Exercise Workout Program

No matter when you begin an exercise workout program, it's always a good time to start. It's never too late to get into shape. Many people start their program as part of their New Year's resolutions. Others begin it in the spring with anticipation of swimwear. The class reunion always brings diets and exercise programs to the front, too. Regardless of the reason, there are a few steps to follow so you can exercise in a healthy manner and continue the program to your ultimate goal.

In the Beginning:

The younger you are, the less you have to worry about your overall health when you start a fitness program. However, you still need to have baseline scores and benchmarks to measure your improvement. If you're grossly overweight, out of shape or over the age of 40, check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

When you're testing your fitness, you can use some simple exercises the first day. Record your readings from these exercises and then test again after a month or more to see how much you've progressed on the fitness scale.

Use your pulse rate as a guide. Before you begin a mile walk, talk time to find your pulse rate. After the walk, take your pulse rate again. Chart both of them.

Time yourself. Using that same mile walk, track the time it takes you to finish. You'll find that after a few months, the amount of time dramatically reduces.

Test your upper body strength. This test is easy to understand but difficult to do. See how many push-ups you can do in one set. If you can't do a regular push up, try one from bended knee position.

Touch your toes, or try to do it. It's tough to measure how much you improve when you attempt to touch your toes from standing position, but if you sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you and reach forward, you can easily see how close or far you come from your toes. This tests your flexibility, something you should also work on in your program.

Measure your belly. Taking a tape measure of your bare abdomen may be more uncomfortable than trying to touch your toes. You need to know the measurement to see if you progress. Don't worry, that number should get smaller as you exercise.

Find your body mass index.  You body mass index compares your height to your weight. If the number is over 29, you're overweight. However, if the number is over 30, you've reached the level of obese. You'll find several calculators online **(You can hyperlink to this site for a calculator http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)** or you can figure out your own body mass index by dividing your weight by your height in inches squared and then multiplying that answer by 703.

CreateYour Program

You'll want to work on three areas: Strength, stamina (cardio) and flexibility.  Select exercises for each of the three types of routines. Alternate your exercises between cardio and strength training, but include flexibility training every day as part of your warm up. The reason for alternating the strength training and cardio is to allow the muscles to recoup from the strength training.

Strength training is normally what we see muscle men do at the gym. It can include abdominal exercises, arm and chest exercises and all other types of muscle building exercises. These may include weights, but they aren't necessary as long as you work on strengthening the muscles. You don't have to go to a gym to do these, your exercise program can occur in the privacy of your home. You simply need to write down a program, schedule it into your day and then do it.

Cardiovascular exercises for stamina:  Any sport that requires you to run and move rapidly, such as tennis or even cross-country skiing, can be a cardio exercise. However, if you have a tight schedule, try burst exercises. Burst exercising involves running at full speed for a minute, walking a minute, running a minute and etc. You can do it as many times as possible but ideally; a set of six should be your goal. You'll find that if you use the burst technique in other workouts, you'll burn your fat faster, too.

Flexibility training is necessary to prevent injury. Before you do any exercises, stretch as much as you can in every possible manner. Add a yoga class once a week to your schedule if possible and reach for the sky then your toes when you get up in the morning. Cats understand flexibility training, watch one and mimic their movements.

By organizing your program on paper, there's more possibility you'll do it. Don't over exercise and risk injury or sore muscles. Make your program comfortable and yet challenging enough to make you breathe heavier. You'll find a good exercise workout program can make you feel better in a month and you'll begin to see the difference in your energy levels within weeks.