In last week's class, we asked you to think about your fitness goals, identify some activities that you might like to do, find someone to be your fitness partner, and fill out a Fitness Contract. We also encouraged you to take the first step out the door, even if it was just a short walk.

This week we'll cover the nuts and bolts of putting together a well-rounded fitness program, from how much time you should spend on exercise to the mix of weekly activities. Keep in mind, if you want to keep it completely simple, you can just take a walk each day -- any exercise is much better than none at all. But just as you need a certain amount and variety of foods for good nutrition, you need a combination of aerobic, stretching, and strength-building activities to really be fit.

Looking to get fit? If you're an adult in reasonable health, here's what federal experts say:

Moderate-intensity activities for at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week

To help manage your weight and prevent unhealthy weight gain from creeping up on you as you get older, the experts recommend:

Moderate-intensity physical activity at least 60 minutes a day

And to sustain weight loss as you get older, the experts recommend:

Moderate-intensity physical activity 60 to 90 minutes a day, while not taking in more than your recommended daily calories

•Moderate activity burns 3.5 to 7 calories per minute. Examples include walking at 3 to 4.5 mph, swimming, bicycling on level ground, yoga, weight training, most types of dancing, and moderate yard or house work -- such as raking leaves or scrubbing floors.

•Vigorous activity burns 7 or more calories per minute. Examples include racewalking, running, walking uphill, backpacking, rock climbing, bicycling fast or uphill, and heavy yard or house work -- such as splitting logs or moving heavy furniture.

How do your favorite activities rate? Click here for the full activity guide.

Heart experts also recommend strength training twice a week.

If you get at least this amount of exercise in any form, you're on your way to fitness! Now, take it a step further. To get the most benefit from exercise, design a workout plan that covers the three main areas of fitness -- aerobic exercise to strengthen the heart and lungs, muscular strength and endurance training, and flexibility exercises. It sounds complicated, but it's not too hard once you understand each of these types of exercise.

•Tip: No matter what you do, always remember to warm up with 5 to 10 minutes of walking or slow jogging, and cool down with another 5 to 10 minutes of walking or stretching.

How often: At least 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensive activity on most or all days of the week.

Aerobic activities are what most people picture when they think of exercising. You might imagine a gym full of sweaty people huffing away on stationary bikes, or a room full of people frantically stepping up and down in time to music. While those are aerobic exercises, the truth is that any activity that gets your heart rate up is aerobic ("air using"), whether it's walking with your baby, salsa dancing, or bicycling to work. And every little bit counts.

Aerobic activities (also called cardio workouts or cardio exercise) are an efficient way to burn calories while strengthening your heart and lungs. They're great at relieving stress and mild depression, and may help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure and fend off certain cancers.

While running for 30 minutes will burn more calories than 30 minutes of walking, remember that you can choose to walk for a longer period and use roughly the same amount of energy. You don't have to push yourself hard to benefit from exercise. Go slow and steady for the first four to six weeks, and gradually increase the effort over the following four to six months as you're ready to handle it. That way you won't get discouraged by a difficult activity, and more importantly, you won't injure yourself.

Regardless of your activity, you'll want to exercise at a pace that makes you breathe harder and increases your heart rate. We'll talk more about exercising at your "target heart rate" in the next class. For now, know that when you're doing moderate-intensity exercise, you should be breathing harder and talking will be somewhat more difficult; still, you should still be able to carry on a conversation. If you're just starting an exercise program, you should work at a lower intensity than this and gradually ramp up your workout.

Learn more: Aerobics 101

Activities to try: Everyday exercise, walking, running, swimming, bicycling, kickboxing, power yoga, salsa dancing

How often: At least two 20-minute sessions of weight-bearing exercise per week

You can work on muscle strength and endurance without lifting heavy dumbbells -- the key is resistance and repetition. This can be done with any type of resistance, such as elastic bands, weights, or even using your own body weight. The goal of strength training is to make your muscles strong, so that you can move and function more efficiently. It's especially important to strengthen your core muscles (the ones that surround your torso) because they make up the support system for almost every motion your body makes. Building up those muscles also helps prevent bad posture and low back pain.

The other part, endurance training, is about stamina. The more you do an exercise, the easier it becomes -- increasing your stamina so you can do it for a longer time without tiring. As a bonus, the muscle definition you'll develop will look nice, too. You'll sometimes see strength and muscleendurance training listed separately, but there's a lot of overlap in the types of activities that will build strength and endurance (like weight training). Many aerobic activities also build muscle endurance (long distance running is a great cardio workout and also builds endurance, for example). If you're already doing aerobic and strength activities, you don't really need a separate type of activity to work on endurance.

Learn more: Weight training 101

Activities to try: Guide to strength training, Power yoga, abdominal exercises, exercise ball

How often: At least 5 to10 minutes every day

The third main component of a good fitness plan is any activity that improves flexibility and balance. If your joints are limber, you'll have better range of motion and be less likely to get hurt while doing everyday activities like bending over or reaching for something on a high shelf. Flexibility may also help you avoid injuring yourself while playing sports -- say, swinging a golf club or lunging at a tennis ball. Stretching relaxes stiff muscles, which helps you relieve everyday stress and tension.

Though studies have not yet proven a clear benefit to stretching, most fitness experts advise it. Everyone can benefit from 10 minutes of daily stretching, especially people who have arthritis or stiffness. You can stretch as part of your aerobic or strength workouts while you cool down, during breaks at your desk, at night while you watch TV -- or just set aside 10 minutes a day for stretching. Remember, never stretch "cold" or you can strain your muscles. (Your muscles are cold first thing in the morning, or if you've been sitting still for a long time.) To warm up, walk or march in place for a few minutes, or start with very gentle movements.) Yoga and Pilates are excellent for improving flexibility and balance, and depending on intensity, they may also count toward aerobic exercise.Yoga and Pilates have another benefit -- they also improve muscle endurance. Pilates is particularly good for strengthening the core muscles -- the muscles that support your trunk. Remember, never stretch an injured area or push so hard that it hurts.

Learn more: Stretching 101

Activities to try: Guide to simple stretches, Pilates, yoga, power yoga

Simply put, the best type of exercise is the one you'll do. Choose an activity you like, or alternate between a few different activities so you don't get bored. When starting out, try low-impact activities such as walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing. Our Fitness Finder can help you find activities that will fit your goals and personality. You'll need to use the Fitness Finder three times to get separate lists of aerobic, strength training, and flexibility activities.

Some of the most recent (and very popular) fitness classes offered at larger health clubs incorporate all elements of fitness -- strength training, muscle endurance training and stretching. With names such as Yoga/spin (yoga and aerobic cycling), Cardio sculpt (aerobics and strength training with various equipment), and Yogilates (yoga and Pilates), these fusion classes cater to individuals who are crunched for time in the gym or who are looking for more variety in their program. Always talk to the class instructor before trying any new fitness class. Some of the fusion classes may require previous experience and a certain level of basic fitness.

If you have a particular fitness goal in mind, you may be able to find activities that will help you reach your goal. For bone strength, weight-bearing exercises will bring you the best results. For arthritis pain, you'll want to focus on flexibility and range-of-motion. If you're primarily trying to lose weight, our weight loss class is an excellent place for advice.

Example schedule 1: Commuter plan

Here's a sample beginning fitness plan for a commuter who can walk or bicycle to work (or walk or bicycle to public transit like a bus or metro train):

Sunday: Take a 20 minute walk, stretch 10 minutes

Monday: Walk or bicycle 15 minutes each way to work (30 minutes total), stretch 10 minutes at work (during breaks or lunchtime)

Tuesday: Walk or bicycle 30 minutes, stretch 10 minutes. Work out with weights 20 minutes after work (if you're just starting to weight train, begin with lighter weights to avoid injury)

Wednesday: Walk or bicycle 30 minutes, stretch 10 minutes

Thursday: Walk or bicycle 30 minutes, stretch 10 minutes

Friday: Walk or bicycle 30 minutes, stretch 10 minutes

Saturday: 1 hour yoga class or 30 minutes of weight training and 10 minutes of stretching

As you can see, if you incorporate exercise into your commute, you can easily get 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week. Add in two weight training sessions (or one weight training workout and one yoga class), and you've got a balanced fitness plan. While Sunday's stretching and walking are "extra," they will help you keep up your routine and recover from your strength training on Saturday. As you get more fit, you may want to add one or two additional sessions of aerobic exercise during the week, like running on a treadmill or trail, so you can increase your cardio fitness.

Example schedule 2: Fewer times a week

Here's a sample plan for someone who has trouble leaving the house every day for exercise, like parents of young children. Most activities are grouped into two work days and one weekend day.

Sunday: One hour fast walking or 30 minutes of running or swimming, 10 minutes of stretching during cool-down

Monday: Stretch 10 minutes

Tuesday: One hour yoga class

Wednesday: Stretch 10 minutes

Thursday: One hour fast walking or 30 minutes of running or swimming, stretch 10 minutes

Friday: 1 hour yoga class or 30 minutes of weight training and 10 minutes of stretching

Saturday: Take a 30 minute walk (with family), stretch 10 minutes

If you find you can't even leave the house or office three times during the week, Thursday could be a "power workout day" when you do 30 minutes of running followed by a yoga class. That way, you can just stretch 10 minutes on Friday.

Example schedule 3: Short blocks of time

If it's difficult for you to work exercise into your commute, but you have access to a gym near your office, you're a good candidate for a gym-based fitness plan that uses short blocks of time. This might be especially helpful if you have young children and don't have time to exercise in the evenings.

Sunday: Take a 20-minute walk, stretch 10 minutes afterward

Monday: 30 minutes on treadmill or stationary bike, stretch 10 minutes

Tuesday: 20 minutes of weight training at gym or home, stretch 10 minutes

Wednesday: 30 minutes on treadmill or stationary bike, stretch 10 minutes

Thursday: 20 minutes of weight training at gym or home, stretch 10 minutes

Friday: 30 minutes on treadmill or stationary bike, stretch 10 minutes

Saturday: One hour walk or bicycle ride (with family), stretch 10 minutes

If you have a longer block of time once a week, you can substitute a one-hour yoga class for one cardio and one weight training workout (For example, yoga class on Thursday instead of weight training and stretching, and no cardio on Friday, just stretching. If you stretch at home or the office, you can skip the gym on Friday.) As you get more fit, you can increase your intensity for a better workout, and once in a while you can put in a longer session if you have time. The Saturday walk or ride is "extra," but it will give you a healthy family activity in good weather, and the easy Sunday activities help you keep up your routine.

See also: Workout plan to improve your shape, workout plan to strengthen your bones, weight loss class

Now that you've got an exercise plan, put it in writing. You can write up your weekly schedule in the grid included the Fitness Contract, enter it into your PDA or calendar program on your computer, or write it down in your planner.

• Decide which activities you like -- find a mix of aerobic, strength, and flexibility activities

• Fill out your schedule in your Fitness Contract

• Start your workout this week if possible

• Track your progress in the Fitness Diary

Part 3: Guides to gear and services, good nutrition

Part 4: Sticking to it and avoiding injury

-- Deepi Brar is the multimedia editor at Consumer Health Interactive.

References:

Last updated June 8, 2009
Copyright © 2006 Consumer Health Interactive

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