What Motivated Me to Exercise
I started exercising when I was in college and gained the dreaded 'Freshman 15.' My workouts were all over the place and I was confused, but I worked with a trainer and that helped me find focus.My Cardio Workouts
Over the years, I've tried a number of different activities and that has made it easier to fit in cardio workouts. Variety keeps things interesting and helps you look forward to your workouts. My typical week of cardio:
Monday: 1 hour, Running Intervals (I love Cardio Coach workouts)
Tuesday: 45 min, step aerobics
Wednesday: 30 min interval cardio (I like videos at home)
Thursday: 45-60 min kickboxing
Friday: Rest (or strength training)
Saturday: Rest or light walking
Sunday: 1 hour slow run
I think interval training is one of the best ways to burn calories and lose weight while saving time.
My Strength Training Workouts
My strength workouts change all the time, but my favorite schedule is to do 3 workouts - an upper body, a lower body and then a total body workout. That allows me to train all my muscle groups twice. A sample schedule:
Monday - Upper body (I do my cardio in the morning and then a short upper body after work)
Wednesday - Lower body after my short cardio workout
Friday: Total body workout or I do a strength/cardio circuit (like this Fat Burning Circuit)
Advice
- Experiment with different schedules until you find what works for you. It's okay to do cardio and strength in the same workout
- There are tons of ways to split your workouts. You can do a muscle group a day, try a 3-day split or alternate cardio days with strength training
- Be flexible. If I'm having a busy week, I'll shorten my workouts or try to do more circuit training, which saves time and allows me to maintain my muscles and fitness level
- Be consistent. Taking too much time between strength workouts may make you sore, so it's best to keep to a consistent routine.
