5 Things To Consider When Planning a Workout Routine
Fitness should be a vital part of our daily routines, whether it’s making time to go to the gym, eating healthy, or just taking the stairs at work. Whatever the reason is, you’re doing not only your body a great service – but also your mind.
When you’re starting a new workout routine, it’s important to identify what works best for you. Having a routine that you look forward to and can keep up with is a must. In order to help you get started, we’ve put together a list of five things to consider when structuring your new regime.
What to Consider When Planning a Workout Routine
Set Realistic Goals
If you’re not realistic with what you can do, you’ll quickly fall out of your new routine. You can always ramp up your workouts and do more, but start with achievable goals that are inside of your skillset. If you’ve never run before, running for five miles a day will feel like death. Not exactly sure what is realistic? Look up suggested routines online, such as the couch to 5k running plan, or start with a class workout such as Orange Theory (our personal favorite).
Do Your Cardio
You need to be sure that you’re getting your heart-rate up for 15 minutes to an hour, three times a week or more. This will help you burn the most calories and lose those extra pounds. Cardio can be running, cycling, swimming or even power walking – anything that gets your heart-rate up and your blood circulating!
Don’t Forget Weight Training
While cardio is important to kickstart your calorie burn, weight-lifting is just as important. Weight training will help you to strengthen your muscles and also sculpt your body. Just like cardio, try to lift weights at least three times a week, and be sure that you alternate which areas you workout and change up your movements. Otherwise, your muscles will get used to the routines, and you won’t get the optimal workout.
Make Time To Stretch
You don’t want to get an injury, and the best way to avoid that (aside from doing the exercises properly) is to give yourself time to warm-up and cool-down before and after exercise. Stretching helps keeps your muscles from tightening up, and it also provides you with a great range of motion. If you do find yourself dealing with an injury, be sure to take it easy and gradually work your way back up to your normal routine.
Eat Healthy
The most important part of your workout routine will be eating healthy. Just because you worked out doesn’t mean that you can splurge on calories with every meal. Be sure to follow workouts with meals that are high in protein and low in fat, and for your other meals – try to eat as healthy as you can. It’s fine to have cheat meals every now and then – but limit them to once or twice per week.
It’s important to note that it doesn’t matter your workout routine, you won’t see results overnight, but if you stick with it you’ll notice that your clothes are fitting differently and then you’ll start to see the pounds fall off when you hop on the scale. Most routines take about three weeks for you to form and fully stick with them, so stick with your new workout routine for the first three weeks – and after that, you should not only see results and feel healthier, but you’ll also find that you might just be looking forward to your next workout!
Life is busy, and workouts can be hard to fit in. What types of workouts do you enjoy the most? What do you consider when planning a workout routine? We’d love to hear from you in our comment section below!
Emily Sprinkle, also known as Emma Loggins, is a designer, marketer, blogger, and speaker. She is the Editor-In-Chief for Women's Business Daily where she pulls from her experience as the CEO and Director of Strategy for Excite Creative Studios, where she specializes in web development, UI/UX design, social media marketing, and overall strategy for her clients.
Emily has also written for CNN, Autotrader, The Guardian, and is also the Editor-In-Chief for the geek lifestyle site FanBolt.com
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