How to: Designing a Weight-Loss Workout Plan
Designing your own workout plan helps you lose weight while doing activities that suit your fitness level, budget and tastes. It’s important to pair your workout program with healthy, reduced-calorie meals and snacks containing plenty of fruits, vegetables and other unrefined ingredients, and minimize fast food and other processed fare. Talk to your doctor before starting a workout or weight-loss plan. Choosing Cardio Activities Cardiovascular exercise burns calories quickly and should be the backbone of your workout plan. If you’re experieced with cardio, try the following: Running Swimming laps Cycling uphill If you don’t already exercise regularly, try these: Walking briskly Swimming freestyle Cycling on flat ground at a casual pace To prevent overuse injury and alleviate bordem, rotate between a variety of exercises. Choosing Strength-Training Activities While strength-training exercises may burn fewer calories than cardio over the short term, they build muscle to increase your metabolism. At home workouts utilizing body-weight: Push-ups Squats Crunches Consider purchasing dumbbells for curls and presses At the gym: Use a variety of weight machines or free weights Strengthen all major muscle groups: arms, chest, back, legs, hips and abdomen Try two to four sets of each exercise, with eight to 12 repetitions per set Planning Your Schedule For the greatest chance of success, schedule exercise when it’s most convenient If you perform moderate cardio, include sessions of 30 to 60 minutes five days per week If you perform vigorous cardio, do sessions of 20 to 60 minutes three days per week Schedule two to three sessions of strength training per week, but allow muscles at least 48 hours of recovery between these workouts Warm up before exercising with five to 10 minutes of light cardio Finding Motivation Keep a journal tracking your progress Find a friend or two to join you Reward yourself after workouts if you get bored with your routine, try something new References & Resources Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: General Physical Activities Defined by Level of Intensity Harvard Health Publications: 10 Tips for Exercising Safely Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Why Strength Training? American College of Sports Medicine: ACSM Issues New Recommendations on Quantity and Quality of Exercise Mayo Clinic: Fitness: Tips for Staying Motivated About the Author // <![CDATA[ var url = ‘/get_cme_cached/www.demandstudios.com/contributor/b27ace77-ed2a-4493-9b81-0223c427130a’; $.ajax({ url: url, success: function(data, textStatus, jqXHR) { var writer = $.parseJSON(data); $(‘#byline’).text(‘by ‘ + writer.display_name + ‘, Demand Media’); $(‘#author’).text(writer.display_name); if (writer.about){ $(‘#authorAbout p’).text(writer.about); $(‘#authorAbout’).show(); } }}); // ]]>
Source: Complete Nutrition
