the experts recommend at least 2.5 hours per week broken up into at least 3-4 sessions. Yes, 2.5 hours seems like a lot, but it works out to 30 minutes per session, 5 days per week and cardiovascular workouts can be performed on consecutive days. Again, you’re not training to break any marathon records here, brisk walking for 30 minutes will get the job done as will 30 minutes on the stationary bike or 30 minutes of breaststroke in the local pool.

As I mentioned in my previous post about meal planning, once you create a workout routine, STICK TO THE PLAN…sorry for yelling. Make your workouts a priority in your life, not above your family or job, but above binging The Bachelor or drinking with the guys/gals.

Finally, you’ve got to give this some time. You will NOT see results in your overall fitness and well-being in just a few days, that will be more like a few weeks. Just remember, your body adjusts to the stresses placed upon it, so long as those stresses aren’t too severe. Keep working those leg muscles (quads, hamstrings and calves) and they’ll become stronger. Get out there for 30-45 minute walks every day and your cardiovascular system becomes more efficient. This isn’t rocket science here, it’s biology.  Most importantly, enjoy!