What should a fitness plan include

The goal is to choose a variety of exercises that together include the three fitness components. And aim for consistency, not perfection, says Geisel. Pay attention to your body and stop if you feel pain, Geisel advises.

Exercise physiologist Pamela Geisel offers some suggestions. Geisel has these four pieces of advice for fitness newbies. Include the three major components of fitness. Take an honest inventory of your body. Choose exercises that you enjoy, but also ones that expand your comfort zone.

Like strength conditioning, flexibility exercises should include stretching for all of the major muscle groups. Master the science of nutrition and the art of behavior change coaching. Stay connected with us to get the latest health and fitness news, innovative workouts, healthy recipes and wellness tips. Don't miss out! Save now. Be in a class of your own.

Ends soon! Act now. Create your story as an ACE Specialist. Limited time! Talk with an Advisor. Fit Facts. Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines, free weights and other tools for strength training. But you don't need to invest in a gym membership or expensive equipment to reap the benefits of strength training. Hand-held weights or homemade weights — such as plastic soft drink bottles filled with water or sand — may work just as well.

Resistance bands are another inexpensive option. Your own body weight counts, too. Try pushups, pullups, abdominal crunches and leg squats. The muscles in your abdomen, lower back and pelvis — known as your core muscles — help protect your back and connect upper and lower body movements. Core strength is a key element of a well-rounded fitness training program. Core exercises help train your muscles to brace the spine and enable you to use your upper and lower body muscles more effectively.

So what counts as a core exercise? A core exercise is any exercise that uses the trunk of your body without support, such as bridges, planks, situps and fitness ball exercises.

Balance exercises can help you maintain your balance at any age. It's generally a good idea for older adults in particular to include exercises to maintain or improve balance in their routine exercises. This is important because balance tends to deteriorate with age, which can lead to falls and fractures.

Balance exercises can help older adults prevent falls and maintain their independence. However, anyone can benefit from balance training, as it can help stabilize your core muscles.

Try standing on one leg for increasing periods of time to improve your overall stability. Activities such as tai chi can promote balance, too. Flexibility is an important aspect of physical fitness, and it's a good idea to include stretching and flexibility activities in a fitness program. Stretching exercises can help increase flexibility, which can make it easier for you to do many everyday activities that require flexibility. Stretching can also improve the range of motion of your joints and may promote better posture.

Regular stretching can even help relieve stress and tension. Consider stretching after you exercise — when your muscles are warm and receptive to stretching. But if you want to stretch before a workout, warm up first by walking or exercising for five to 10 minutes before stretching.

Ideally, you'll stretch whenever you exercise. If you don't exercise regularly, you might want to stretch at least two to three times a week after warming up to maintain flexibility. Activities such as yoga promote flexibility, too. Whether you create your own fitness training program or enlist the help of a personal trainer, your overall exercise plan should include several elements.

Aim to incorporate aerobic fitness, strength training, core exercises, balance training, and flexibility and stretching into your exercise plan. It isn't necessary to fit each of these elements into every fitness session, but factoring them into your regular routine can help you promote fitness for life.

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With practice, your heart won't have to work as hard to do the same workout so your heart rate will slow down as you become more fit. Choose your location s. Fill in where you plan on working out each day to help clarify how you will carry out your plan. If it's a treadmill run or a spin class, then commit to making the trip to the gym for your workout. If you are planning to do a bodyweight strength training workout, then you may be able to just do it at home.

Make sure to specify where each workout will take place. Determine your diet. Different types of people need diets that set them up for success; opt for one that fits your personality. Some people do not even need to adjust what they are eating. Eating a great variety of foods will cover most needs, but one general guideline is to consume more carbohydrates than protein or fat.

Limit sodium, sugars, and saturated fats. Not all calories are equal. Try to select foods that satiate hunger longer. Fit those meals into the various meal breaks of your schedule. Part 3. Adjust your goals if necessary. Maybe you overestimated your fitness level, or bit off a goal larger than you can chew, that's fine.

Update your plan as you go along and modify your goals as necessary. A few possible adjustments are: Lower the weights you had planned on lifting, or the inches you had hoped to lose.

Drop the race distance down a notch. If you had your heart set on a marathon, set your sights on a half-marathon instead. Don't scratch the entire idea, just adjust it.

Add days to your timeline. If you don't want to diminish the intended goal, perhaps the schedule just needs a buffer? Figure the extra time required to reach your goal and just supplement the fitness plan accordingly.

Celebrate success. Positive reinforcement will go a long way towards keep you on track. Try to reward yourself as much as possible without sacrificing the goal itself. Here are a few great ways to celebrate: Post your successes online and get ready for the kudos. Buy an outfit you couldn't fit into previously. Reward sore muscles with a massage. Indulge in a favorite food or dessert for your "cheat meal". Find an accountability partner. Get someone on board with your same program, a shared motivation.

It will be much easier to put a check-mark on a day of your fitness plan than crossing out a day of inactivity. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Francisco Gomez Fitness Coach. Francisco Gomez. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0.

Michele Dolan Certified Fitness Trainer.