A Fitness Plan for Life

You’re motivated to exercise.  You’re determined to succeed.  Your mindset is just right.  Now you need a plan.  Let’s start out with the two easier decisions to make when coming up with a plan to make fitness a part of your life:  Where and when?

Do you have the means to exercise at home?  Or are you a gym rat and prefer to work out at a fitness center?  Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.  Home exercise is obviously more accessible and less expensive but will not offer the equipment variety and services that a gym setting will.  A gym membership, while offering variety, may not be convenient with your current lifestyle or budget.  You will need to weigh the pros and cons when deciding where the majority of your workouts will take place.

Next you will need to decide when your workouts will occur.  Just as you will find many experts who say that the best time to exercise is in the morning, when glycogen stores are depleted and fat-burning takes place; you will find just as many who say that mid-day or evening is best, when your energy levels are higher and your calorie burn may be increased.  Actually, the best time to exercise is the time that best fits your schedule.  You want exercise to become a habit, a part of your everyday routine.  So you will want to choose the best time to make that happen.  In addition to the time of day, you will need to decide which days best fit your schedule.

The more difficult question to answer when developing your plan is: how?  This will mostly depend on the goals you came up with.  But a well-rounded exercise program will contain the following: cardiovascular (or aerobic) exercise, strength training and flexibility.  Simply stated, aerobic exercise refers to the use of oxygen and helps make your heart and lungs stronger.  Strength training is using resistance to build muscular strength, size or endurance.  Flexibility is the use of stretching to keep the body flexible and allow your joints to move through a full range or motion.  Obviously, I would be remiss not to mention that nutrition plays a huge role in the success of any fitness plan. While the majority of my blog will focus on fitness and exercise, I will occasionally touch upon the importance of a balanced diet and eating in moderation.

So, do you have a plan?  Have you found what works for you?  Is your plan effective in achieving your goal?  I would love to hear from you on what you have found that works for you.