Learn about how to Create an exercise plan

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If you are ready to get healthy, it's time to create an exercise plan! No one can deny the benefits of regular exercise when it comes to obtaining optimal health.  Exercise not only helps you to maintain a healthy body weight, but it also keeps your heart healthy and strong.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that healthy adults get in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, each and every week, as well as doing muscle strengthening activities two days each week that work the major muscle groups (hips, legs, back, shoulders, chest, and abdomen).  

NOTE: Always consult your physician before beginning any new exercise regimen!

Aerobic activity is sometimes called "cardio" and can be any activity that makes you breathe harder and makes your heart beat faster than normal.  Aerobic activity does not necessarily mean doing aerobics, but can be applied to all types of different normal activities that you do – such as moving the lawn with a push mower, taking a dance class, or bicycling to the store or work instead of driving.  As long as you are doing the activity for a minimum of ten minutes at a time, you can count these activities in on your 150 minute minimum exercise threshold to becoming fit.  Aerobic activity might include:

• Walking briskly
• Participating in water aerobics
• Paying tennis
• Jogging
• Running
• Swimming laps in the pool
• Playing basketball

Activity that is done to strengthen the muscles in your hips, legs, back, shoulders, chest and abdomen is strength training.  In order to be effective, the strength training activities that you do must be done to the point that it becomes difficult for you to another repetition without help.  A repetition is simply one complete movement during an activity, like doing a sit up or lifting a particular weight.  Eight to twelve repetitions count as one set, no matter what activity that you do for strengthening your muscles.  At least three sets should be done in each session, although you can begin slowly and work yourself up to more.  Strength training activity might include:

• Lifting weights and barbells
• Using resistance bands
• Push-ups
• Sit-up
• Yoga
• Heavy gardening activity, like shoveling and digging

No matter whether you are a beginner, someone who is just returning to exercise after having become a couch potato over the winter, or if you simply want to change your workout to focus on your particular needs, creating an exercise plan can be challenging and fun – and a great way to get into fantastic shape. Since everyone is different, creating an exercise plan that is personalized to your goals and your activities can be your best bet to sticking with your guns and living a healthier lifestyle. 

Your first step in getting started is to formulate some personal fitness goals, and to determine why you want to create an exercise plan for yourself.  Perhaps you want to build endurance, lose weight, or lower your blood pressure.  Moderate walking may be the best place for you to start with your exercise plan, and this is because it is low impact and nearly everyone can walk.  Determine the types of exercise that seem to be the right ones for weaning yourself off of your sedentary lifestyle – and consider discussing your options with a personal trainer.  You might also visit a fitness store or fitness center and try out some types of equipment to see which seems to fit your current fitness level the best.  You might also consider joining a gym – which is a great way to use the equipment that they have on hand without having to buy your own or find room for it in your home.  Some of the best exercise plans don't use equipment at all – they simply involve walking or jogging and some strength exercises like sit-ups and push-ups – all that is required is a comfortable spot on the floor or an exercise mat.  

Next comes the hardest part – finding time for exercise.  While most people lead busy, busy lives, there are some windows of time in everyone's schedule that can be used for exercise.  Even if you just do your 150 minutes of weekly exercise ten minutes at a time, you are working towards becoming more fit.

However your schedule works out best, you can incorporate exercise into your life by looking for windows of opportunity.  Will you walk the twenty minutes it takes to get to work, at least three days per week? If so, you've knocked out 120 minutes of exercise each week when you consider twenty minutes there and twenty minutes back.  Take advantage of your lunch hour to walk around the neighborhood.  Do sit-ups while watching television with the kids – whatever it takes to get moving and get fit.  

Without a healthy eating plan, exercise doesn't pack as much punch.  Incorporate some better food choices into your new lifestyle.  In general, a healthy diet is low in sodium, saturated fats, refined sugars and processed foods and abundant in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy. 

If you have created an exercise plan in order to lose weight, keep track of the calories that you eat each day. In general, you should eat 2000 calories or less in order to shed unwanted weight.  

The reason that many exercise plans are so exciting in the beginning and then fizzle out quickly is because they become monotonous.  Add some excitement to your routine by changing the types of activities that you incorporate into your exercise plan at regular intervals – around every two weeks or so.  Mix it up a bit to avoid the crushing boredom that can sidetrack your success. 

Be patient, and don't expect too much too soon, especially if you are a beginning exerciser.  Allow time for results to be visible.  When you are exercising to lose weight, don't be surprised to see the scales refuse to go down; the simple explanation for this is that muscle weighs more than fat – and you are building muscle by exercising while losing fat, so you are leaner, but bulkier – and that's a good thing. 

And a final tip – always consult with your physician before creating an exercise plan to make sure that you are healthy enough to do the types of exercise that you have planned.