Failure to plan is planning to fail.
- Every Sunday (or whichever day you chose) sit down with your weekly calendar and decide how many days of exercise you can commit to based on your goals and schedule.
- Keep a fitness journal and hold yourself accountable for your workouts. (Sometimes even posting about it online, or asking a friend to follow up gives you that extra motivation to not skip a workout).
- Schedule rest days! Always listen to your body.
- Mix it up and try new things. I often will schedule Zumba, TurboJam, P90x, or Yoga into my week to keep things fresh!
- Put it somewhere you will see it every day. I write mine right into my planner so I have to cross it off just like any other item on my to-do list.
- As always, consult a physician before starting any fitness regimen.
Be sure your schedule includes a mix of:
- Cardiovascular
- Strength Training
- Flexibility (stretching)
Tips for the cardiovascular part of your workout:
- Include a warm up.
- Keep your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes if possible.
- Include a cool down.
- Give intervals a try if your goal is to lose weight.
Tips for the strength training part of your workout:
- Be sure to include a 5 minute warm up.
- Don’t have time to work every muscle group in one workout? No problem! Try breaking your workouts into “A” days and “B” days, with A focusing on upper body and core, and B focuses on lower body and core.
- Be sure to include a 5 minute cool down (this is crucial for strength training, as failure to do so may cause dizziness or even fainting).
An example plan:
- Sunday: Rest Day
- Monday: 30 minute cardio, strength training “A” day, and stretching.
- Tuesday: Yoga
- Wednesday: 30 minute cardio, strength training “B” day, and stretching.
- Thursday: Rest Day
- Friday: 30 minute cardio and stretching.
- Saturday: 30 minute cardio, strength training “A” day, and stretching.
What are your best tips for creating a workout schedule?
Jennifer is a 27 year old personal trainer living in Connecticut. She is "Coach Jen" at 
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the schedule, always helpful to see how I can break from my regular routine every now and then!
I really like online training tools, they at least give you a starting place to put something together.
Nichole´s last [type] ..Work Hard Play Hard
You know, I create a workout schedule in my head most weeks, telling myself I’m going to do abs on Monday, strength on Wednesday and run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, for example. But writing it down makes so much more sense! Writing things down for me always makes things more cemented. I really should start using my planner for these purposes.
“Failure to plan is planning to fail.” What a GREAT quotable. And thanks for posting a sample schedule, mine looks very similar!
hbobier´s last [type] ..I Have the Worst Immune System Ever
Twitter: lisaeirene
October 22, 2010 at 12:58 pm
I created my workout routine years ago when I first started losing weight. I chose days of the week that the pool wasn’t overcrowded. That schedule has pretty much stayed the same ever since! When I started including other types of workouts things changed. I tried running at lunch time, or doing weight lifting after work. So it’s whatever works with my schedule. I almost ALWAYS get in my 5 days a week though!
Lisa´s last [type] ..Celebrating My Magazine Cover Debut!
i love what you have said ‘failure to plan is planning to fail’. its very true in my case, infact anyones when they have such a busy life. I dont follow a specific plan because work changes each week but make sure i include 2 runs, 2 yoga sessions and a strength, however i think its important to listen to your body regarless of the plan, i have learnt sometimes you just have to slow down, take a break and get back on it the next day.
great job on the blog
http://healthybalancingact.blogspot.com/
natalie´s last [type] ..My perfect day
Twitter: barbara_dilisio
October 22, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Scheduling is something that I really need to do. Not just with work outs, but life in general.
Barbara´s last [type] ..Vacation Recap- St Thomas
Twitter: nicoleculver
October 23, 2010 at 8:56 am
I love this plan. I tend to kind of get ‘stuck’ and do the same thing every week. Thanks for reminding me I need to switch things up and try new things sometimes!
Nicole @ Making Good Choices´s last [type] ..Salmon with Lemon- a reliable dinner
Working out when I wake up works for me. I like to use the excuse that I need to get sweaty and dirty before I take a shower to start my day. It keeps me on schedule, because if I take a shower and I haven’t exercised, I feel guilty.
I dropped my gym membership to save money and I just use the woods and park in my neighborhood as my free gym. This also keeps me on schedule, bc there is a cutie that jogs in the park and i’m still trying to figure out his schedule, so we can bump into each other again <– that keeps me on schedule! (lol, I seem like a stalker)
I also like to switch it up- I take zumba and play in a basketball league. When I had a gym membership, I used to take aerobics and aqua aerobics.
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