How to Build an Exercise Routine
Our bodies are built for movement! So if we want to look and feel our best, we need to live an active lifestyle.
Many Americans, however, spend most of their days seated or standing still. This kind of sedentary lifestyle is harmful to our health because it can cause us to gain weight and puts us at higher risk of developing illnesses like cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and some forms of cancer.
Being physically active, however, can keep your body healthy and even offset the effects of aging. Getting plenty of activity every day improves your brain health, helps you to manage your body weight, strengthens your bones and muscles, reduces your risk of disease, and improves your ability to do everyday activities.
To keep your body healthy, I recommend building a consistent weekly routine that meets all the recommendations for exercise. Get out your calendar, and plan out on what days and at what times you’ll do your workouts, according to the recommendations below.
Cardio
According to the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, each week adults need a total of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity as well as at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening exercise.
Moderate-intensity exercise counts as anything that gets your heart rate up into a moderate-intensity zone (between 64% and 75% of your max heart rate). This can be going on a brisk walk or bike ride, taking a dance or group fitness class, or using a cardio machine at your local gym. Because the goal of this kind of exercise is to improve the health of your cardiovascular system, many people call this kind of exercise “cardio.”
Break up your 150 minutes of cardio between the number of days per week you have available to exercise. I recommend either 5 days of 30-minute sessions, 4 days of about 40-minute sessions, or 3 days of 50-minute sessions.
To make sure you’re working at the right intensity during your cardio workouts, you can wear a heart rate monitor or fitness tracking device, or you can track your heart rate manually while exercising. You can also use the "talking test" to make sure you’re working at the right intensity (you should be able to speak in full sentences or a few words at a time between breaths, but you shouldn’t be able to sing).
There are many options for ways to get your cardio in each week. Try to find something that you enjoy and can look forward to—this will help you to stick with it consistently. Check out this list of recommended types of exercise for your moderate-intensity cardiovascular training.
Resistance Training
You should also plan at least 2 days each week to do some resistance training to strengthen your muscles and bones.
As we get older, our muscles atrophy with disuse. This loss of muscle reduces our mobility and bone density and also puts us at higher risk of injury. By doing resistance training at least twice per week, you can reverse this process and keep your muscles and bones strong.
If you’re new to resistance training, start with a beginner-level program that focuses on basic exercise technique and mobility. An example weekly workout routine for a beginner might look like this:
Day 1: Cardio 30 minutes + Resistance Training
Day 2: Cardio 30 minutes
Day 3: Cardio 30 minutes
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Cardio 30 minutes + Resistance Training
Day 6: Cardio 30 minutes
Day 7: Rest
Keep in mind that in order to continue building strength and avoid hitting a plateau, you’ll need to practice what we call “progressive overload.” This means gradually increasing the challenge to your muscles over time. You can do this by practicing more difficult variations of exercises, adding more resistance, and/or adding another day of resistance training to your schedule (i.e., increase frequency).
At the intermediate level, your training schedule might look like this:
Day 1: Cardio 30 minutes + Resistance Training
Day 2: Cardio 30 minutes
Day 3: Cardio 30 minutes + Resistance Training
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Cardio 30 minutes + Resistance Training
Day 6: Cardio 30 minutes
Day 7: Rest
Stay Consistent!
Remember that in order to see results, you need to stay consistent on your weekly exercise routine. Fat loss and muscle-building are slow processes that take place over the course of a few weeks to a few months.
That’s why I think it’s so important to keep a consistent schedule. Do your workouts on the same days and times each week, and treat them like very important appointments. Avoid canceling or rescheduling as much as possible. If you absolutely have to reschedule, then make sure to do the workout within 24 hours to keep the habit going.
Jayd Harrison
Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains) is a personal trainer and affiliate streamer on Twitch. She has been an active trainer since 2014 and now specializes in comprehensive weight loss coaching. Check out some of Jayd’s coaching videos on Youtube, or join Jayd live on Twitch on Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:30am EST for a Fit Q&A session.
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